Botany Volunteer

Title: Botany Volunteer  

Position Type: Volunteer, Part-time  

Work Location: Based in Fort Collins, CO at Colorado State University 

Pay Rate: This is an unpaid, volunteer position. 

Duration: Flexible, minimum commitment of 4 hours per week.

Position Summary 

Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) botanists have been collecting plant specimens for over 40 years all across the state of Colorado. As a result, there is a backlog of valuable botany data locked up in plant specimens and in field notebooks. Some of these specimens are of rare and endemic plant species and others are relatively common but they all help to paint a picture of Colorado’s biodiversity through time. That’s why the Colorado Natural Heritage Program needs you! This is an excellent opportunity for students, naturalists, or community members eager to gain hands-on experience in botany, biodiversity research, and museum curation. 

We are seeking detail-oriented volunteers to help process plant specimens and their associated data. Volunteers will assist CNHP’s botanists with specimen organization, data digitization, and specimen preparation. Training will be provided with the goal of each volunteer becoming self-sufficient within one month. 

Responsibilities/Duties 

• Find and match data from field notebooks with their respective plant specimen.
• Sort specimens by potential conservation value.
• Digitize hand-written notes and ensure accurate data documentation.
• Sort prepared plant specimens by taxonomic order and assist with deposition into the Charles Maurer Herbarium at Colorado State University.
• Label and mount plant specimens for CNHP reference/training herbarium.
• Potentially identifying some of plant specimens.

Required Qualifications   

• Ability to commit at least 4 hours per week.
• Attention to detail and commitment to accurate scientific data entry.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Willingness to work independently after training.
• Interest in plants, biodiversity, or conservation science

Preferred Qualifications   

• Coursework or background in botany, biology, ecology, or a related field.
• Prior experience with laboratory work and/or data entry
• Experience handling scientific specimens.