Seasonal Stewardship Technician

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Position title: Seasonal Stewardship Technician

Agency: Lake County Parks Department, Grand Calumet River Area of Concern in Merriville IN

Salary: $18.00/hr

Terms of Position: This position is considered a seasonal position full time position or a permanent part time
position. An employee cannot work more than 1,040 hours in a year (20 hours per week over a year, or 40 hours
over 26 weeks).

Position Summary: The Lake County Parks and Recreation Stewardship Technician role is primarily based along
the Grand Calumet River and will work at sites across Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago. The sites involved in the
project are tucked into a degraded, fragmented, industrial and urban environment where dune and swale habitat once was abundant.

Gibson Woods and Tolleston Ridges, the two Lake County Parks properties in the project are high quality remnants
of globally imperiled dune and swale habitat and is home to state threatened and endangered plant species. The
greatest threat to these rare habitats is ongoing habitat degradation caused by the spread of invasive species and
disruption of natural fire regimes.

The work in the Area of Concern consists primarily of ecological restoration activities such as the selective chemical
or mechanical control of invasive plant species which threatens the rare and fragmented native habitats. Technicians
may also assist on the preparation for prescribed burns and even the opportunity to assist on prescribed burns, season and conditions dependent. The Stewardship Technicians will work closely with partner organizations and agencies also working on the Grand Calumet Area of Concern, with the opportunity to work on other sites as well.

Qualifications:

• Ability to work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations for long periods of time in isolated
  settings, on difficult and hazardous terrain and wetlands, and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Ability to carry a 35-pound backpack sprayer.
• Ability to be exposed to hazards such as extreme heat, biting and stinging insects, ticks and poison ivy.
  Personal protective equipment/supplies will be provided, as necessary.
• Candidates shall have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED or one (1) year of work experience.
  (Some college and work experience is preferred.) A valid driver’s license is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Completion of some college coursework in wildlife management, natural resources, biology, ecology,
  forestry and/or related areas of study.
• Ability to understand and apply (through on the job training and using previous, relevant experience) basic
  biological principles, plant identification, herbicide application, invasive plant life histories and
  management techniques, and the ecological management of forests, wetlands, and prairie habitats.