Crew Lead: Rare Plant Monitoring and Seed Collection

Our Organization and Mission:

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Division of Natural Heritage (NDNH) is the state’s comprehensive source of scientific data for Nevada’s at-risk plants, animals, and ecological communities. Our mission is to maintain these data to support land management decisions and ensure the continued existence of Nevada’s unique biodiversity.

Position Description:

NDNH, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is recruiting one full-time, seasonal Rare Plant Monitoring and Seed Collection Crew Lead for the spring and summer of 2024. This position will lead a two-person crew to survey, document, and map Critically Imperiled and BLM-Sensitive rare plants throughout the state of Nevada. Crews will also monitor phenology and conduct seed collection for high-priority species to establish long-term conservation collections and preserve existing genetic diversity.

This is principally a field-based position. The work schedule is anticipated to be 8 days on followed by 6 days off for approximately 6 months (April – September; must be available to begin work in April). Camping at remote sites or hotel stays will be required to minimize travel time and maximize the number of sites visited.

Responsibilities in the field include understanding and enforcing safety practices, evaluating site logistics, ensuring fidelity to methods and data and seed collection quality, and communicating regularly with NDNH staff. Crew leads will additionally be responsible for completing office tasks before and after field tours, including assisting with planning field trips, organizing equipment and supplies, managing data, and other tasks as assigned. A field vehicle will be provided.

This work will be based out of the NDNH office in Carson City, Nevada. Training will be provided on data collection and management. The employee will be required to apply and register with a third-party staffing agency and take the State of Nevada Risk Management Defensive Driving course (courses available on 3/19/24 or 3/21/24) or show proof of a recently completed similar course prior to driving a state-owned vehicle.

Compensation:

Wage: $22.00/hour

Per Diem: Approx. $34 per day (meals & incidentals) at applicable GSA Rates.

Timeframe:

April – September (approximately 6 months)

8 days on/6 days off, 8-10 hrs/day (no more than 80 hrs/2 wks)

Qualifications:

• Minimum B.S. from an accredited college studying biology or a closely related field.
• Experience with plant identification using dichotomous keys required.
• Clean, valid, state-issued driver license with ability to safely operate and maintain a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads.
• Able to navigate and collect data using handheld GPS units, tablets, or other mobile device.
• Proficient at navigating using a compass, topographic map, GPS, or App-based offline field maps (e.g. Avenza, GaiaGPS).
• Knowledge of GIS and use of ESRI ArcMap preferred but not required.
• Comfortable working in rural and remote field settings.
• Experience camping at remote, primitive sites for consecutive days.
• Physically capable of working outdoors and withstanding the rigors of a high desert environment during the summer season.
• Willing to work early mornings and late evenings as needed.
• Able to communicate effectively with a diverse audience.
• Familiar with best practices for field safety and Leave No Trace principles.
• Capable of working as a team player to meet project goals set by NDNH and BLM.
• Positive and professional demeanor and flexibility to adapt to unexpected challenges.
• Preference will be given to individuals with:
  • Familiarity with NV flora and experience with native plant seed collection
  • Strong grasp of fundamental concepts of ecology and plant-environment interactions for use in habitat quality and threats assessments.
  • Ecological/botanical fieldwork experience at remote field sites
  • Experience planning and leading seasonal field crews and maintaining high standards of data collection.