Botany Survey Technician Intern – Payson, AZ

Overview

Title: Botany Survey Technician Intern (2 openings)
Start/End Date: April 15, 2024 – October 11, 2024 (anticipated)
Stipend: $450 per week living stipend + $200 housing stipend +Education Award.
Term: 26 weeks, Full-Time (40 hours per week)
Reports To: Kenda Svoboda (North Zone Botanist, Tonto National Forest)
Location: Payson, AZ
Status: 900-hour AmeriCorps Service Term
Benefits: AmeriCorps Education Award $3,247.50; Public Lands Corps Certificate*; both with successful completion of the internship. The Corps Network health insurance provided by Cigna, AmeriCorps childcare assistance.

*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, interns must be between the ages of 18-30, inclusive, at the time the individual begins the term of service.

Position Summary:
The selected individuals will support the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) on the Tonto by accomplishing required at-risk native and invasive plant surveys. This entry level position will receive developmental experience in rare plant surveying and monitoring and mentorship from the more experienced Botany Survey Technician Lead and the Forest Botanist. The botany survey technicians will work closely with the Botany Survey Technician Lead and report to the North Zone Botanist at the Payson Ranger District office in Payson, AZ. This position is mostly field-going but may include some office work such as setting up field equipment, compiling survey and monitoring forms, data entry, or other routine project tasks. This position will entail a significant amount of camping throughout the term, typically requiring 3 nights of camping in the field per week.

Crew members are required to drive an AZCC vehicle to several different areas of the Tonto National Forest and can hike up to several miles per day, off trail, carrying equipment (25%) throughout a “hitch”. Hitches are typically 10-hour days, 4 days on/3 days off. The crew usually camps multiple nights with loaned camping gear and share camp meals and chores. Crews are responsible for their own housing, transportation, and food between camping trips. Embrace of an unconventional schedule and a level of flexibility are necessary to be successful.

Crew members return to the Forest Service office in Payson at the end of each hitch for equipment and data management, unknown plant identification, and any required prep work for the next week.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:
• Work as a unit alongside the Botany Survey Technician Lead to accomplish plant surveys and monitoring for selected treatment areas and sensitive plant species.
• Record data for all rare species found at each survey site, including special status plants species at survey sites.
• Follow established Forest Service survey, monitoring, and data collection protocols.
• Cross-programmatic assistance, such as working on stream restorations, invasives removal and recreation projects.

PLEASE READ FULL POSITION DESCRIPTION ON APPLICATION PAGE.

Tagged as: Research/Science and Technical

Qualifications:

Applicants should be pursuing or have recently completed an undergraduate degree in biology or a related field; or possess a strong interest in natural resource management, regardless of area of study, and should be physically able to work in conditions requiring physical exertion that may be moderately strenuous in nature, including long hours in the field, and hiking over rough and uneven ground up to six miles or more during extremely hot periods of up to 110 ̊ F.

Required Skills:

• Basic level of camping knowledge is required.
• Community engagement experience.
• Self-motivated and able to work both independently and in a small group with limited supervision after initial training period; must be capable of performing well in an office setting, as well as the field.
• Applicants must pass a criminal history background check and possess a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working as part of a small team and the ability to work well with others.
• Experience using taxonomic keys to identify plants to species in the field, from photos, and from pressed specimens.
• Experience surveying and monitoring rare and sensitive plant species.
• Knowledge of Arizona flora and special status or rare plant species sufficient to locate species during vegetation inventories or monitoring.
• Skills in assembling or compiling data for analysis or reporting.