Grasslands Restoration Coordinator (NPS)

Job Description:

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is recruiting 1 Grasslands Restoration Coordinator to support the NPS CA Invasive Plant Management Team (CA IPMT) to work in the San Francisco Bay area. Under the direction of the resource management staff at Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGRNA) and supported by the CA IPMT, this project will provide early career ecological restoration professionals with opportunities to build work experience coordinating and implementing a coastal prairie and wetland restoration project at GGNRA. The position will secondarily support planning for implementation of grassland restoration projects in parks throughout the San Francisco Bay Area Network and within other parks in the CA IPMT network of parks. The position is expected to work alongside agency, academic and other partner subject matter experts to design restoration strategies for the recovery of coastal grasslands and prairies throughout the region.

The grasslands  restoration coordinator position will primarily assist GGNRA resource management staff with the restoration of 15 net acres of degraded coastal prairie and freshwater marsh habitats within a 75 acre area of core habitat supporting federally listed and state-protected plants and animals at Rancho Corral de Tierra (Rancho). These sensitive habitats provide a wealth of ecosystem services, yet are degraded and vanishing in California. The restoration will remove invasive trees, shrubs, and grasses, and revegetate with native plants. The restoration coordinator position will collaborate with park resource staff to develop and implement contracts and agreements, with additional tasks as assigned and as appropriate, to complete the restoration work. This will include coordinating invasive plant control work, the acquisition of all necessary materials and equipment to complete the project, including the coordination and development of necessary plant materials to complete the work. Additional partner and park support will be on an ad hoc basis and will include substantial involvement from NPS staff.

Duties Include:

• Working with contractors, cooperators, and partner organizations to implement a multi-faceted coastal grassland ecological restoration project, including but not limited to project management, on-the-ground project implementation, quality control of contractors, collaborators, and cooperators, mapping, monitoring and data collection, documentation, and reporting;
• Oversee and lead field crews in all aspects of vegetation management and ecological restoration in a national park unit, including invasive plant management, seed collection and curation, oversight of plant materials production, planting and seeding of native plants in field settings, mapping, monitoring and data management
• Provide leadership and expertise in grassland ecology and grassland restoration techniques and methods for the four parks in the San Francisco Bay Area network (Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, Pinnacles National Park, and John Muir National Historic Site)

Contract Timeline:

• Minimum 52 week appointment beginning in May 2024, pending successful completion and passage of DOI Background Investigation, and with potential extension up to an additional 86 weeks depending on performance
• Full-time, 40-hrs wk.

Location:

Fort Mason, San Francisco, California

Compensation and Benefits:

• Wage: $35/hr.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance available at no cost
• Paid leave and holidays
• Housing is not provided

Job Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in ecology, plant sciences (botany, horticulture, agrostology, genetics), natural resource management, ecological restoration, or related discipline, or a combination of relevant education and field experience;
• Experience with ecological restoration and native plant restoration techniques and methods, invasive plant management
• Familiarity with native and invasive plant flora of San Francisco Bay Area Parks and/or California’s central coast;
• Proficiency using dichotomous keys, such as the Jepson Manual, to identify vascular plants;
• Experience with ArcGIS applications such as Field Maps; apps such as Calflora Observer Pro
• Ability to safely navigate to field sites using maps/compass and handheld GPS devices;
• High level of proficiency leading field work in dynamic field settings;
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage complex project work and timelines;
• Experience with data entry and QA/QC procedures;
• Reliable, team-player with strong leadership and communication skills;
• Possession of a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license;

Additional Requirements:

• Preferred post-graduate degree in ecology, plant sciences (or related) with emphasis in ecological restoration implementation in grassland ecosystems
• Experience working in grassland ecosystems and in particular, in coastal grassland
• Experience working with native plant materials and experience with seeding, horticulture, and agronomic techniques for successful plant establishment
• Possession of a Qualified Applicator’s Certificate (QAC) from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, a plus