This is a lead technician position that will work with closely with the state bat biologist, the Nongame Wildlife Program, and the Wildlife Health Lab to achieve various bat conservation and management objectives. The lead technician will organize and coordinate: 1) Montana’s Pd/White-nose Syndrome (WNS) Surveillance and Monitoring Program and 2) North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat). This includes assisting with daily supervision, training, and organization of work plans for 2 field technicians to carry out both programs.

Pd/WNS surveillance includes the capture, handling, identification, and sampling (e.g., swabbing of bats) of bats across at 20+ sites across the state (April – June). Other disease surveillance work includes collecting guano and soil samples at hibernacula and maternity roosts. As some work will occur in hibernacula – previous experience working in caves is ideal but not required. Although rabies vaccinations are not a requirement for application, the lead technician must be willing to receive rabies vaccinations, conduct regular titer checks, and receive boosters, as needed.

This position is also responsible for coordinating Montana’s NABat acoustic monitoring and emergence count efforts following national and state protocols (June – August). This includes implementing a deployment and retrieval schedule for acoustic detectors at 100+ sites across the state, developing landowner outreach materials, and conducting field work, including emergence counts at roosts. Supervising efforts include developing a deployment schedule for shared acoustic detectors at 100+ sites across the state and assisting in the deployment, retrieval, and equipment maintenance of acoustic detectors.