Job: Vegetation Monitoring Field Technician

Office Title: Vegetation Monitoring Field Technician=20

Civil Service Title: Community Associate=20

Work Location: Staten Island, New York

Duration: Beginning April 15, 2017

Salary: $24.00/hr

NYC Parks is the steward of nearly 30,000 acres of land – 14 percent of New York City – including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 67 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.

NYC Parks is seeking a Field Technician with prior fieldwork experience, preferably in vegetation monitoring, to assist with data collection and analysis of vegetation data. We are collecting data on vegetation and associated white-tailed deer impacts in forested ecosystems in NYC Parks as part of an effort to assess the impact of deer on the City’s ecosystems. The Field Technician will work with NYC Parks Ecologists using GPS units and ArcGIS to create maps and data representing collected field data. The Field Technician will aid in data entry and data clean up. In addition, there may be some opportunities to help Ecologists with other field work.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Field Work:

– Collect vegetation data in forested areas of the City

– Use GPS units and GIS software, input collected field data and plot points

Data Entry:

– Use Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and other software to enter data and perform data quality checks

Data Organization/Inventory/Process:

– Organize and maintain plant specimen collection and associated log

– Organize data and maintain database

– Create field maps detailing habitat type and urban structures

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and either

     a) Two summer seasons, or six months, of experience as an instructor, counselor, or coach in an organized recreational program; or

     b) Completion of sixty credits toward a baccalaureate degree in an accredited colleges; or=20

2. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” above.

PREFERRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

– B.S. in biology, botany, ecology, forestry, or related field

– Experience in field ecology, specifically in terrestrial ecosystems

– Knowledge of northeastern plant species (herbaceous and woody) with expertise in herbaceous and rare plant identification

– Ability to conduct research and work independently

– Ability to sometimes work under adverse conditions (heat, early/late hours, inclement weather, muddy or wet conditions)

– Experience with GPS and GIS

– Proficiency with Microsoft Office

– NYS Driver’s license

Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service. New York City residency required for all other candidates.

Fees: Hired candidates will be subject to a processing fee of $41.00. Hired candidates who are not currently employed by the City will be subject to an $87.00 background check fee.

HOW TO APPLY

Send resume and cover letter to: Novem Auyeung, 1234 Fifth Ave, Room 229, New York, NY 10029=20

Email to: Novem.Auyeung@parks.nyc.gov. For questions, please contact 646-864-7886.