Natural Resources Temp

Dakota County is seeking seasonal Natural Resource Temps who are enthusiastic about natural resources. The role involves performing skilled work, coordinating tasks, and assisting with natural resource restoration and stewardship projects for the Parks Department.

Responsibilities

• Vegetation Surveying and Monitoring Track - This track will include tasks such as conducting and recording relevés, transects, photo monitoring, and plant community inventories; preparing, mounting, and submitting herbarium specimens for new County records
• Wildlife Surveying and Monitoring Track - This track will include tasks such as: trapping and handling turtles, small mammals, snakes, salamanders, bees, and butterflies, as well as surveying for bats, anurans, and birds, and also setting up trail cameras. Work directly with bison technician to perform the following tasks as needed: weekly monitoring of bison herd, surveillance and maintenance of fence and gates, record keeping. Assists with wildlife program efforts such as: improving habitat for wildlife, developing and implementing new survey methods, and assisting with deer management program
• Native Plant Propagation Track - This track will include tasks such as: ?Oversee and perform all aspects of seeding and maintenance of plants in the green house. This may include seeding and transplanting seedlings, regulating greenhouse growing conditions, removing invasive weed species, maintaining greenhouse facilities, watering plants, etc
• Land Management Track – This track will include tasks such as: Invasive species control through land management techniques including herbicide application, weed whipping, hand weeding, prescribed burning, etc; landscape improvements such as planting trees, shrubs, herbaceous plant plugs, seeding, etc
• All Tracks will perform other duties as assigned. These may include: Creating maps using ESRI mapping tools
• Data collection, entry, analysis and interpretation using Excel and R Studio
• Report writing and presentations
• Updating pertinent databases with newly found County records
• Performing natural resource restoration duties (i.e.installing native plants, seeding, prescribed burning, invasive species control/management, native plant propagation, erosion control)
• Collecting and cleaning seed, planting
• Assisting with project communication to the public
• Assisting with restoration project administration
• Monitoring and reporting on work progress, site conditions, and quality of work
• Keeping supervisor informed of issues as they arise, project status, and material or equipment needs
• Assisting with native plant propagation efforts
• Training and directing volunteers in the safe and proficient operation of tools and specialized equipment
• Acting as the lead to volunteers to help plan and schedule work
• Other related work as assigned

Skills

• Two years of pertinent coursework working towards a degree in forestry, botany, natural resource management, wildlife management or a closely related field AND 6 months of hands-on natural resource experience; the work experience may have been earned as a volunteer, intern or direct employment
• A combination of education and direct work experience to equal or exceed 2.5 years. Combination must be directly related to forestry, botany, natural resource management, and/or wildlife management
• Valid Driver's License
• Familiarity with ArcGIS products such as ArcGIS Online, Field Maps, etc
• Direct work experience in, and knowledge of, prairies, forests and/or wetlands
• Advanced plant identification skills
• Wildlife handling, monitoring and identifying (e.g., herptiles, birds, insects, fish, and small mammals)
• Experience working with hand tools and small power tools
• Experience with plant propagation best practices
• Working with volunteers; providing informal natural resources interpretation to the public
• Working with Excel spreadsheets
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Company Overview