General Information:   The Senior Aquatic Resource Biologist position will work at the direction of the Natural Resources Supervisor to resolve fish and aquatic resource issues associated with the operation of the Wells Hydroelectric Project.  This position will be primarily responsible for developing and conducting studies on anadromous and resident fish and will also be involved in the collection and reporting of water quality information associated with the operation of Wells Dam. 

Essential Job Functions, in order of importance:  

1.      Design and implement fishery resource studies at the Wells Project including studies associated with the implementation of Wells Anadromous Fish Agreement (HCP) and the Wells Aquatic Settlement Agreement.  Activities that may be assigned to this position include anadromous fish survival and passage studies, sturgeon life history and supplementation studies, lamprey passage evaluations, construction of major fish passage and rearing facilities, resident fish and water quality sampling, bull trout incidental take and passage monitoring and aquatic invasive species sampling.   

2.      Conduct analyses, run models and prepare regulatory documents and reports.  Review models, analyses and reports prepared in other forums and determine their applicability to existing fish settlement agreements, the relicensing of the Wells Project and the operations of Wells Dam. 

3.      Provide a scientific and technical perspective on issues discussed during HCP and Aquatic Settlement meetings.

4.      Participate on interdisciplinary teams working on strategic fish and aquatic resources issues.

5.      Administer contracts and budgets associated with each of the fishery resource projects assigned to the Senior Aquatic Resource Biologist.

6.      Participate in Endangered Species Act consultations related to fishery enhancement facilities and other hydro related in-water construction projects. 

7.      Design and coordinate permitting for fish passage, brood collection and hatchery rearing facilities.

8.      Represent the District in regional fish recovery planning, hydro operations and habitat enhancement forums.     

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:    

1.      A strong scientific background in fisheries biology/ecology coupled with an applied understanding of statistical and analytical principles commonly used in fisheries management. 

2.      Excellent technical writing and oral communication skills. 

3.      Extensive knowledge and proficiency in the utilization of computer software programs (MSWord, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, etc.). 

4.      An extensive knowledge of one or more of the following species: salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, bull trout and white sturgeon.  A good working knowledge of fish management and population biology is also required. 

5.      Strong organizational skills.

 Familiarity with the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and other related environmental regulations including state and local natural resource laws and policies is desirable.

Education and Experience:   A minimum of a Master of Science degree in fish biology or other equivalent aquatic science is required.   Experience working on or around large hydroelectric projects and with anadromous fish is desirable, as is experience participating in multi-party collaborative processes.

Contact Information:  For questions or clarification related to the position described above please contact:                      

                        Mr. Shane Bickford

                        Natural Resources Supervisor

                        Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County

                        1151 Valley Mall Parkway

                        East Wenatchee, WA 98802-4497

                        sbickford@dcpud.org

                        (509) 881-2208 (W)