TITLE: Research Scientist

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE: State Parks Botanist

DEPARTMENT: New York Natural Heritage Program

SALARY: Minimum $55,000 per year (Full time)

LOCATION: Albany, NY

BACKGROUND

The New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) is a program of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY- ESF). The program's mission is to facilitate the conservation of New York's biodiversity by providing comprehensive information and scientific expertise on rare species and natural ecosystems. NYNHP works in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) and other state, federal, and private organizations involved in natural resource management, land protection and stewardship, and advancing the conservation of biodiversity.

The New York Natural Heritage Program uses an integrated web-enabled platform, Biotics 5, for tabular and spatial data management. Hosted in a shared cloud environment by NatureServe, and used by members of the NatureServe Network, Biotics 5 provides built-in support for shared methodology and data standards. Biotics 5 includes an ArcGIS Server-based mapping platform for spatial data, and an Oracle relational database for tabular data. As a program, NYNHP also uses ArcGIS, MS Access, MS Excel, Crystal Reports, the R statistical environment, iMapInvasives, iNaturalist, various scripting and programming languages, and customized spatial and database applications for field data collection on Android mobile devices.

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

The State Parks Botanist is part of the NYNHP State Parks Biodiversity Partnership They work closely with the State Parks Ecologist and other team members and with staff of NY State Parks to help protect and maintain the biodiversity of state parks. The job focuses on conducting rare plant inventories on State Park's lands, including new acquisitions, follow-up at facilities previously surveyed, and inventories in connection with Agency projects and stewardship initiatives. They also provide training to park's stewardship staff in survey methods and identification of rare plants, application and interpretation of Natural Heritage data and use of other botany tools to do their stewardship work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

• Work with NYNHP State Parks Ecologist and NY State Parks biologists to identify priorities for field survey, trainings and advise on stewardship plans or projects.
• Conduct field surveys to document rare plants using the methods and techniques developed by the NatureServe Network. Methods include assessing habitats and identifying potential inventory sites using remote sensing data, other digital data layers, and information from the scientific literature, government agencies, museum specimens, and knowledgeable individuals. This work will include documentation of native and non-native plant species at state parks across the state, focusing on sites known to support rare plants.
• Transcribe, update, map, and quality control rare plant records into NYNHP Heritage databases.
• Assist the Chief Botanist in conducting status reviews of the rare plants of New York and in developing and maintaining botanical element files, botany library, botanical images, etc.
• Participate in the ongoing development of new tools, methods, processes, and techniques that improve the collection, storage, interpretation, dissemination, and application of NYNHP information.
• 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/promote the utility of botanical inventories and the importance of plant conservation.
• Work with NYNHP and NY State Parks staff in the identification and development of funding proposals that will improve the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in the state park system.
• Respond to requests for botanical information from state parks staff and other partners, and provide interpretation as needed.
• Write Conservation Guides for rare plants found within the NY State Parks system.
• Share expertise and knowledge with colleagues in NYNHP and NY State Parks through in-house training sessions and collaboration on project activities.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

The Botanist may work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances. These conditions may:

• require physical exertion and/or muscular strain
• present possibility of injury
• require long hours and time away from home
• require travel in variety of settings from urban to rural

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduate Degree in botany, plant ecology, conservation biology, ecological restoration, or related field OR a Bachelor's Degree and minimum of 3 years of related experience.
• Experience with field surveys and identification of plant species.
• Experience in using common software applications (e.g., Word, Access, Excel, Web browsers, ArcGIS).
• Experience in collecting, manipulating, analyzing, and interpreting data and preparing reports of findings.
• Willingness to travel throughout New York State to conduct field surveys, sometimes in remote locations, including overnight travel.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Preference will be given to candidates with degrees in botany or plant sciences and a background in natural resource conservation.
• Experience synthesizing, interpreting and communicating scientific information to influence conservation practice, and strong writing skills.
• Experience with creating or assisting in creating and using databases for data entry and report production.
• Familiarity with the biodiversity of New York State, the Great Lakes Region, or the northeastern United States.

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