Botany Support Specialist Intern

Title: Botany Support Specialist Intern (2 openings)

Start/End Date: April 1st,2024 – March 7th, 2025 (anticipated); open to May start for graduating seniors.

Living Stipend: $580/week

Term: Full-time, 40 hours/week – 49 weeks

Location: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – Carlsbad Field Office (CFO); 620 East Greene St. Carlsbad, NM 88220

Status: 1700-hour AmeriCorps Service Term (60% field work and 40% office work)

Benefits: housing allowance $325/week; $500 travel/training funds; AmeriCorps education award up to $6,895 and Public Lands Corps Certificate* that allows for competitive hiring for USA jobs/government jobs*- both with successful completion of the internship; eligible for health insurance.

AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities. Environmental stewardship programs help conserve natural habitats, improve energy efficiency, protect clean air and water, and help to mitigate the effects of climate change among other environmental efforts.

Conservation Corps New Mexico (CCNM)

Conservation Corps New Mexico, a program of Conservation Legacy and AmeriCorps partner, aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s. CCNM is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with conservation service work projects on public lands. CCNM operates programs across southern New Mexico and western Texas that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. The CCNM Las Cruces office manages the Individual Placement Program.

Mentorship

These Individual Placement Positions are unique development opportunities. Interns are paired with a local supervisor and gain technical, hands-on experience in the work of these organizations or agencies. Site supervisors commit to facilitate career development; provide an introduction to numerous pathways within the conservation field; and create accessible, meaningful, learning opportunities and experiences for interns.

Position Summary

The Bureau of Land Management in partnership with Conservation Corps New Mexico seeks to fill a need for two Botany Support Specialist Interns out of the Carlsbad BLM Field Office. The successful applicants will provide support to the Botany Program including, but not limited to support field-going Botany crews, assist with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) actions, and monitor/mange for Special Status Plant Species (SSPS).

Duties:

• Assist CFO Botany Department with various aspects of the Botany Program on an as-needed basis.
• Assist CFO Botany Department with designing and implementing monitoring projects for Threatened and Endangered plant species.
• Provide SSPS identification training to project leads, interns, and third-party contractors.
•  Provide support (logistics, plant ID, field support) to field-going Botany crews, including Seeds of Success (SOS), Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM), and SSPS Survey crews.
• Work with project leads, third-party contractors, operators, and seasonal staff to identify and communicate need for SSPS surveys.
•  Help write NEPA language and mitigation measures for Environmental Assessments.
• Analyze data from various Botany crews and provide statistical summaries for various needs within the Carlsbad Field Office.
•  Manage for QA/QC of SSPS database in ArcGIS Pro.
• Enter Botany data into ArcGIS Pro database.

 The selected individual will work with BLM staff under the mentorship of Conservation Corps New Mexico and the BLM field office botanist. This position is intended to be a high-level botany specialist intern with the ability and skillset to provide botanical expertise for a variety of applications. In many ways, this position will overlap with the BLM Botanist, and will occasionally share duties or tasks in order to keep up with the fast-paced work environment of the Carlsbad Field Office. In some respects, this role is also intended to be the field-going counterpart of the BLM Botanist. Interns must provide their own personal transportation to the duty office; however, the intern will be provided a vehicle for use between the office and the field. No housing will be provided.

 Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Work with BLM Botanist and Botany crews to study and collect data for Carlsbad Field Office.
• Provide botanical expertise to Carlsbad Field Office.
• Alongside BLM Botanist, represent BLM Botany Program in interdisciplinary team contexts.
• Assist with identification of plants and local community flora.
• Assist with a variety of Botanical protocols and monitoring efforts.
• Assist with data entry and travel preparation.
•  Assist other natural resource staff with project implementation.

Qualifications:

• Per federal grant requirements, this internship is for young adults between the ages of 18-30 (35 for veterans) inclusive, at the time the individual begins term of service.
• Applicants should possess an undergraduate degree in biology, ecology, or a related field OR have equivalent experience in a related field.
• Experience with plant identification and using technical keys.
• Minimum of one field season experience with preference given for Seeds of Success (SOS), Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) and/or rare plant monitoring programs.
• Experience with ArcGIS Pro and various ESRI data collection applications (Survey123, Field Maps, Collector).
• Field navigation skills and experience using GPS software.
• Ability to drive a 4-wheel drive truck on rugged gravel or dirt roads.
• Experience with data entry and data management.
• Familiarity with flora of Southwestern U.S. (preferred).
• Applicants must pass a DOI security background check and should possess a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.