Field Botanist

Genesis Distribution; Roanoke (VA); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid leave

Health insurance

Retirement plans

PSLF employer

Job summary

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation invites applications for a Field Botanist to lead the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest surveys under the Good Neighbor Agreement with the US Forest Service. Based in Roanoke, VA, this role supports botany, ecology, and data management.

You will supervise a seasonal Botany Field Technician and coordinate with USFS and DCR teams, prepare quarterly reports, and curate voucher collections.

Qualifications

• Identify wild vascular plants in Virginia using floristic keys.
• Experience collecting plant specimens and using plant presses.
• Navigate in wilderness using GPS and maps of contour lines and property boundaries.
• Experience creating, organizing, and analyzing datasets on field observations, and producing field reports.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software, Windows OS, and ESRI ArcPro.

Responsibilities

• Lead all botanical surveys on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest under the Good Neighbor agreement with the US Forest Service (USFS).
• Document occurrences of rare, threatened, endangered, or sensitive plants.
• Curate observation data and create voucher collections; compile season data for Biotics database.
• Coordinate between USFS and DCR’s Botany, Zology, and Ecology teams; compile geographic data; write quarterly reports.
• Supervise one seasonal Botany Field Technician in the field.

Skills

Flora identification

Field surveys

GPS mapping

ArcPro GIS

MS Office

Education

Ecology or biology training

Tools

ESRI ArcPro

ArcGIS Field Maps

GPS devices

Job description

As part of the DCR-DNH Inventory Section and reporting to the Staff Botanist, this Field Botanist will serve as the project lead for DCR-DNH’s Good Neighbor Agreement with the US Forest Service (USFS).

The Field Botanist will be responsible for:

• Leading all botanical surveys on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest under the Good Neighbor agreement with the US Forest Service (USFS).
• Using field surveys to document occurrences of wild plants that are tracked by DCR as rare in Virginia, listed by USFWS and Virginia as threatened or endangered, and/or listed by USFS as Regional Forester Sensitive Species.
• Curating all resulting observation data and creating voucher collections of their finds, as well as compiling each season’s data for inclusion in DCR-DNH’s Biotics database.
• Leading progress between the USFS and DCR’s Botany, Zoology, and Ecology teams, to include, coordinating annual meetings between agencies, compiling geographic data, and writing brief quarterly reports.
• Supervising one seasonal Botany Field Technician to support the position in the field.

This is a restricted position, which is solely funded by the Good Neighbor Agreement with the US Forest Service (USFS) for a 10-year period ending 09/30/2035. The availability of funding is scheduled for review before the grant expiration date and periodically thereafter. Continued employment is contingent on the continued availability of funds.

This position will be based in Roanoke, VA and is telework eligible.

The Virginia Department of Conservations and Recreations (DCR) is the state’s lead conservation agency, and it takes a diverse agency to conserve resources for a diverse commonwealth.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation offers paid leave; 13 paid holidays; medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; retirement plans (including 401a Cash Match and 457 Deferred Compensation Plan for classified positions, and VaLORS for law enforcement positions); and is a federally recognized Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer.

DCR’s Mission is to conserve the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources of the Commonwealth. We invite you to learn more about DCR’s efforts to CONSERVE.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated facility in identifying wild vascular plants in Virginia using technical floristic keys.
• Experience in collecting scientific plant specimens and using plant presses.
• Experience navigating in the wilderness using GPS and maps of contour lines and property boundaries.
• Experience creating, organizing, and analyzing datasets on field observations, and experience producing field reports.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office software, Windows OS, and ESRI ArcPro.

Additional Considerations

• Experience taking field notes in ESRI Field Maps on a mobile device, or a similar application, such as Collector or Avenza.
• Experience driving a vehicle in off-highway situations with unpredictable road conditions.
• Experience coordinating with multiple collaborators at once, through in-person work, email, and calls.
• Experience supervising staff and/or volunteers.
• Familiarity with Natural Heritage methodology.
• Trainingin ecology or biology.
• Field identification and microscope skills in bryology.

Special Instructions

The selected candidate must be willing and able to work non-traditional hours, including frequent overnight trips and several-hour driving commutes to reach field sites across the Forest. The selected candidate must also be able to walk several miles per day off-trail, while carrying a field pack through thick vegetation and rugged or wet terrain, and in summertime weather conditions.

Minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people with National/Federal Service experience are encouraged to apply. EEO/AA/TT

DCR employees are encouraged to visit Virginia State Parks! Check out our employee discounts.

• Free parking or admission to all Virginia State Parks.
• DCR classified, retired, and wage staff (after six months of service) are entitled to overnight facility discounts such as:
  • Free camping outside of the Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day period in sites designed for up to six people.
  • Free camping Sunday night through Thursday night (excluding the night prior to a holiday) from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
  • Fifty percent discount on cabins (up to 3 bedrooms) outside of Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, for a maximum of 14 nights. All reservations require a two-night minimum. Bunkhouses, camping cabins, and yurts are included; one night yurt stays only receive a 25% discount.