Nichols Arboretum Temporary Stewardship Assistant

Job Summary

The University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum is looking for two full-time temporary (6 months) Nichols Arboretum Temporary Stewardship Assistants to work at Nichols Arboretum. You will report to the Natural Areas Program Lead and will help with the stewardship of Nichols Arboretum. This position is onsite 40 hours per week, August 2025 – January 2026, Monday through Friday with occasional weekend responsibilities.

Who We Are

University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) stewards over 840 acres of land and water across four properties in and around Ann Arbor, with Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens serving as its two anchor locations. With more than 500,000 annual visitors, MBGNA is committed to becoming a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the lands and waters we steward. We put that commitment into action by:

• Positioning humans as active participants within the natural world and compelling the university community and our publics to negotiate the full complexity that entails
• Advancing partnerships, programs, user experience, and all that we steward to catalyze access and impact in a radically changing world
• Emerging as University of Michigan’s premier partner for research, teaching, and public impact in sustainability, climate-forward practices, and biocultural diversity
• Promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world

Responsibilities

• Work alone or as part of a team outdoors at Nichols Arboretum
• Help with forest management, including: oak seedling planting, caging and canopy thinning, and removing tree species uncharacteristic of the dry-mesic southern forest
• Help lead volunteers on weekend eco-workdays (occasional weekend work)
• Locate and identify native and exotic invasive plants in Arboretum high quality natural areas
• Use GPS/GIS to navigate, collect, and manage spatial data
• Pull, bag, and apply herbicides to control exotic invasive plants
• Operate power equipment and hand tools including: tractors, mowers, utility vehicles, chainsaws, brush cutters, loppers, handsaws, wood chipper
• Participate in MBGNA prescribed burns
• Help with maintenance and repair of Arboretum paths and trails
• Help with tree and shrub collections care and maintenance

Required Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience with landscaping, botany, ecology or ecological restoration
• Familiarity with GIS and data collection
• Must be willing and able to work outdoors in inclement weather, tolerate biting insects, work around poison ivy, and manage other challenges of field work
• A State of Michigan Commercial Pesticide Applicator’s License or willingness to obtain one and ability to apply herbicides (MBGNA provides study materials and will cover certification expenses)
• A valid driver’s license and ability to pass a motor vehicle record check
• The ability to move and transport up to 40 lbs

Application Deadline: July 24, 2025