Ecological Restoration Technician Lakes - Glencoe, United States - Chicago Botanic Garden

Chicago Botanic Garden
Chicago Botanic Garden
Verified Company
Glencoe, United States

1 month ago

Mark Lane

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Mark Lane

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Description

Title:
Ecological Restoration Technician, Lakes & Shorelines


Exemption Status:
Non-Exempt


Department:
Natural Areas


Reports to:
Managing Ecologist, Lakes and Shorelines and Woman's Board Curator of Aquatics


Seasonal Full-time:

The employment term for these positions begins in April/May and continues through at least August, with several workers' schedules expected to extend until late November/December.

The normal work schedule is Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.


About the Garden:

The Garden's mission is grounded in the belief that caring for gardens and natural areas is fundamentally important to the well-being of everyone.

We strive to make our campuses and programs available and accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. We value diversity in all its forms and at every level of our organization—board, staff, volunteers, and vendors.

Through the diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, the Garden is more effectively able to create extraordinary and welcoming experiences for our increasingly diverse audiences.


About our natural areas:
The Garden's natural areas encompass 60 percent of our 385-acre campus in Glencoe (located 25 miles north of Chicago).

They represent prairie, woodland, and aquatic habitats, and are stewarded by a team of ecologists to support, showcase, and better understand the unique and diverse natural history of our region.

We use stewardship techniques like prescribed burning and invasive species control to support the widest diversity of appropriate native species in each habitat type.

We also encourage and support research, conducted in partnership with other staff in the Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, and are dedicated to monitoring to assess long-term change and impacts of our stewardship efforts.

The person in this role will spend a majority of their time in our shorelines, which weave our natural areas and formal gardens together.

Five of our six miles of shorelines have been restored using bioengineering techniques and more than half a million native wetland plants (representing 240-plus species) to stabilize shoreline soils, increase resilience to flooding, improve water quality in our six lakes, and provide habitat for wildlife.


Position overview:
These seasonal positions (ranging from 16 to 35 weeks) start between early April and mid-May.

Individuals in this role help to maintain our native shoreline plantings through removal of weedy/invasive plant and algae species, replanting due to plant mortality or herbivory, 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.

They will also be part of our new career pathway program called the Stewardship and Ecology of Natural Areas (SENA) internship program, which launched in 2023.

As participants in our SENA program, individuals in this role will spend the equivalent of 4 days per week conducting stewardship-related activities primarily in our lakes and shorelines with Garden ecologists.

The equivalent of 1 day per week will be dedicated to training in understanding and caring for natural areas, as well as inclusive leadership and other career development opportunities.

These 8 hours may be nonconsecutive and distributed throughout the week.

The employment term for these positions begins in April/May and continues through at least August, with several workers' schedules expected to extend until late November/December.

The normal work schedule is Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.


Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

Natural areas stewardship, 4 days per week:

  • Maintain shoreline plantings
  • Removal of weedy/invasive plant and algae species
  • Replanting due to plant mortality or herbivory
  • Other maintenance activities to support robust communities and aesthetic shoreline conditions
Training and career development, 1 day or 8 nonconsecutive hours per week:

  • Work with SENA program manager and Garden staff to set and work toward learning goals that will support continued career development.
  • With other SENA participants and Garden staff as well as other external partners, participate in workshops, training sessions, and oneonone or teambased projects to enhance skills and expertise in target areas.
  • Assist with native species monitoring and other projects conducted in collaboration with department scientists, students, and other staff.

Chicago Botanic Garden Values & Behaviors

VALUES

_ As an organization, we _

BEHAVIORS

_ As an organization, we _

Prioritize a culture of GROWTH.
We commit to remaining curious in how we approach our work.

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