MS Graduate Student: Sagebrush Insect Ecology, Sage-grouse Food Arthropods, and Rangeland Management in Sage-brush Steppe Ecosystems.: Montana State University

School: Montana State University/Department of Animal and Range Sciences

Location: Bozeman, MT

Job Category: Graduate Assistantships

Website: http://animalrange.montana.edu/

Salary: $22,000 per year plus health

Last Date to Apply: 10/31/2016

 

Description:

     Available is one M.S. graduate research assistantship at Montana State University (MSU) in the lab of Dr. Hayes Goosey (Department of Animal and Range Sciences) with co-advising and collaboration from Dr. Craig Carr (Department of Animal and Range Sciences). This position will focus on Arthropod conservation in Montana sagebrush steppe ecosystems in relation to greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) conservation efforts. The selected student will complete coursework on the MSU campus with field work located in central Montana, approximately 3-5 hrs. from campus.
      Arthropods are a significant driving force of rangeland plant diversity and health and dominant land uses, such as livestock grazing, can greatly alter arthropod locations, abundance, and diversity. As a result, the interactions between arthropods and land use regimes of sagebrush steppe habitats are reflected in rangeland ecosystems. Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (MTFWP) has identified a portion of central Montana as a sage-grouse core area and efforts are in place to utilize a science based approach to conserve sage-grouse habitats through eliminating sod-busting activities and implement conservation oriented livestock grazing strategies of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI). The selected student will work to complete the following objectives: 

1) Quantify the influence of SGI grazing systems on arthropod populations by comparing lands enrolled in the SGI program, traditionally grazed lands and idled Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge (LMWR) lands.

2) Quantify relationships between arthropod populations and vegetation structure (i.e. bare ground, plant litter, live herbaceous cover, etc.) with permanent plots established on SGI, traditionally-grazed, and LMWR lands.

3) Use these data to train predictive models of vegetation structure and arthropod abundance based on Landsat 8 imagery to build a continuous spatial coverage of food arthropod abundance for the SGI study area. 

4) Transfer knowledge gained and tools from objectives 1 and 2 to livestock producers, public/private landowners and managers, and wildlife management agencies.
      The position will start January, 2017 and continue for up to 2.5 years ($22,000/yr. plus health insurance). We are seeking an independent student who is entomological, native habitat, and conservation minded. The student must be capable of weekly trips to remote and often ‘Out-of-Cellular Service’ places in central Montana. This cannot be emphasized enough as weather conditions can often make roads impassable during field season. 

Required qualifications: 

     Applicants must possess a B.S. degree in Entomology, Range Science, Wildlife Biology, or a related natural resources field; be an independent and self-staring person; possess a strong interest in applied ecology. Applicants must also possess a driver’s license valid in the US.

Preferred qualifications: 

     Those applicants who have documented and extensive experience leading field research projects in remote locations, conducting vegetation inventories, and using GPS and GIS technology will be competitive during the selection process.

To Apply: 

     Submit an application packet consisting of:

1) A cover letter addressing the required and preferred qualifications.

2) A CV. 

3) Unofficial transcripts.

4) GRE scores.

5) Contact information of three professional references to Dr. Hayes Goosey (hgoosey@montana.edu) 

     For information about either Dr. Goosey or Dr. Carr, see: http://animalrange.montana.edu/faculty/entomology/ ; http://animalrange.montana.edu/faculty/rangescience/index.html.