Conservation Technician

**Conservation Technician Jobs (3) - April 16, 2024 to July 8, 2024**

**Organization**: Friends of the Rouge Watershed

**Location**:Markham & Scarborough, Ontario
- be between 15 and 30 years of age.
- be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or have official refugee protection status.
- be legally entitled to work in Canada, based on provincial and federal legislation and regulations.

For more than 32 years, FRW has conducted award-winning ecological protection and restoration work. Technicians will gain practical ecological science knowledge and skills applicable to watershed and ecosystem protection and restoration careers. Technicians will work outside 4 to 6 days a week in variable weather.

**Job Tasks include**:

- Helping FRW plant 14,000 bare-root and potted trees, shrubs and wildflowers.
- Coordinating school and community volunteers and ensuring planting quality control.
- Watering, mulching, monitoring and maintaining planting sites to maximize survival and growth.
- Installing rodent guards, weed blankets and protective fencing around trees.
- Identifying native trees, shrubs, flowers, birds and mammals.
- Identifying, collecting, storing and stratifying native seed.
- Identifying and manually removing invasive plants.
- Monitoring planting success and the use of new habitat by key wildlife species.
- Assisting with public outreach, community events, communications and advocacy.
- Assisting with virtual and interpretive nature hikes for school and community groups.
- Recording daily activities via photos and approved posts to social media and website.
- Assisting with other activities related to watershed planning and protection, such as GIS mapping**.**

**by Monday March 24h 2024.**

**Desired Applicant Qualities**:

- Love of nature and willingness to work diligently for FRW and mother nature.
- Knowledge of, and proximity to, the Rouge River Watershed (eastern GTA).
- Tree planting and ecological restoration and education experience.
- Volunteer and NGO experience.
- Fitness and endurance for manual and repetitive outdoor work.
- Strong work ethic, punctuality and ability to meet ambitious planting and maintenance goals.
- Reliably work 7 to 9 hour days starting as early as 7:00 am and some weekend plantings.
- Ability to work comfortably outside in all weather conditions (rain or shine, heat or cold).
- Ability to follow instructions and work safely and independently with minimum supervision.
- Experience with GIS Mapping, photo and video editing, and uploading online educational content.
- Valid First Aid Certificate.
- License and vehicle to travel to planting sites which are difficult to reach by public transit.
- Ability to obtain vulnerable sector screening police clearance for working with children.

**About Friends of the Rouge Watershed**

FRW is a registered Canadian Charity (# 88878 1028 RR 001). We involve thousands of student and community volunteers in practical ecological education, protection and restoration work every year. FRW helped to generate the broad public and political support which led to the creation of Rouge Park, Watershed and Greenbelt Plans, and Rouge National Park.

Since 1991, with the help of federal, provincial, municipal, school and community partners, FRW has:

- educated and activated 71,000+ school and community volunteers.
- planted more than 784,000 native trees, shrubs and flowers.
- restored 3.6 square kilometers of forests, wetlands, meadows and stream buffers.

More than $10 Million Dollars of public benefits accrue from this habitat restoration work every year, based on the 2009 Report "Estimating Ecosystem Services in Southern Ontario".

FRW increases public environmental awareness, values and actions; we protect, expand and inter-connect natural areas; we motivate energy and resource conservation; and we restore forest and wetland habitat to:

- reduce water and air pollution to improve watershed, ecosystem and human health.
- reduce carbon pollution to avoid costly climate change and flooding damages.
- reduce damage to people, property and infrastructure from pollution and flooding.
- conserve biodiversity and help species at risk recover.

In 2016, FRW received the J.R. Dymond Award from Ontario Nature for our:

- **“tireless and inspirational role in the creation of Rouge National Park" and**_
- **"exceptional work on the ground with stewardship and restoration projects.”**_

**Job Types**: Full-time, Fixed term contract, Seasonal
Contract length: 12 weeks

**Salary**: $17.00-$18.00 per hour

Expected hours: 30 - 40 per week

Flexible Language Requirement:

- French not required

Schedule:

- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Scarborough, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 2024-03-24
Expected start date: 2024-04-17