Snow Survey Technician

USDA, NRCS Snow Survey Center                                                             Bozeman, Montana - USA
January, 1998 – May, 1998                                                                                                                                                            

DUTIES
 

• Collected wind speed, wind direction, soil temperature, air temperature, and snow water content data from automated SNOTEL sites, and manual snow courses.  Manual snow course sites required snow depth and water content readings to be taken with an aluminum tube and weighted scale along a constant azimuth over a 1,000ft distance.
• Snowmobile, touring skis, winter survival, and mountaineering techniques, 1:24,000 vertical aerial photos, and GPS unit, were all utilized to locate sample sites.
• Converted snow depth readings into water content measurements to be reported to the NRCS within the first five days of each month allowing for the prediction of spring runoff and data storage.

PROJECTS
 

• Bitterroot Basin Snow Survey – Successfully completed data collection for the 20 sites I was charged with surveying in the Bitterroot basin of the southwest Montana / Idaho border area.