Individual Placement - Botany Crew Member at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI)

Student Conservation Association; Ajo (AZ); On-site; USD 29,000 - 36,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing allowance

Travel stipend (one-time)

Housing provided

Job summary

Student Conservation Association in Ajo, AZ seeks a field-based position to support botany work at Organ Pipe C cactus National Monument. The role focuses on vegetation monitoring, invasive species control, and landscape restoration across backcountry and border-adjacent areas.

The assistant will perform nursery tasks, assist with restoration projects, and help gather data while living in park housing. Candidates should meet PLC eligibility and enjoy remote fieldwork.

Qualifications

• Experience using hand-held GPS, maps, and compass for field navigation and data collection.

Responsibilities

• Invasive plant management – mapping and documenting invasive plant populations, hand-pulling invasive plants, and assisting with herbicide application under supervision.
• Native plant nursery – watering and maintaining nursery stock, propagating native plants for restoration outplanting, assisting with germination trials, and maintaining the compost pile.
• Landscape restoration – restore illegal off-road vehicle routes via raking, vertical mulching, outplanting native plants, installing erosion barriers, and operating trail cameras to monitor site re-use.
• Rare and endangered plants – assisting with surveys for rare and endangered species.
• Quitobaquito Springs – assisting with removal of invasive plants and vegetation maintenance.

Skills

GPS

Maps

Compass

Written and spoken communication

Driver's license

Public Land Corps eligibility

Education

Botany / Ecology coursework or degree

Tools

Avenza

ArcGIS Pro

ArcMap

ArcGIS Online (AGOL)

Field Maps

Survey123

Job description

Job Description

Position Summary

This position will support the botany program at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI) by contributing to vegetation monitoring, invasive species management, and landscape restoration efforts. This position will primarily be conducting fieldwork throughout the monument, including backcountry settings and along the international border.

Location

Ajo, AZ

Schedule

January 4, 2027 - April 16, 2027

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Invasive plant management – mapping and documenting invasive plant populations, hand-pulling invasive plants, and assisting with herbicide application under the supervision of a certified applicator;
• Native plant nursery – watering and maintaining current nursery stock, propagating native plants for restoration outplanting, assisting with germination trials, and maintaining the compost pile;
• Landscape restoration – restoration of illegal off-road vehicle routes via raking, vertical mulching, outplanting native plants from the nursery and watering them, installing and replacing restoration signs and t-post, installing erosion barriers, and operating trail cameras to monitor site re-use;
• Rare and endangered plants – assisting with surveys for rare and endangered species;
• Quitobaquito Springs – assisting with the removal of invasive plants and performing vegetation maintenance to keep the trails and spring channel in good condition.

Marginal Duties

Other duties include recording field data on a variety of devices and assisting with data entry. As appropriate, there may be opportunities to assist the other Resource Division programs, including wildlife biology, physical sciences, cultural resources, and ecological monitoring.

Required Qualifications

• Experience working with hand-held GPS, maps, and compass for field navigation and data collection;
• Ability to perform manual, physical labor including bending and stooping for up to 10 hours per day, exposed to the elements, and must be able to occasionally lift and/or move 50 pounds or more;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a broad audience;
• Ability to live and work in rural and remote field and office setting;
• Must possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license;
• This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All individuals must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Individuals must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority. Individuals must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent or agree to obtain one or be enrolled in an institution of higher education.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience conducting fieldwork in a desert environment;
• Familiar with the flora of the Sonoran Desert and/or experience identifying plants to species using a dichotomous key;
• Degree or coursework in botany, ecology, natural resources, or a related field;
• Familiarity with various desktop and mobile mapping software including Avenza, ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, AGOL, Field Maps and Survey123.

Living Accommodations

The field assistant will have their own room in a shared house with up to 3 other residents. They will share a bathroom with 1 other person. Housing units come fully furnished and stocked with kitchen implements, pots and pans, etc. Park housing is located approximately 35 miles from the nearest grocery store in Ajo. Phoenix and Tucson are both about 2.5 hours away and offer full services.

Compensation

• $720 per week housing allowance
• $1100 Roundtrip Travel Allowance (Paid Once)
• Housing Provided at no charge to Individual Placement

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes.

Driving

• Be able to complete or fulfill all partner driving requirements.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The SCA is an equal opportunity employer. Selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and performance, without unlawful discrimination.

SCA is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and performance, without unlawful discrimination.

EEO is the Law