IMPORTANT: This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders. Other applicants need not apply.
In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA), the Great Basin Institute is recruiting a Botany Field Technician to work cooperatively as part of a larger team of Technicians working on botany, avian biology and restoration initiatives. The Technician will work on a number of projects, including a variety of rare plant and butterfly host plant inventories. Other projects will include implementation of long-term monitoring for rare plant species and previously implemented restoration projects; migratory and nesting bird point count surveys and nest searches; owl call playback surveys; identification and collection of native plant seeds for restoration projects; and small scale riparian and arid land restoration projects. Collectively, the team is responsible for data collection, entry and analysis; report writing; project planning and mapping; and other tasks assigned by SMNRA resource biologists. Opportunities to collaborate with other GBI crews at the SMNRA (e.g. archaeology, education) and participate in training (e.g. GIS) are available.
Compensation:
o $19,600 Living Allowance
o $2,675 AmeriCorps Education Award*
o Student loan forbearance*
o Field per diem
o Medical and dental benefits
o Optional housing offered in USFS Spring Mountains NRA bunkhouse or trailer in Mt. Charleston, NV
* AmeriCorps Education Award may be used for past, present or future education experiences, including payment of qualifying federal student loans.
Timeline:
o April 30, 2012 – October 12, 2012
o Full time, minimum 40 hours per week
Location:
o Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (25 miles northwest of Las Vegas, NV)
Qualifications:
Technical requirements:
o Experience conducting botanical field work;
o Coursework in plant taxonomy and or systematics (transcripts may be requested);
o Knowledge of southwestern flora and fauna and/or ability to learn southwestern flora and fauna;
o Experience using a dichotomous plant key without pictures is critical;
o Experience conducting plant surveys using various protocols. Monitoring protocols include repeat photography, and transect and quadrat systematic sampling;
o Experiencing collecting, preserving and mounting herbarium samples;
o Experience working with hand-held GPS equipment for navigation and data collection;
o Knowledge of GIS software (highly desirable but not required);
o Experience with technical writing and/or producing written project/grant reports;
o Experience with restoration techniques (e.g., seed collection, hand tool use); and
o Experience identifying birds and bird songs/calls.
Additional requirements:
o Valid, state-issued drivers license and clean driving record;
o Experience operating 4WD trucks on paved and unpaved roads, including narrow, mountain forest roads;
o Ability to work productively as part of a team to accomplish mutual goals;
o Ability to work independently;
o Ability to communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public;
o Good organizational skills;
o Willingness to spend multiple days camping in the field;
o Willingness to sometimes work irregular hours (e.g. early mornings, late nights);
o Ability to work in harsh and rapidly changing environments, work in all types of weather conditions, traverse uneven terrain, carry upwards of 40 pounds in a backpack, and otherwise maintain good physical condition; and
o Meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: (1) U.S. citizenship or legal resident alien status, (2) eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limit of four in a lifetime, or equivalent of two full-time terms of service), and (3) pass National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) and federal criminal background checks.
