Jobs/Internships/Research

REPORTS TO: Day to day supervision will be under the Senior Plant Ecologist. As appropriate, occasional projects may be under the supervision of other Conservancy staff.

SUMMARY: Assist the Conservancy’s Plant Ecologist with the gathering and recording of plant community and plant species data. Approximately 90% of time will be spent in the field, with the remainder in office activities. Training will be provided as needed.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assist in the gathering and recording of data on vegetation monitoring transects and plots distributed throughout the island.
Record locations of rare plants and invasive weeds using Global Positioning Systems (GPS), correct GPS data using internet files, and incorporate into the Conservancy’s Geographic Information System (GIS) as appropriate.
Enter data using appropriate word processing, database, and spreadsheet programs.
Participate in other Ecological Restoration projects as needed, including, but not limited to, rare plant surveys and monitoring, restoration planting and weeding, wildlife surveys, and fence building or repair.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education: B.A. or B.S. in botany, biology, environmental studies, or equivalent from an accredited institution or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience in natural resource monitoring.
Experience: Prior field experience with plant or animal identification, surveying and monitoring desired. Familiarity with California plant species and communities, ecological restoration, and conservation biology a plus. Good oral communication skills are needed. Ability to work both independently or as part of a team is essential.
Technical skills: Knowledge of basic word processing and database programs needed. Experience with GPS and GIS a plus. Possession of Class C Drivers License. Four wheel drive experience a plus. Careful and conscientious; attention to detail essential.
Physical demands: Including but not limited to: ability to work and hike outdoors in all weather conditions, ability to work long hours outdoors, ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Field work involves limited manual labor, hiking over steep, rugged terrain with occasionally unstable rocky substrate and cactus or poison oak, and routine handling of plants.
Work environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The office environment (at Middle Ranch) has moderate noise levels and is a non-smoking environment. Field conditions are strongly weather-dependent and may be hot, dusty, cold, muddy, and/or wet depending on season and degree of exposure. Smoking is allowed only at limited designated field sites. Wild animals such as bison and rattlesnakes may also be encountered in the field and pose some threat. Must be willing to live and work on Catalina.
The work week is considered as a forty hour, five day work week. Work will occasionally take place on weekends, in which case equivalent time off will be given the following week.
Pay range: The preferred pay range is $12.00 to $14.00 (DOE) per hour.

TO APPLY:

For further details or to submit cover letter and résumé, contact:
Lynndy Kennedy, HR Consultant
Catalina Island Conservancy
LKennedy@CatalinaConservancy.org
(562) 519-2500

Santa Catalina Island, one of California’s eight Channel Islands, is located 20 miles off the southern California coast. This 48,000 acre island supports a number of endemic plant and animal species as well as a variety of plant communities and habitats, including grassland, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and riparian. Although rugged and mountainous and somewhat remote, the island is a major tourist destination served by daily air and sea passenger service, weather permitting. Development is largely restricted to Avalon, the only incorporated city (population 3,200).

The Santa Catalina Island Conservancy was established in 1972 as a 501(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Santa Catalina Island. The Conservancy currently owns 42,179 acres (88%) of the island. Its mission is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education, and recreation.

The Conservancy is a relatively small organization offering an opportunity to work at the interface between scientific research, active ecological restoration, environmental policy and public participation. The Conservancy is currently expanding its ecological restoration efforts. Nonnative animal and plant control programs are in place, a native plant nursery has been established on the island, long range planning for a variety of restoration projects is underway, and a volunteer labor force to work on restoration projects has been established.

Santa Catalina Island Conservancy
Plant Ecologist

REPORTS TO: Senior Plant Ecologist

SUMMARY: The Plant Ecologist collects and manages data for multiple inventory, monitoring, and research projects. The position involves a combination of field and office work.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Tasks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Collect and manage data for multiple vegetation inventory, monitoring, and research projects which provide baseline information, track plant community changes, and assess the effects of natural and human-caused processes and events (such as fire or the effect of introduced herbivores and/or their removal) at multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Enter data using appropriate word processing, database, and spreadsheet programs.
Conduct rare plant and habitat surveys and monitoring of selected populations. Design and implement rare plant and habitat protection strategies and research projects as appropriate.
Assist in the preparation of progress reports and final reports for ongoing studies.
Assist in the preparation and submission of manuscripts for publication.
Utilize GPS units to collect field data. Incorporate data into the Conservancy’s geographic information system (GIS). Manage, analyze, and maintain organization of the Conservancy’s plant GIS database to make it readily usable by Conservation (and other) Department staff.
Supervise one or more field assistants, volunteers, and contractors as needed.
Provide assistance and information to visiting researchers, other island landowners and entities, and other Conservancy staff (including Education, Communications, Development, Trails, and Facilities Maintenance) as appropriate.
Participate in departmental work days including outplanting, invasive plant removal, plant propagation, cleaning, and other organizational functions.
Give periodic presentations to the general public and staff. Compose and gather material for organizational newsletters, publications, and website. Assist in the development of informational pamphlets, signage, and other materials.
Maintain photomonitoring points. Re-locate historical photograph sites and assess changes to island vegetation. Contribute to and manage a library of plant, habitat, project, and landscape photographs.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education: B.A. or B.S. in botany, biology, environmental studies, or equivalent from an accredited institution or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience in natural resource monitoring. An educational institution recognized as accredited by the U.S. Department of Education must have issued degrees. Degrees issued by educational institutions outside the U.S. must include documentation validating the equivalency of that degree to the same degree in the U.S. to be considered.

Experience: The successful applicant will demonstrate most or all of the following qualifications:

Experience in implementing diverse natural community and species-specific monitoring and research programs along with quantitative analysis of collected data and report preparation.
Experience identifying plants to the sub-species level using taxonomic keys essential.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Familiarity with flora, fauna, natural communities, ecology and natural history of the ecoregion desired. Familiarity with island ecology, conservation biology, ecological restoration, southern California fire ecology and management and impacts of invasive plant and animal species also desired.
Demonstrated organizational skills, ability to set and meet goals and deadlines. Ability to work on several projects simultaneously. Good organizational and time management skills with attention to detail. Ability to resolve complex issues independently, find creative solutions, and make sound decisions based on analysis, experience, and judgment.
Ability to effectively communicate complex biological and conservation principles to diverse audiences.
Ability to function flexibly and effectively in a complex organizational environment with a range of different departments and operations. Ability to work both independently or as part of a team is essential.
Familiarity with federal and state environmental laws and regulations related to listed species, wetlands and streambeds a plus.
Supervisory experience in managing employees, volunteers and others with varying skills a plus.

Technical skills: Knowledge of basic word processing and database programs needed. Experience with GPS and GIS a plus. Possession of Class C Drivers License required. Four wheel drive experience a plus. Photography skills, particularly macro-scale, desirable. Experience using both manual and power tools and CPR/first aid certification a plus. Careful and conscientious; attention to detail essential. Experience with graphics and design software such as Adobe Photoshop and Pagemaker a plus.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Position involves functioning in both field and office environments. Field work involves manual labor; hiking long distances over rugged terrain and through dense scrub; and routine handling of plants. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The office environment has moderate noise levels and is a non-smoking environment. Field conditions are strongly weather-dependent and may be hot, dusty, cold, muddy, and/or wet depending on season and degree of exposure. Smoking is allowed only at limited designated field sites. Work may be conducted independently or with groups of staff and volunteers. Hiking conditions include steep, rugged terrain with occasionally unstable rocky substrate and cactus. Wild animals, including bison and rattlesnakes, may also be encountered in the field and pose some threat. Must be willing to live and work on Catalina.

SALARY LEVEL: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. Competitive (non-profit) benefits package may include group medical and hospital insurance, group life insurance, sick leave, worker’s compensation insurance, unemployment compensation, state disability insurance, and customary mileage and travel allowance. Normal 40-hour work week with some limited unpaid overtime. Limited travel required off-island.

TO APPLY:

For further details or to submit cover letter and résumé, contact:

Lynndy Kennedy, HR Consultant
Santa Catalina Island Conservancy
330 Golden Shore #170
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 437-8555 ext. 232
Lkennedy@CatalinaConservancy.org

AIRPORT OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

Airport Operations Specialist position with Catalina Island Conservancy’s Airport-in-The-Sky. Full time position with medical, dental, retirement benefits, paid vacation, sick leave and holidays.

Requires ability to acquire a Class B drivers license. Excellent airport maintenance and communication skills are needed. Apply at Catalina Conservancy House, 125 Clairessa Avenue in Avalon.

VISITOR SERVICES REP

The Catalina Island Conservancy is seeking an energetic person with strong multi-tasking and excellent customer service skills to greet and assist visitors. The ideal candidate will bring a positive attitude and desire to create a positive memorable experience for all visitors. Strong communications, presentation, and computer skills required. A background in marketing or sales preferred. Bilingual (Spanish) a plus. Must live on Catalina Island. Position is temporary, full-time with potential to become permanent.

Mail resume and salary history to PO Box 2739, Avalon, CA 90704 or email sdennis@catalinaconservancy.org

RESEARCH

The Conservation Department is currently developing a list of possible areas of research that we would like to be conducted on Santa Catalina Island. Projects will range from undergraduate to post graduate levels. Click HERE to go to the Island Ecology Research pages.

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