Job Type: Temporary
Salary Details: Hourly
Deadline: Sep 03, 2021
Required Experience: 0 – 1 years

See full details at https://www.conservationjobboard.com/job-listing-aquatic-plant-maintenance-glencoe-illinois/1205130172

Located 25 miles north of downtown Chicago, the Garden’s 385-acre campus includes 81 acres of lakes, streams, and wetlands.  Over the past 20 years, ½-million native aquatic and shoreline plants have been added along 4.5 miles of our lakeshore.  These shoreline plantings have been effective in stabilizing eroding shoreline soils and enhancing aquatic habitat, and they now serve as a research site for scientific study. Most recently, the award-winning North Lake Shoreline Restoration Project added 120,000 new plants to our shoreline – visit http://www.cbgshoreline.org for more information.  The Aquatic Plant Maintenance seasonal staff work closely with the Assistant Ecologist, Lakes and the Garden’s Curator of Aquatics to maintain these new shoreline plantings.  Typical work responsibilities for this position include removal of weedy/invasive plant and algae species, cutting and mowing of the shoreline during the fall, and other maintenance activities to support robust plant communities and aesthetic shoreline conditions.  Staff in this position are provided with an exceptional opportunity to learn identification of 240 taxa of native wetland plants while gaining a better understanding of lake shoreline erosion control strategies and shoreline ecology. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in several training and mentoring programs provided by the Garden’s distinguished staff of conservation scientists. 

Qualifications: 

Candidates for this position should have coursework and/or work experience in botany, environmental studies, aquatic horticulture, or closely related fields. Candidates must have a strong work ethic, function well within both team and individual work assignments, and possess a high comfort level being in and around water along with an ability to swim should the need arise in an emergency. Employees must be able to operate row boats and trolling motors; walk across uneven terrain; bend over for extended periods of time (e.g., pulling weeds); remove water-laden cut plants and algae from rowboats, and lift and carry equipment and trolling motor batteries weighing approximately 45 pounds.  The employment term for these positions begins in September and ends in December.  The normal work schedule is Monday through Friday, 6:30 am – 3:00 pm.  Paid holidays are provided.

HOW TO APPLY

If interested please email a resume and introdution letter to Peter Nagle, Curator of Aquatics, at pnagle@chicagobotanic.org.