Watersheds & Water Quality Junior Field Technician

Job title: Watershed & Water Quality Junior Field Technician  

Reports to: Watersheds & Water Quality Project

Job location: 45 School St., Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

Wage: $18.00 / hour

Hours: 35 hours per week (9-week internship) 

Start Date: Expected June 27, 2024 

Employment Hiring 

Clean is committed to Employment Equity and our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative at all job levels. The Clean Leadership Program welcomes applications from qualified self-identifying First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, Racialized Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ applicants. If you are a member of one of the equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on our registration form. 

About the Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program 

The Clean Leadership Summer Internship program helps grow the clean economy by matching interns (age 15-30) with employers for 9- and 15-week summer work placements. Participating interns will receive paid hands-on experience, mentorship opportunities, take part in a professional development conference and training, while supporting local environmental projects.  

Program Requirements 

• Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, person who has been granted refugee status in Canada or legally entitled to work in Canada;  
• Must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of internship; 
• From and/or will be residing in Nova Scotia for the duration of the internship; 
• Must not be an immediate family member of host employer;

About the host employer  

Coastal Action is a charitable organization on the south shore of Nova Scotia that believes in safeguarding a healthy environment for future generations. For over 25 years, our goal has been to promote the restoration and conservation of our environment through research, education, and action. We work in five core areas: Watersheds & Water Quality, Species at Risk & Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Education, and Coastal & Marine. The organization receives direction from a volunteer board of directors supported through a full-time Executive Director and has been an established member of the Lunenburg County community since our inception in December of 1993. The Coastal Action team office is located at the Mahone Bay Centre and field projects are located throughout the South Shore of Nova Scotia.  

Summary of position  

The host employer for this Summer Internship position through the Clean Leadership program will be Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation (Coastal Action). In this position, you will be mainly responsible for helping to conduct field work activities including culvert assessments, water quality data collection, electrofishing surveys, stream assessments, fish habitat restoration, fish passage improvement, and scientific monitoring. Junior Technicians will help to deliver outreach events, create outreach materials, and develop material for social media. Junior Technicians are partially responsible for the collection, input, and management of data as well as the creation of maps to highlight key findings. Junior Technicians will primarily provide support for fieldwork and will also have the opportunity to help with other teams within Coastal Action in order to complete their fieldwork plans. The successful candidate needs to have experience working outdoors, a current Standard First Aid and CPR Level A (or equivalent) by the position start date, a valid Class 5 Nova Scotia drivers license (or equivalent) with access to a vehicle for work purposes, as well as the ability to obtain a drivers abstract, child abuse registry check, criminal record check, vulnerable sector check, and a recreational angling license shortly after the position start date.  

Duties and Responsibilities  

• Conducting aquatic connectivity and culvert assessments 
• Conducting in stream fish habitat and Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) assessments 
• Assisting with electrofishing surveys including netting, identification of fishes, handling of fishes, measurement collection, and data collection 
• Conducting water quality monitoring with YSI multiparameter sonde 
• Inputting, managing, and summarizing various types of scientific data collected during assessments using Excel 
• Creating, managing, and updating maps using ArcGIS software 
• Attend outreach events to showcase projects and increase awareness of issues occurring in freshwater environments 
• Work within a team to install fish habitat restoration structures and fish passage improvement structures 
• Contribute to writing detailed reports for funders and clients 
• Possibility to assist other teams within Coastal Action 

Requirements/Qualifications 

• Have an aptitude for safe work practices and the ability to multi-task in a busy work environment 
• Be able to work productively as part of a team while responding to feedback 
• Demonstrated interest in future employment in the environmental or clean sector is considered an asset 
• Previous experience working outdoors 
• Post-secondary education with a concentration in environmental science, biology, fisheries/wildlife management, or another related discipline is considered an asset 
• Comfort working in and around waterbodies and watercourses 
• Ability to perform work tasks safely in challenging environments and varying weather conditions 
• Commitment to ongoing communication with team members and strong communication skills 
• Flexible and adaptable to a changing work schedule (including some weekend and evening work when required) 

• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently 
• Strong organizational skills 
• Efficient time management 
• A Valid Class 5 Nova Scotia drivers license (or equivalent) with access to a vehicle for work purposes 
• Standard First Aid + CPR Level A (or equivalent) at the time of the position start date 

Working Condition

This job requires folks to work in a variety of weather conditions including sun, heat, cold, and rain when necessary. Field work sites are located in or along watercourses and many sites are only accessible by walking through forested areas, the successful candidate should be comfortable working in and around water as well as walking through wooded areas where there may be stinging/biting insects. There is also an outreach component to many of the projects within the Watersheds & Water Quality team at Coastal Action which means that the successful candidate will be expected and encouraged to engage with the public throughout their time with Coastal Action. 

Physical Requirement

This job involves standing and working within watercourses, walking in/along watercourses, walking on a variety of uneven terrain, and carrying field equipment. The successful candidate can anticipate hiking long distances over rough terrain with field equipment and the use of hand tools such as sledgehammers (with access to required PPE). The successful candidate must be able to safely lift 23 kg (50 lbs) to complete some of the required work tasks and must tolerate working in all weather conditions.