Natural Resource Management and Monitoring Coordinator

Description:

Cardinal Point Captains, Inc. (CPC) is seeking an experienced and qualified individual to provide Natural Resource Management and Monitoring Coordination support for the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Active Management Protection (AMP) project in the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) office in Galveston, TX.

Background:

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) settlement was reached under the provisions of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) and based on the damage assessment and restoration alternative selected in the DWH Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact (PDARP/PEIS). Goals of the PDARP/PEIS include the restoration of mesophotic and deep benthic communities (MDBC) and species injured by the spill using a variety of techniques including active management of these communities to protect against multiple threats and provide a framework for monitoring, education, and outreach; and improving the understanding of MDBC to inform better management and ensure resilience.

MDBC are vast and complex ecosystems that are a foundation to Gulf food webs. Despite the depth of these resources, human activities and environmental perturbations can threaten the health and resiliency of these communities. Potential threats include energy development activity; fishing (e.g., harvest pressure, damage from bottom-tending gear, impacts from anchoring or lost gear); recreational activities, such as diving and boating; marine debris; invasive species; and climate change. Four MDBC restoration projects, including the Active Management and Protection (AMP) project, were selected for implementation to address these challenges in the November 2019 Open Ocean Final Restoration Plan 2 and Environmental Assessment.

The Active Management and Protection (AMP) project intends to utilize existing knowledge and information that emerges from the work of the whole MDBC portfolio to identify activities that can address present threats, prevent future injury, and provide a framework for monitoring, education, and outreach. Restoration activities that prevent future injuries to natural resources from known threats can often have more certain outcomes and be more cost-effective than projects that create new resources, and spatially based management provides a framework for addressing key threats to MDBC.

Activities conducted through the Science to Management (S2M) element of the AMP project include the development and implementation of a long-term monitoring plan across the Northern Gulf at mesophotic and deep sites, sites impacted by the spill and non-impacted reference sites. In coordination with team members across the MDBC portfolio and Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS), the Natural Resource Management and Monitoring Coordinator will support existing interagency efforts to characterize habitats and develop the plan for long-term monitoring, including site selection, monitoring parameters, and monitoring frequency. To implement these activities, this position will plan and lead multi-day, collaborative expeditions utilizing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), technical divers, and other technology to monitor key sites and characterize habitat.

Additionally, the S2M element aims to synthesize data collected across the MDBC portfolio and by FGBNMS to support and inform natural resource management activities such as the designation of protected areas and the development of management plans. This position will participate in a cross-project and cross-partner effort to develop site characterizations and other products that can be used by natural resources managers to inform decision-making.

Finally, activities conducted through the Threat Reduction (TR) element of the AMP project will identify and evaluate threats to MDBCs in the northern Gulf and develop plans to remove or mitigate some of those threats. These activities could include, but are not limited to: assessing and remediating leaking or abandoned energy infrastructure, assessing and reducing natural resource user conflicts, and enhancing resource protection capacity. In order to conduct these activities, this position would support efforts to gather existing data, conduct additional surveys, and/or engage with natural resource management and enforcement entities to identify opportunities to mitigate threats.

Tasks:

• Support the development and execution of a multispecies natural resource monitoring program in collaboration with other NOAA team members and partners
• Plan and lead multi-day, multi-task expeditions that utilize ROV and technical diving to monitor habitats, and deploy instrumentation such as landers and ARMs to collect environmental and habitat data
• Facilitate collaborative research missions between academic, federal agency, industry, and resource management partners
• Lead study development, data analysis, and the writing of technical reports, manuscripts, post-cruise summaries, cruise reports, and project reports
• Meet permitting and policy requirements for research, resource protection, and monitoring activities
• Engage with the public, stakeholders, academic institutions, industry partners, state and federal agencies, and natural resource managers to communicate outcomes of research, resource protection, and monitoring activities
• Lead efforts to facilitate information transfer between agencies, industry, and natural resource managers
• Participate in annual adaptive management processes to evaluate project progress and inform future project planning

Requirements:

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s or equivalent degree or experience in Marine Biology or Science, Physical Sciences, Natural Resource Management, or similar field.
• Knowledge of mesophotic and deep sea coral species and communities
• Ability to implement and support biological and ecological research and resource protection and monitoring projects, including familiarity with multi-day offshore operations with ROVs, technical divers, and other equipment such as CTDs, landers, etc.
• Ability to collect, review, analyze, and synthesize scientific data and integrate varying types of data
• Knowledge and experience using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Drive
• Knowledge and experience using GIS for natural resource planning and protection
• Ability to lift 50 pounds.
• Ability to operate a government vehicle.

Location:

This position can be fully remote from a home office. Depending on candidate’s location, office space may be available at NOAA or partner facilities on a case-by-case basis. This position will primarily work with colleagues in central and eastern time zones along the Gulf coast, so the selected candidate would need to schedule their work hours accordingly.

AAP/EEO Statement

CPC is an EEO employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.