[SOS-PCA] Job Opportunity: USGS Botany Technicians, Mojave

[Lindquist, Anna E]

USGS is currently hiring technicians to assist with all aspects of research in the Mojave Desert Common Garden network.


Biological Science Technician, Botany

If you enjoy working/camping outdoors year-round, are pursuing work in a botany or plant ecology research profession, and desire to be part of a research group providing science for conservation and land management in a rapidly changing ecoregion, please apply!​
The US Geological Survey is seeking seasonal Biological Science Technicians (GG05) to assist with ongoing research that helps guide resource managers when and where to use local plant materials for promoting restoration success on desert lands under current and future climates.

This is an entry-level position, but previous experience conducting field data collection on plants is preferred.

Project Background:
Re-vegetation treatments aim to mitigate the degradation of Mojave Desert shrublands impacted by invasive annual grass-fed wildfires. USGS is actively monitoring the effectiveness of ecological restoration so that successful practices can be scaled up to create fuel breaks and re-establish habitat islands burned by large-scale fires. Availability of locally-sourced native seed, however, is limited due to low seed production characteristic of many desert plants. Seeds are traditionally collected from distant or unknown sources and used for re-vegetating disturbances in the Mojave Desert, yet the consequences of re-introducing non-local versus local plant sources is largely unknown. To address these seed sourcing issues, BLM and USGS developed a focused strategy for understanding the genetic variability of native species and the potential for their commercial development. Research occurs at multiple common gardens distributed across the Mojave Desert, and in combination with genetic testing, is guiding resource managers when and where to use local plant materials for promoting restoration success on desert lands under current and future climates. USGS is seeking to hire additional Biological Science Technicians whose core duties will support the common garden research in particular, with additional duties that support the Mojave Desert ecological restoration research in general.
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Core duties:
· Travel and work at multiple research gardens across a diversity of front-county and remote field locations throughout the Mojave Desert (southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona)

· Collect stem cuttings and seeds of native species across the Mojave Desert for propagating research plants in a greenhouse setting

· Maintain and catalogue seed collections for long-term storage in a laboratory and conduct viability tests

· Transfer research plants from greenhouse to experimental gardens and collect detailed monthly measurements on a range of native species to determine how to restore habitats damaged by wildfires, solar development, and recreation under a changing climate

· Maintain garden infrastructure including mending fences to exclude small mammals, controlling weeds, and driving 4WD vehicles while operating a water trailer for irrigating plants after initial planting

· Assist with a diversity of related research projects including habitat restoration, development of propagation practices, and rare plant species conservation

How to apply:
This position will be based out of Boulder City, NV.

Applicants must be a US citizen and possess a valid US driver's license.



Individuals need to send application documents to werchr at usgs.gov<mailto:werchr at usgs.gov>, between 8am PST 12/05/22 and 4pm PST 12/09/22.
Application materials MUST include announcement number 74-23-01 GG-0404-05.

· Cover letter describing interest and qualifications
· Resume including your complete and up to date contact information with related experience, including full start and finish dates (i.e., xx/xx/xx, hours worked per week) per position. For further information on how to format your resume please go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/app...at-to-include/<https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/>
· Unofficial Transcripts

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