In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA), the Great Basin Institute is recruiting up to five (5) Botany Field Technicians to work cooperatively as part of a larger team to complete botany surveys for rare, threatened, and/or butterfly host plants in support of fuels reduction efforts on the SMNRA.
The SMNRA is over 316,000 acres located on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest with elevations range from 3,700 feet up to over 11,900 at the peak of Mt. Charleston. The SMNRA Wilderness Urban Interface (WUI) project will cover close to 1500 acres. Primary duties will consist primarily of belt transects and similar survey methods. Project site elevations will vary from 6,500 to 9,000 feet in elevation. Collectively, the team is responsible for data collection, entry and analysis; report writing; project planning and mapping; as well as other tasks assigned by SMNRA resource biologists. Opportunities to collaborate with other GBI crews at the SMNRA (e.g.: archaeology crew may be available. Compensation: o $6,750 Living Allowance o $2,038 AmeriCorps Education Award* o Student loan forbearance* o Health & Dental Benefits o Daily field per diem o $400 Monthly housing stipend * AmeriCorps Education Award may be used for past, present or future education experiences, including payment of qualifying federal student loans. Timeline: o May 31, 2011 – September 30, 2011 o Full time, minimum 40 hours per week Location: o Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (25 miles North and West 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 plant key without pictures is critical; o Experience conducting plant surveys using various protocols. Monitoring protocols include collecting repeat photography, and transect and quadrat systematic sampling; o Experience working with hand-held GPS equipment for navigation and data collection; and o Experience with technical writing and/or producing written project/grant reports. Additional requirements: o Possess a 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 communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public; o Possess good organizational skills; 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. How to Apply: Qualified and interested applicants should forward a cover letter, their résumé, and a list of three professional references to Stacy Mitchell, Recruitment Coordinator at [email protected]. Please include where you found this position posted. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religion. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
