Individual Placement/Internships

1024 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos, New Mexico

4855-984

Full-Time/Regular

Title: Botany Support Specialist Intern (1 opening)

Start/End Date: April 1, 2024 - March 7, 2025 (anticipated)

Living Stipend: $580/week

Term: Full-Time, 40 hours/week – 49 weeks

Location: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 1024 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur Taos, NM

Status: 1700-hour AmeriCorps Service Term (75% field work and 25% office work)

Benefits: Housing allowance $325/week; $500 travel/training funds; AmeriCorps Education Award up to $6,895 and Public Lands Corps Certificate* that allows for competitive hiring for USA jobs/government jobs - both with successful completion of the internship; eligible for health insurance.

AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities. Environmental stewardship programs help conserve natural habitats, improve energy efficiency, protect clean air and water, and help to mitigate the effects of climate change among other environmental efforts.

Conservation Corps New Mexico (CCNM)

Conservation Corps New Mexico, a program of Conservation Legacy, aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's. CCNM is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with conservation service work projects on public lands. CCNM operates programs across New Mexico and western Texas that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. The CCNM Individual Placement Program is managed from the CCNM office in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Mentorship

These Individual Placement Positions are unique development opportunities. Interns are paired with a local supervisor and gain technical, hands-on experience in the work of these organizations or agencies. Site supervisors commit to facilitate career development; provide an introduction to numerous pathways within the conservation field; and create accessible, meaningful, learning opportunities and experiences for interns.

Position Summary:

The BLM Botany Department provides botanical expertise in rare plant conservation, restoration efforts and plant material development. Primary focuses include but are not limited to landscape-level ecology, native seed collection, special status plant species surveying and monitoring, and consultation for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes. A large portion of the Botany Department is dedicated to surveying for and minimizing impacts to special status plant species (SSPS).

The botany support specialist intern will assist the BLM - Taos field office (TFO) ecologist/botanist with rare plant surveys, monitoring, seed collection, and other duties including data collection and management.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Work with BLM Botanist and Botany crews to study and collect data for TFO.
• Conduct rare plant surveys for proposed actions, following a standardized protocol.
• Conduct surveys for milkweed and monarch monitoring, following a standardized protocol.
• Analyze the effects of management activities on botanical resources for environmental assessments.
• Assist in habitat restoration projects and plant material development.
• Assist seed crews in scouting and collection of target plant species.
• Utilize Collector, Survey123, Field Maps, and QuickCapture for data collection.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Per federal grant requirements, this internship is for young adults between the ages of 18-30 (35 for veterans), inclusive, at the time the individual begins term of service.
• Have a high school diploma or GED.
• Applicants must have a background in plant identification and be able to use a dichotomous key.
• Must be able to hike long distances for multiple days a week.
• Applicants must have strong project management, written and oral skills and be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite and ArcGIS online, Survey 123, Quick Captures.
• Applicants should demonstrate strong organizational skills, have experience working as part of a team, be able to work well with others in a professional setting, be self-motivated, and able to work independently with limited supervision after the initial training period.
• Applicants must have great attention to detail and be capable of problem solving.
• Applicants should have a general understanding of federal land resource management policies (e.g., multiple use management).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (botany, conservation management, environmental science, biology, etc.).
• Experience driving a 4x4 vehicle in backcountry conditions.
• Experience with ArcGIS and electronic data collection.
• Proficiency in scientific writing.
• Knowledge or familiarity of Southwest native plants.

Working Conditions: Applicants must be able to work long days and successfully adapt to various climates and working conditions. This includes focused driving to field locations and strenuous labor in remote settings and all-weather conditions.

Physical Requirements:

• To successfully perform essential functions, the individual is required to sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, etc. May be required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl for significant periods of time and be able to safely lift 50 pounds on a routine basis. He/she must be able to operate office equipment, telephone, and computer and reach with hands and arms.
• Ability to hike and navigate in rough terrain.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Participation and Expedition Behavior:

• Work effectively as a member of a team despite potentially stressful and difficult conditions. This may require problem solving on an interpersonal or group level as well as a willingness to accept differences.
• Contribute to a safe learning environment, no harassment of others for any reason.
• Willingness and ability to complete all aspects of the program including conservation projects, education, training, and national service. Members must commit to participating in all team activities, including service days in local communities where applicable.
• Effectively communicate ideas and concerns as they arise directly to supervisors, colleagues, and organization staff.
• Appropriately represent Conservation Corps New Mexico, the BLM and AmeriCorps to the public and partners at all times.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment.

Safety and Judgment:

• Effectively communicate danger to others in the form of either a warning of danger others may be encountering or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance. Must be able to do so at a distance of up to 50 meters and in conditions with limited visibility or loud background noise such as darkness or high winds.
• Effectively perceive and understand significant and apparent hazards and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute techniques to manage hazards. These directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or may need to be given during the exposure to the hazard. Ability to respond appropriately to stress or crises.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions.
• If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage by self-medicating without assistance from others.

Substance Free:

· In accordance with a drug free workplace, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in program activities and while on organization property.

Background Check:

A DOI background clearance must be completed before the selected candidate may report to duty. The BLM will provide instructions for completion of the clearance after an intern has been selected and will notify them when they have been cleared to start the internship. This process will determine the internship’s exact start date.

Interns will have access to government facilities and systems, and will be supplied with access to gov’t vehicles, equipment, and materials needed to work on the projects and activities as outlined above. Interns must adhere to all government regulations and policies for operating equipment, vehicles, security awareness, and safety including attending necessary trainings and virtual education where necessary.

***Interns must be between the ages of 18-30, inclusive (35 for veterans), at the time the individual begins the term of service.

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

For more information about Conservation Corps New Mexico, please visit www.corpsnm.org. Conservation Corps New Mexico is a program of Conservation Legacy.