James Yrigoyen
Flagstaff,AZ
Summary
Focused Wildlife Biologist with field experience in shorebird, seabird, and sea turtle ecology, With additional experience in invasive plant management, endangered plant propagation, and habitat restoration. Committed to implementing conservation practices and adhering to protect endangered plant and animal species and their habitats. Skilled in research and reporting and considered valuable team asset.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
08.2024 - Current
- Company Overview: This is a federal job. Website: [fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov)
- Serve as a Senior Fish and Wildlife Biologist and technical advisor in the following specialty areas: Endangered Species; Federal Activities; Environmental Contaminants; and/or Partners for Fish and Wildlife.
- Plan and conduct status surveys for both listed and candidate species, in cooperation with other Federal and state agency personnel, private organization representatives, and contractors.
- Act as technical advisor to other Field Office staff on the habitat needs of rare, candidate, proposed, and federally listed species for the purpose of Section 7 consultations with other Federal agencies and designated non-Federal representatives.
- Inspect projects for compliance with policies, standards, guidelines, agreements, and plans, followed by recommendations for action to ensure compliance.
- Review rules, regulations, legislation and statutes pertaining to rare, candidate, proposed, threatened, and endangered fish, wildlife, and plant resources. Recommend appropriate procedures for implementing provisions of these mandates and establishes key contacts with other agencies, organizations, and the public.
- Prepare written correspondence, reports, and papers for publication based on the literature, observations made, and investigations conducted. Reports and papers are used to analyze current conditions and assess implications of future actions on rare, candidate, proposed, threatened and endangered species and their habitats.
- Review and provide input on the development of Conservation Plans and Habitat/Wildlife Management Plans.
- Independently conduct consultations pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
- Plan, investigate, conduct, and reviews on-site ecological investigations on a wide variety of complex and diverse Federal land and water resource development proposals to determine their effects on fish and wildlife resources, with special emphasis on rare, candidate, proposed, federally listed threatened and endangered species habitat, riparian habitat, wetland ecology and management, and other habitats of concern in the affected area.
- Facilitate habitat restorations, including landowner contacts, mapping, surveying, staking, construction monitoring, seeding, and other related activities, and prepares management plans for restored areas including invasive species management.
- Coordinate and facilitate efforts that maximizes habitat preservation, restoration, and enhancement benefits for Trust resources, including wetlands, habitats for candidate, threatened, and endangered species, and invasive species management.
- Occasionally supervise and coordinate the work of lower-grade biologists or technicians in accomplishing habitat restoration and/or enhancement on private lands.
- Professional knowledge of the latest theories, principles, and methods of fish and wildlife biology, their application, and general knowledge of a wide range of related disciplines.
- Thorough professional knowledge of the biology of rare, candidate, proposed, and listed species occurring within the area of responsibility, including habitats, distribution, life history, food habits, habitat use, behavior, taxonomy, and population ecology.
- Ability to work cooperatively and diplomatically with private landowners, personnel of other agencies, other Service personnel, and private organizations, sufficient to encourage implementation of planned projects.
- Ability to supervise lower grade biologists or technicians which may be assigned to assist in collection of field data, developing plans, and implementing projects.
- Member of hiring panel for Arizona National Wildlife Refuges, Fire Management Officer position 2024.
- Participate in mandatory field work and/or site evaluations.
- Participated in annual Mt. Graham Red Squirrel surveys with multiple agencies, Mt. Graham, AZ.
- Maintain GSA vehicle staged at Southwest Forest Science Complex.
- Volunteered to help out with Sonoran Pronghorn Captures at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, but was unable to attend due to all travel being cancelled indefinitely.
- Current Red Card as a Technical Assistant (Biology).
- This is a federal job. Website: [fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov)
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
11.2022 - 08.2024
- Company Overview: This is a federal job. Website: [fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov)
- Point of contact for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office (PIFWO) for Maui Nui ES team (islands of Maui, Moloka’i, Lana’i, and Kaho’olawe). PIFWO headquarters office is in Honolulu, HI, and my duty station was at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Kihei, on Maui, HI.
- Plan, evaluate, and conduct a wide variety of complex ecological investigations or inspections involving complex land and water resource development projects, proposals, and/or license applications/renewals to determine their impact on fish and/or wildlife resources and habitats and to ensure that legal standards and other requirements are met and implemented.
- Provide technical assistance and section 7 consultations.
- Develop and review comprehensive wildlife management plans and coordinate with Refuge and NPS programs that affect biological resources including, but not limited to: fire management, wetland management, water quality, forestry, and grassland restoration/management.
- Prepare issue papers, briefing documents, reports, and portions of management plans, and provide verbal briefings to senior-level management and others regarding issues that could affect the ecological integrity of resources within Service jurisdiction.
- Develop biological study proposals, survey designs, and scopes-of-work and conduct complex biological field investigations involving wildlife species and habitats, including population and take surveys, biological sampling, population health studies, animal collecting, food habit studies, population modeling and other wildlife monitoring activities.
- Knowledge of the principles, concepts, and theories in fish and/or wildlife biology and a working familiarity with related disciplines to determine the effect of land and water development projects on the fish and/or wildlife resources of an area.
- Knowledge of applicable Federal environmental laws and Executive Orders (i.e., Endangered Species Act, National Environment Policy Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Marine Mammal Act, Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and Natural Resources Damage Assessment).
- Knowledge of the concepts, principles, methodologies, and practices of conservation biology and ecology to provide a critical review of listing, critical habitat, and special rule documents as well as petition and candidate assessment findings and determinations, as they relate to the threats facing species at risk and their habitats.
- Review scientific proposals and reports to evaluate hypotheses, study objectives, research design, appropriateness of methods, probability of success and overall importance to management or science.
- Review and analyze biological implications of EAs or comprehensive resource planning reports to evaluate environmental consequences of proposed actions on Federal projects.
- Skill and diplomacy in coordinating activities with other agencies and organizations; ability to deal effectively with the general public; ability to exercise tact and diplomacy in official association with Federal, state, and local agencies, and with private organizations.
- Assist in experimental/project development, data collection, maintenance of databases including entry and validation of information and use of information in research/year-end reports.
- Use of handheld GPS units and ArcGIS Pro.
- Current aviation certifications: A-100 Basic Aviation Safety, A-110 Aviation Transportation of Hazardous Materials, A-200 Mishap Review, A-219 Helicopter Transport of External Cargo, A-312 Water Ditching and Survival, B-3 Combination Helicopter/Airplane Safety.
- Incident Command Training (ICS) – Command and General Staff Functions for Incident Management Teams (H-337/ICS-300/ICS-400) completed May 2023.
- Fieldwork in remote areas involving strenuous work, in wet, rough, and uneven, rocky surfaces.
- Conduct monthly migratory bird surveys: recording data on shore and water birds (stilts, coots, plovers and ducks).
- Worked with Refuge staff during suspected botulism outbreak: conducted transects throughout the ponds to identify any sick or dead avifauna.
- Worked with Refuge staff to identify the location of Hawaiian Stilt, and Hawaiian Coot nests and chicks during breeding season.
- Capture sick live avifauna, collect dead avifauna; collect data in ArcGIS Field Maps App.
- Assist Refuge staff in maintaining Refuge equipment.
- Assist Refuge Manager in identifying projects that support long term plans.
- Work with Refuge Manager and Hawai'i Wildlife Fund director to assist in sea turtle nesting surveys and documentation.
- This is a federal job. Website: [fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov)
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
01.2017 - 11.2022
- Company Overview: This is a federal job. Website: [fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov)
- This is a federal job. Website: [fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov)
Education
Bachelor of Science - Zoology
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ12-2002
Skills
- Wildlife observation techniques
- Shorebird Ecology
- Marine turtle ecology
- Marine Mammal Stranding Response/Necropsy
- Writing technical reports
Accomplishments
- Sea Turtle Coodinator for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe.
- Conducted migratory bird surveys for Kealia Pond NWR, Maui, HI, and Sandy Point NWR, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
- Assisted in banding shorebirds, seabirds, and passerines.
- Conducted sea turtle and marine mammal response, documentation, and full necropsies.
- Acquired grant funding for invasive plant management at Sandy Point NWR.
- Acquired grant funding for 4 endangered plant propagation programs on two islands in the U.S.V.I.
- Worked with and trained lower biologists, interns, and volunteers (NC, MA, HI, USVI).
- Monitored shorebirds and seabirds in NC, MA, HI, and USVI.
- Worked on invasive species management projects in NC, MA, USVI, and HI (coyote, fox, possum, mongoose, rat, feral cat, wasps, ants, plants).
- Achieved [Result] through effectively helping with [Task].
Affiliations
- Network for Endangered Sea Turtles
- Outer Banks Marine Mammal Stranding Network
- International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue
- Hawaii Wildlife Fund
- Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project
Certification
- Marine Mammal Stranding Response and Necropsy, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Languages
Spanish
Limited Working
Timeline
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
08.2024 - Current
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
11.2022 - 08.2024
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
01.2017 - 11.2022
Bachelor of Science - Zoology
Northern Arizona University
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