Botany Lead Field Technician – Seasonal
Botanical Society of America
Fort Collins, CO
Botany Lead Field Technician – Seasonal
Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO, USA
Position Title:Botany Lead Field Technician – Seasonal
Position Type:Technician
Application Review Begins:Friday, February 10, 2023
Application Deadline:Friday, March 31, 2023
Institution:Colorado State University
Department/Division:Warner College of Natural Resources
Field (e.g., systematics):Natural Resource Management
City:Fort Collins, CO, USA
General Information:The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) of Colorado State University seeks a Lead Botany Technician to support seed and native plant material collection under a project funded by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Native seed and plant material collection is of high priority for the USFS to support restoration following fire and other disturbance events. This position will play a pivotal role in CNHP’s efforts to assist the USFS Region 2 with building their Native Plant Materials Program to address Bipartisan Infrastructure Law objectives. Native plant material collected through this project will support restoration on USFS lands, in turn ensuring integrated benefits for long term soil stability, improved wildlife habitat and resilient ecosystems. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (www.cnhp.colostate.edu) is Colorado’s primary biological conservation information center housed within the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. CNHP is a key player in Colorado’s conservation of open lands and maintains the only centralized database in Colorado that includes information on plants, animals, and natural communities. The staff consists of approximately 30 highly experienced biologists and information managers with expertise in inventory, research, and monitoring of Colorado’s flora, fauna, plant communities, and conservation issues. CNHP serves a wide variety of users including federal, state, and local agencies, consultants, environmental groups, non-government organizations, private landowners, and the public. The CNHP’s Botany/Vegetation Ecology Team supports Colorado’s native and rare plants and plant communities through rare plant surveys and population monitoring, weed mapping, vegetation mapping, supporting restoration, species distribution modeling, and curating information on plant species and native plant communities in CNHP’s centralized database. CNHP is committed to building diversity and inclusion in natural resources conservation and is an equal opportunity employer.
Qualifications/Requirements:The position requires a completed bachelor's degree in botany, ecology, natural resources, range management, or related field and at least one season of botanical or ecological field survey experience collecting scientific data related to vegetation sampling, plant population abundance, plant identification, phenology, and/or habitat assessment. Experience using dichotomous botanical keys and field guides, familiarity with the major plant families, and knowledge of western flora is also required. This position prefers experience specific to seed and native plant material collection. Experience working in habitats like the study areas including the Rocky Mountains and/or Great Plains are preferred. A valid driver’s license is required, as is the ability to hike and navigate to field sites. The position will be supervised by permanent staff on the CNHP Botany/Vegetation Ecology Team.
Responsibilities:This position will participate in and lead all aspects of collection events from planning, coordination, scouting, collection, native plant material delivery, data management, and reporting across USFS Region 2, as well as assist in the development of decision-making tools to direct seed collection efforts. The position requires extensive travel throughout multiple states, including Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, camping in remote settings, and full field days, as well as planning logistics for week-long field hitches and collection events, driving and hiking to field sites, collection of data on vegetation and native plant material collections, detailed completion of field forms, and communication and coordination with project partners.
Application Instructions (submission methods, etc.):To apply email resume, cover letter, and three references (please include both phone number and email contact information for references) to Jessica Smith at [email protected] and include the full position title in the subject line. First consideration of applicants will begin February 15, 2023. Applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled or until March 31, 2023, whichever comes first.
Web Link:https://cnhp.colostate.edu/aboutus/careers/employment/
Compensation Range:$22.50/hour
Contact Name:Jessica Smith, [email protected]