State Parks Botanist

The NY Natural Heritage Program is a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that enables and enhances conservation of rare animals, rare plants, and significant natural communities.  The Program accomplishes this mission by combining thorough field inventories, scientific analyses, expert interpretation, and the most comprehensive database on the locations and status of New York's distinctive biodiversity to deliver the highest quality information for natural resource planning and management, land use decisions, and conservation of New York's biodiversity.

NY Natural Heritage uses an integrated data management system, Biotics (Biodiversity Tracking and Conservation System), which includes an ArcView GIS application for spatial data, and an Oracle relational database for tabular data. The Program also uses MS Access, MS Excel, Crystal Reports, and manual files. Biotics and Heritage methodology, used in gathering and tracking rare species and natural community information, are shared across the international network of 75 Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centers.

Position Overview

This position is within the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The position has applicability to the entire State Park System and is focused upon conducting inventories of newly acquired state park land, continuing follow-up work at facilities previously surveyed, conducting inventories in connection with Agency projects and initiatives, and providing input as needed on site-specific projects within the state park system, especially where rare plants tracked by NY Natural Heritage may be involved.

The state parks botanist participates as a team member on a staff of scientists assigned to conducting inventories and participating in stewardship activities in the State Park System. He/she serves as the primary botanist for this project and is responsible for various project-related tasks, including field season planning, landscape analyses, field surveys for natural communities and rare species, literature reviews, data entry into the NY Natural Heritage database, and report preparation.

He/She assists in the development of the rare species components of the NY Natural Heritage database especially as it applies to the State Park System. The botanist may serve as the project manager for Heritage work within the State Park System.  He/She may serve as a mentor for other staff on activities on which he/she has particular expertise, but does not supervise other staff.

Responsibilities

1.       Manage & Coordinate Projects:  Work under the direction of EMB's Natural Resource Stewardship Coordinator and the Director of the NY Natural Heritage Program to plan, prioritize, and coordinate inventory work on state park lands. Serve as project manager for these projects by coordinating the work of NY Natural Heritage staff and State Park staff working on the project and training contractors and staff as needed. Review contracts, administer project budgets, and act as a liaison to project sponsors in coordination with the Directors of the NY Natural Heritage Program and EMB. Present project overviews at conferences and meetings and write periodic progress reports and final reports as needed.

2.       Field Work:  Conduct landscape analyses to assess ecological integrity and identify potential inventory sites using remote sensing data, other digital and hard-copy data layers, and information from the scientific literature, government agencies, and knowledgeable individuals.  Conduct field surveys to document rare plants in project areas using the methods and techniques developed by the Natural Heritage Network and other experts. 

3.       Database Management:  Transcribe, update, map, and quality control rare plant element occurrence records.

4.       Rare Plant Status:  Assist the Chief Botanist in the development of the New York State Rare Plant Status Lists by organizing and reviewing information for particular species, especially those that occur within the State Park System, and participating in meetings.

5.       Innovation:  Participate in the ongoing development of new tools, methods, processes, and techniques that improve the collection, storage, interpretation, dissemination, and application of NY Natural Heritage information.

6.       Communications:  Communicate the role of the NY Natural Heritage Program and the NY State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation in the conservation of New York's biodiversity, and explain the utility of inventories and landscape analyses to staff and partners.  In collaboration with the Directors of the NY Natural Heritage Program and the Environmental Management Bureau, communicate regularly with key project partners and others to maintain strong partnerships and facilitate effective conservation.  

7.       Fund Raising:  Work with NY Natural Heritage Program and the Environmental Management Bureau in the identification and development of funding proposals that will improve the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in the State Park System.

8.       Information Requests:  Respond to requests for plant natural history and management information from the NY Natural Heritage database and provide interpretation, as needed. Provide expertise and interpretation to OPRHP staff as needed.

9.       Mentor:  Serve as a mentor for other staff on activities on which he/she has particular expertise, through in-house training sessions and collaboration on project activities.

Qualifications

1.          Graduate degree in botany, biological sciences with 1-3 years related experience or 3-5 years experience in conservation science and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.

2.          Course work and field experience indicating knowledge of community ecology and rare plants of New York State, or comparable work in another state, or research experience. Field inventory skills and plant species identification desired.

3.          Demonstrated experience with aerial photograph and topographic map interpretation.  Project management and administrative experience are desirable; database software and spreadsheets (MS Excel & Access), word processing (MS Word), and computer mapping skills using Arcmap or related products are required. 

4.          Ability to collect, manipulate, analyze, and interpret scientific data and prepare reports of findings.

5.          Ability to synthesize, interpret and communicate scientific information to influence conservation practice.

6.          Ability to work effectively with others under pressure and tight deadlines in a busy office environment.  Capable of working independently and in an organized fashion to complete projects. 

7.          Knowledge of regional fauna and flora, natural communities, ecosystems, ecosystem processes, and their conservation needs.

8.          Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to write technical reports utilizing available resources. 

9.          Willingness to travel throughout New York State and endure the rigors of field work for long days and extended periods.

10.      Comfort in articulating and advocating for the missions of the NY Natural Heritage Program and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation with respect to biodiversity conservation.

To Apply

Email or mail cover letter and resume including contact information for three references.

Steve Young, Chief Botanist
New York Natural Heritage Program
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway, 5th Floor
Albany, NY  12233-4757

Information on New York State Parks is available at http://www.nysparks.com and a document on Biodiversity in New York's State Park System at http://www.nysparks.com/news/public