Wildlife Corridors Technician

Located at the head of Lake Ontario and within the municipalities of Burlington and Hamilton, Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is the largest botanical garden in Canada and one of the nation’s earliest nature sanctuaries. Comprising some 2700 acres of protected wetlands, botanical collections, parkland and display gardens, and within easy access of millions of nature-starved urban citizens, RBG dedicates its expertise in horticulture, conservation, science and education to connect people, plants and place for the purpose of nurturing and preserving healthy growing life on our planet. RBG directs its efforts, and seeks the support of individuals and organizations, to realize its vision of a world in which everyone is awake to the beauty, diversity and necessity of plants, and from that consciousness more actively works together to protect and preserve plant species and habitats and, by extension, our planet.

This position involves establishing roadside wildlife barriers and to improve corridors with invasive species removal. In addition, the position will generate a base map of the conditions of roadway crossings used by wildlife and the barriers across the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark. This work will be done in coordination with a team of ecologists on staff on building upon smaller scale ongoing projects.

The position is one of several associated with the Royal Botanical Gardens portion of the Cootes to Escarpment Ecological Corridors pilot project. The Ecocorridors Pilot Project is supported by Parks Canada as part of Canada’s goal of conserving 30% of our land and water by 2030 and is within the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System.

**This is a contact position beginning May 15, 2023 and concluding December 22, 2023.**

**Duties**
- Coordination with City of Hamilton and Burlington regarding roadside barrier installations.
- Install and manage wildlife barrier additions along roadways adjacent to RBG properties with a focus on the Hendrie Valley Area.
- Create a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) base map of existing wildlife passageways and roadside barriers through the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark Area.
- Collaborate with RBG staff to assist with invasive species removal.
- Engagement with volunteers and management of volunteer events including the promotion of iNaturalist as a tool to gather wildlife road crossing data.
- Management and purchase of equipment and supplies to undertake the project including contractors.
- Participation in coordinating committees of the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System.
- Provide a summary report of activities at the end of the contract.

**Qualifications**
- Project planning, reporting and implementation experience.
- Familiar with roadside wildlife barriers Best Management Practices.
- Staff supervision and volunteer co-ordination experience.
- Post-Secondary Degree in Environmental related field.
- Field skills in plant identification native to Southern Ontario.
- Familiar with the highly invasive species of southern Ontario and various control measures used.
- Experience in tree planting and the operation of equipment such as shrub pullers, tree girdlers, hand saws and Gator utility vehicles an asset.
- Proficient with the use of Microsoft Office software suite including database management (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), and experience working with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Familiar with relevant environmental protection legislation.
- Class G driver’s license.
- Certified in Standard First Aid with CPR + AED, or willing to obtain.

**Working Conditions**:

- This position requires working a 35-hour work week, with a standard work week Monday to Friday. Work schedule flexibility is required as selected projects are influenced by volunteer events and weather conditions.
- Both indoor and outdoor work in most weather conditions and environments.
- Physically demanding.

Upon request, suitable accommodations are available under the Accessibility for Ontarians Act.

We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.