What are the responsibilities and job description for the Habitat Restoration Technician 2 position at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Inc?
About the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden:
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s mission is to conserve California native plants and habitats for the health and well-being of people and the planet. Since the 1930s, staff members of the Garden have developed and maintained an intimate knowledge of the California flora, with an emphasis on the plants and vegetation communities of California’s Central Coast and the offshore islands. Today, we take a comprehensive approach to its conservation from genes to ecosystems, with plant systematics, rare plant conservation, community ecology and habitat restoration functions. This allows us to more thoroughly tackle the conservation challenges of our day, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, and climate change.
Overview:
The Restoration Technician II helps execute habitat restoration projects through a range of field and office work. Typical job duties will include the installation and maintenance of restoration projects, including site preparation, seed collection, planting, weeding, and data collection; the coordination, training, and management of volunteers, interns, and others in these activities; canvassing and working with local landowners and landscapers to remove invasive plant species and replace them with native plants; collection, entry, maintenance, and analysis of data; and assistance with report writing. This full-time, hourly position reports to the Applied Ecologist.
Essential Duties:
In the field:
- Assist with the installation and maintenance of ecological restoration projects, including planting, weeding, and watering
- Conduct monitoring and mapping for native plant restoration projects, including identifying native and non-native plant species that occur in the vegetative communities of California
- Treat invasive plants using both manual methods (digging, pulling by hand or with tools, cutting, etc.) and herbicides (hand and/or backpack sprayers)
- Collect plant specimens using accepted protocols and identify them using dichotomous keys or herbarium collections
- Operate, maintain, and organize mechanical equipment, potentially including augers, chainsaws, brush cutters, mowers, and other heavy handheld machinery
- Safely store, mix, transport, and apply herbicides. Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC) or Qualified Applicator License (QAL); and/or knowledge of safe herbicide application techniques preferred
- Be willing and able to work long days and on weekends as needed
In the office:
- Assist with project management, including communication with internal and external partners
- Manage recruitment, coordination, and working with volunteer groups in seed collection, weeding, seed cleaning, and other activities
- Talk with landowners respectfully about landscaping, removing invasive species, and native gardening
- Collect, enter, and analyze survival, growth, cover, and other data
- Assist with report writing
- Provide outreach content, such as newsletter articles, social media posts, photographs, and more
- Develop and deliver engaging educational material
- Maintain legible and accurate work notes and records
- Archive and clean data from weather stations and online data repositories
Desired skills, knowledge, and experience:
- Ability to follow instructions and work well both in a team and independently, as needed
- Proficiency using Microsoft office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), ArcGIS Collector, R, and have the willingness to learn new software as necessary
- Use of Geographic Information System (GIS) software to compile and report spatial data
- Ability to identify common native and invasive plant species of Southern and Central Coastal CA
- Experience in habitat restoration, landscape maintenance, nursery work, or equivalent fields
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate politely and effectively with landowners
- Strong organizational skills
- Project management experience
- Experience operating 4x4 vehicles
- Strong connection to the Garden’s mission
Minimum qualifications and experience:
- Must have valid California Driver License and maintain an acceptable driving record
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science, conservation biology, or closely related area and five years of related work experience OR
- Master’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in biology, ecology, botany, environmental science, conservation biology, or closely related area and two years of related work experience OR
- Ten or more years of relevant full-time experience
Physical Requirements:
Must be capable of occasional strenuous physical work including:
- Working long field days, occasionally up to 12 hours per day, including multi-day overnight camping trips
- Sitting for up to 2 hours at a time and using a computer for lengthy periods
- Standing/walking for extended periods of time
- Bending, squatting, walking stairs, and hiking rugged trails with uneven footing
- Safely lifting and carrying 40 lbs.
- Tolerance of an outdoor work environment. Exposure to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, including temperature fluctuations, rain, dust, allergens, poison oak, insects, wild animals, and sun exposure
Salary : $23 - $25