The Minnesota Biological Survey program (MN Department of Natural
Resources) will be hiring 3 seasonal botanists to assist with field data
collection for the Ecological Monitoring Network. This project was set up
to monitor long term trends in vegetation and associated native plant
communities related to climate change, invasive species and other factors.
*Job Summary:*
This posting will be used to fill up to 3 positions (2 in Duluth and 1 in
St. Paul). They are temporary positions from May 2020 – September 2020.
There will be field days that require working longer than 8 hours. The two
positions based in Duluth will focus on northeast Minnesota plant
communities, while the one out of St. Paul will assist with activities
throughout the rest of the state, including prairies. This job will require
hiking long distances while carrying significant equipment loads on rough,
steep, wet, or uneven terrain, thus candidates should be in good physical
condition. These positions will work collaboratively to help collect
vegetation data and enter data on native plant communities as part of
statewide ecological monitoring activities of the Minnesota Biological
Survey (MBS).
*Job responsibilities include:*
–Assist supervisor and project leads with preparation for assigned tasks
related to monitoring projects so that high quality data are collected at
monitoring sites.
–Assist in monitoring efforts so that high quality data on plant species
and other biotic and abiotic components of the environment are collected
according to the monitoring protocol.
–Identify plants that occur within the statewide monitoring plots.
–Assist with the identification of plants collected from the field so that
herbarium labels can be processed and the correct plant names can be
entered into databases, and to enter field data into relevant databases, if
time permits, so the data are available for analyses.
*Qualifications*:
A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in biology, ecology, botany, conservation
biology, or related field by time of hire, with a Masters in a similar
field preferred. *Strong knowledge of the flora and ecology of Minnesota *or
of neighboring states with similar flora is required. At least one season
of experience doing field assessments of Minnesota native plant communities
or floristic surveys of native vegetation preferred. Duluth positions will
need knowledge of flora of northeastern Minnesota, and the St. Paul
position will need knowledge of statewide flora with experience in prairies
preferred but not required. Experience using dichotomous keys to identify
plants as well as experience with computer programs including GIS, GPS,
spreadsheets, and word processing. Applicants that are *detail oriented*
are preferred so that accurate data are recorded on field forms and
tablets. Ability to *communicate effectively and possess a positive
attitude *will also be crucial, as these positions will be working in small
teams, spending long days in the field, occasionally in inclement weather
and/or annoying insects. Ability to navigate in remote areas using a
compass, maps, and GPS equipment is also desired.
For more information or to apply, visit https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmn.gov%2Fmmb%2Fcareers%2F&data=02%7C01%7Cmadeline.hennessey%40uconn.edu%7Cead510dcbcc041888a6d08d7a56d716f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C637159761795738050&sdata=xPq8SvUy%2BYFjAAndn5Jh9dlC1pP5ri9akXt%2F%2F2JAs4c%3D&reserved=0 , click
on *Search for jobs now* in the External Applicants box, and copy/paste Job
ID: *38488 *in the Keywords search box at the top.
For more information on the Ecological Monitoring Network, visit
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dnr.state.mn.us%2Fmbs%2Fecologicalmonitoring%2Findex.html&data=02%7C01%7Cmadeline.hennessey%40uconn.edu%7Cead510dcbcc041888a6d08d7a56d716f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C637159761795738050&sdata=o9WH9VbyDnK%2B7kmFl2Jo20nw41EpZ%2BbRD%2F%2BneuMvE2c%3D&reserved=0.
If you have questions about the position, contact Hannah Texler at
hannah.texler@state.mn.us or Erika Rowe at erika.rowe@state.mn.us