Bureau of Land Management & Conservation and Land Management Internship Program Location: Carson City, Nevada Number of positions:
Salary: $22,000 /ten months Start Date: Feb. 1, 2011 Application Deadline: Monday, December 20th, 2010 Five botany interns will be hired to work within the Carson City BLM District Office area. This area in western Nevada encompasses 5.5 million acres with a varied landscape made up of: coniferous forests of the Eastern Sierra Nevada; pinyon-juniper woodlands/sagebrush dominated areas; and salt desert shrub dominated areas. Local ecosystems include: high altitude-montane, sand dunes, alkali playas, meadows, and areas recovering from wildfire. Duties include the following: conduct vegetation and crustacean surveys for rare species occurrences and general vegetation surveys, using GPS/GIS to map vegetation occurrences in aquatic habitats; construct/repair protective enclosures around sensitive species habitat; assist with monitoring of rare plant species; assist with writing conservation plans for rare plant species; survey for noxious weeds using GPS/GIS to map locations; apply mechanical and chemical treatments to known noxious weed infestations to eradicate weeds from the site. The BLM will provide training and personal protective gear; plant native seed or plant material to restore native plant community once weeds are eradicated from the site; establish monitoring plots within treated areas to monitor the effectiveness of weed eradication treatments; use Excel/Access to enter monitoring data; participate with the Seeds of Success program to collect seeds from native plants within the Carson City District Office Area and enter data into a database; collect seeds and plant specimens for ongoing research with the USDA Agricultural Research Service; assist with rangeland health evaluations and fire rehabilitation and stabilization surveys; identify, collect, press and mount vegetation on herbarium sheets, to be used as voucher specimens for each of the species of interest; work on Native American ethnobotanical restoration projects. Required skills include: College degree in biology, ecology/evolutionary biology, botany, natural resource management or other related fields. Knowledge and experience with plant biology, with the ability to identify plants to the species level using appropriate botany manuals and keys. Familiarity with Great Basin vegetation is a plus, but that knowledge may also be gained while on the job. Experience with or knowledge of seed collection techniques (training will be done at Field Office or other locations). Ability to operate an All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV) -training and safety certification will be provided by the Field Office. Physical demands as associated with standard fieldwork. Duties require outside work involving walking, bending, climbing hills, lifting and carrying various materials or supplies which are occasionally heavy. Use of an ATV will vary depending on the project. Remote field sites will likely require frequent camping out at the site for a period of 1-3 nights. Daily work shifts of 8 to 10 hours are anticipated within a 40 hour work week. Approximately 90 percent of the work is in the field. The fieldwork will involve driving and walking over rough and sandy terrain with wide variations in temperature ranging from below freezing in the fall and winter to above 90 degrees F during the summer. Approximate 10 percent of the work is in the office. Office work involves using GIS to create maps and conduct analysis. Visit University Herbarium to collect data on plant locations and to verify plant specimens. Enter data into database. Process seed collections and ship to appropriate destination. Web-based research for information on a variety of plant-related issues that are important to the office. If interested, please visit the following website to submit an application : www.clminternship.org You will need a cover letter, resume, names of three references to submit your application online. Number of positions: 5 Start Date: Feb. 1, 2011 Application Deadline: Monday, December 20th, 2010 All questions should be directed to [email protected]
