Plants of Concern Program Assistant

Chicago Botanic Garden•Glencoe, IL

just now•Onsite

About The Position

This entry level, full-time, 40 hours per week position involves assisting the Plants of Concern program, a widely recognized community science rare plant monitoring program. The office is based at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois.

Requirements

Bachelor of science in ecology, botany, biological sciences, or related background.
Excellent organizational skills.
Ability to work well independently as well as on a team.
Ability to communicate effectively with a large, diverse group of volunteers and staff.
Plant identification skills, including use of a dichotomous key.
Love of outdoor work.
Experience in plant monitoring or field research.
Experience with the Microsoft Office suite.
Basic statistical and GIS software experience (R & ArcGIS experience a plus).
Ability and willingness to travel within the Chicago region for field and office work.
A driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle required.
Availability for occasional weekend work.

Nice To Haves

Master’s level coursework or equivalent experience a plus.
Experience with database software (Access or SQL) a plus.

Responsibilities

Helping to train, and coordinate volunteer monitors
Organizing and leading volunteer field events
Creating and distributing program communications (newsletter, social media)
Collecting field monitoring data
Counting or estimating number of individuals in rare plant populations, measuring population areas, recording GPS locations, identifying associate and invasive plants, and identifying threats and management
Identifying plants
Managing and analyzing monitoring data
Managing and analyzing spatial data
Assisting with reporting to partner agencies and grant funders
Presenting work accomplished
Assist with preparations for landowner meetings across northeastern Illinois, including working with the Plants of Concern database and website to prepare materials and attend meetings. Help finalize reports to funders and secure permits. Perform data management. Develop field schedule and begin monitoring.
Help develop assignments for and provide support to volunteer monitors. Organize field outings. Assist with intern supervision. Monitor plants in the field.
Assist with organizing monitoring data and database development. Enter data and conduct statistical analysis for presentation at an advisory group meeting and in grant reports. Use GIS to map population locations and other spatial data. Help finalize Plants of Concern reports. Contribute to website and database development and maintenance.