Botanic Internships

Chicago Botanic Garden in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management is looking for botanists to intern with an exciting national botany project, Seeds of Success.

Internships begin in early July and last for 5 months.

Compensation is $750 each two weeks.

We are looking for recent graduates who have good plant identification skills, some field work experience and love to work outdoors! The ability to use a GPS unit is important and GIS software experience is preferred, but not necessary.

The SOS program operates through the Plant Conservation Alliance, an interagency program in which BLM and CBG participates. The SOS program serves two purposes. SOS is the United States' contribution to the Royal Botanic Garden KEW (England) Millennium Seed Bank project under which seed from approximately 10% of the world's flora are to be collected for long-term germplasm storage and conservation research. Secondly, approximately half of the seed collected by BLM is returned for storage in the U.S. to support development of plant materials for land restoration purposes by BLM and other entities.

The internships are 5 months in length but opportunities exist to continue work overseas (Australia and/or UK) in seed biology or other botany related field. Opportunities also exist to initiate a Masters program in Plant Biology and Conservation with Northwestern University.

Richfield BLM Field Office, Utah
2 internship positions

Substantial time will be spent establishing and reading monitoring plots for rare plant species in the Utah Basin. Some inventorying actions will also occur. This is a particularly important assignment in that several rare plant species in this area are in peril due to extensive oil and gas energy exploration and development. The interns will also continue to be involved in the collection of native plant seeds. This will be a continuation of the Seeds of Success program. In all of these actions, the interns will normally be accompanied by the primary mentor. However, there will be times that they will be on their own. Therefore, they need to be willing to spend time in the field, sometimes in rather difficult, remote conditions.

Rawlins BLM Field Office, Wyoming
Rock Springs BLM Field Office, Wyoming
3 internship positions

The major duties of this position will involve the collection of seeds for the Seeds of Success program. The ability to identify native plants/weeds in sagebvrush steppe, mountain shrub and salt desert communities of the The Wyoming Basin and Intermountain West, knowledge of vegetation sampling techniques and skill in plant collection and pressing is required. The ability to navigate using map/orientation skills, as well as use of GPS units and GIS software is desired.

New Mexico BLM State Office, Las Cruces, New Mexico
2 internship positions

Interns will perform standard Seeds of Success collections via established protocol. Plant identification is a large part of this program. Previous field experience, particularly in botany or related subjects is desired. Familiarity with ArcMap GIS and mapping grade GPS would be useful. While SOS is the primary focus, where possible, interns will assist with other plant conservation program projects in progress during the summer. Projects may include, inventory for rare plant species, completion of plant studies, vegetation transecting, etc. Routine office work including record filing, database input, etc may be assigned. Interns will be integrated into a field office setting with various resource management specialists. When or if available, interns may participate in local BLM sponsored training sessions and outside symposia.

Colorado BLM State Office, Lakewood, Colorado
1 internship position

The plan for this internship is twofold - working to implement the Seeds of Success program in Colorado from the State Office and to participate in the on-going rare plant monitoring and inventory program in Colorado. This intern will have the opportunity to work with other graduate students and CBG interns at the State Office as part of a team so the work will be quite variable and will require a fair amount of field time. Strong plant identification skills would be desired.

Medford BLM Field Office, Medford
2 internship positions

The major duties of this position will involve the collection of seeds for the Seeds of Success program. The intern will be required to identify native species using dichotomous keys, find desired plant populations in remote locations using map and GPS technology, track phenology, and follow seed collection and storage protocols. A variety of other duties will be assigned to the intern to broaden their experience as time permits.

Requirements:
· Ability to use a dichotomous key
· Ability to identify plants to the family or genus
· Ability to work in the field for long hours
· BS or BA in ecology or plant biology
· US citizen or current work visa for the US
· Vehicle needed for personal use, work vehicle is provided

To Apply:

· Send a Letter of Interest and Resume to:kkordecki@chicagobotanic.org
· Ask 2 referees to direct a Letter of Recommendation to the same email
· Email an unofficial academic transcript to the same email
· Send an official, sealed academic transcript to:
Chicago Botanic Garden
Kristen Kordecki
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL
60022