Chris Traft Email & Phone Number

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

- Maintain a network of meteorological stations, which monitor air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, solar radiation, fuel temperature and fuel moisture- The data from these stations are transmitted in real time and are used for emergency weather alerts and fire danger rating

Albuquerque, New Mexico Area

- Maintain a network of streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and meteorological monitoring equipment at field stations throughout New Mexico- Calibrate environmental monitoring equipment, such as water level sensors, water quality probes, and meteorological sensors- Program, test and install electronic data loggers and data collection platforms that transmit environmental data through radio or satellite telemetry- Analyze and quality assure streamflow, water level, water quality and meteorological data to prepare data for publication in official US Geological Survey reports- Conduct field measurements of streamflow, water level, water quality parameters and meteorological parameters to quality check monitoring equipment and improve graphs of continuous data- Monitor transmitted and recorded environmental data to identify errors and troubleshoot equipment when problems arise- Conduct surveys of stream channels and groundwater monitoring sites to establish gaging station elevations and channel geometry- Program and utilize software and hardware from a variety of manufacturers (Sutron, Sontek, Campbell Scientific)

Northborough, Ma

- Made stream discharge measurements using various techniques, equipment, and protocols that aid in the development and refinement of stage-discharge relationship curves.- Operated and maintained measuring equipment, electronic recorders, and sensors, keeping detailed notes and site sketches that aid in the computations of surface water records.- Programmed and installed electronic data loggers, water level sensors and weather sensors at field stations- Managed and analyzed data collected in the field, and computed hydrographs using continuous data transmitted from data loggers to the World Wide Web

Albuquerque, New Mexico Area

- Performed routine field measurements such as water temperature and specific conductance, and performed field or lab analysis of data collected.- Perform water-level measurements from wells.- Used standard computer software to compute, enter, quality check, and revise water-quality and groundwater data as needed for publication.- Installed, maintained, and serviced a variety of sensing, recording, and communications equipment for continuous water-quality and/or groundwater data collection.- Computed and quality assured continuous water-quality and groundwater records using standard methods and protocols.

Rapid City, South Dakota Area

I work for the Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring network. I serve on a field crew conducting botanical studies at a dozen national parks in the region - Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, and Devil's Tower to name a few. We conduct plant identification, forest health surveys, tree measurements, and fuel load inventories in the field. We also practice plant taxonomy ("keying out" unknown plant species), data management, quality control and quality assurance of our field data in the office.

Eagle Lake, Tx

Implement various natural resource management projects related to protecting the habitat and population of the critically endangered species, Attwater’s Prairie ChickenManage exotic species using chemical pesticides; restore native habitat by planting native plants on treated landConducted scientific studies on the impact of red imported fire ants on native insect and small mammal communitiesCollect, manage and analyze spatial and non-spatial data and present results to co-workers and scientistsAssist and train student conservation assistants and volunteers; provide logistical support and project planning assistanceConduct ornithological, mammal and herpetological surveysAssist with management of Attwater Praire Chicken populations and habitatAssist with the Attwater Praire Chicken captive release program

Las Cruces, New Mexico Area

I monitor the presence and abundance of exotic plant species in the national parks within the Southern Plains and Chihuahuan Desert Inventory and Monitoring networks. I contribute to written reports that advise exotic plant management teams on when, where and how to manage exotic plants in the national parks.

Woodstock, Vt

I worked as part of a 4-person field crew and with NPS partners on invasive plant identification, inventory and management. We conducted our management program on a 555-acre national historical park and adjacent conservation lands. During our 12-week internship, the four of us together pulled over 20,000 individual plants of upwards of 15 different upland invasive species on 32 acres of land through the safe use of hands and hand tools. We also contributed to reports of work progress, inventories and maps of invasive plant locations. We gave presentations and wrote articles for the local newspaper on the invasive plant issue and what can be done about it.

Borger, Texas, United States

I participated on a field crew to conduct the long term monitoring of a wide variety of vegetation and fuel plots at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and six other parks in the National Park Service Southern Plains Fire Management Group. We navigated to and established over 75 plots on which we identified grasses, trees, shrubs and forbs to the species level and collected live and dead fuel data.

Boulder, Co

• Worked with a field crew to support a doctoral study on the severity and extent of past bark beetle outbreaks• Navigated to backcountry field sites in the Colorado Rocky Mountains using compass, GPS and topographic maps• Interpreted field sites to evaluate stand structure, age and disturbance history• Collected data on fuel load, vegetation ground cover, and species, age, size and condition of trees

Master'S Degree, Hydrology And Water Resources Science

Bachelor Of Arts, Environmental Science

Activities and Societies: Speakers Forum, Campus Accountability Now (now called Food Truth), Clark Sustainability Initiative (CSI), Clark.

Education record

Activities and Societies: Varsity Cross Country Team, Key Society