The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the US Forest Service’s Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is recruiting (2) Botany Crew member positions. These are field oriented positions that will be completing surveys or implementing invasive weed treatments to meet unit priorities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Uses botanical key to identify plants encountered during field trips or surveys of forest areas. Compiles and summarizes the vegetation types obtained from aerial and ground surveys including forest health monitoring, biological evaluations, and pilot tests conducted as part of the project.
• Participates and conducts a variety of field studies of native and non-native botanical species and their habitats. Collects data for use in habitat and species condition analyses. Collects survey and inventory data to determine species identity, population characteristics, environmental conditions, and factors affecting the vigor and extent of the species and their habitat. Keeps records of all data and produces maps of survey areas. Lays out monitoring plots by taking measurements and marking corners and boundaries.
• Compiles and summarizes the data obtained from surveys, inventories, biological evaluations, and monitoring. Uses computer systems and associated software for recording, organizing, storing, and analyzing data.
• Performs native plant, pollinators, and phenology surveys. Carries out pollinator habitat enhancement, tends restoration gardens and other ecological restoration duties such as planting, seed collection and cleaning, weeding, irrigation of past plantings, or native plant nursery work
• Identifies invasive non-native plants using various field guides or botanical keys, surveys for target plants, collects and assesses data on infestation location and status, and treats invasive plant infestations. Treatments primarily involve using herbicides, but may also be accomplished by hand-pulling, or using hand tools, power tools, mowers, and other standard control methods.
• Collects and records data related to infestation location and status. Responsible for ensuring that data related to invasive non-native plant treatments is recorded accurately and legibly, and according to specific protocols.
• Performs highly physical labor and daily hiking often to remote locations in rugged terrain under possible adverse weather conditions. Uses global positioning systems, aerial photographs, topographic maps, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), or compass in navigation. A portion of time may be dedicated to data entry and other duties in a laboratory or office setting.