Current jobs related to Assistant Conservation Biologist - Lions Head - The Nature Conservancy of Canada

Taking care of our environment has never been more important than it is today. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is looking for a Assistant Conservation Biologist to join a team committed to protecting our most important natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain.

NCC is the nation’s leading not-for-profit, private land conservation organization, working to protect our most important natural areas and the species they sustain. Since 1962, we have brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. NCC takes a collaborative, science-based approach to achieve conservation success for the sake of nature and Canadians. With a national office in Toronto and seven regional offices across the country, NCC delivers results you can walk on.

**Position Summary**

The Assistant Conservation Biologist will play an integral role in delivering stewardship in the Midwestern Ontario subregion to focus our conservation work. The position is based on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula year-round.

The Assistant Conservation Biologist will contribute to NCC’s work on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island Archipelago Natural Areas by assisting stewardship staff with several activities, including preparing baseline reports and Property Management Plans (PMPs), implementing priority PMP and Natural Area Conservation Plan (NACP) actions, development of grant proposals, managing hunting on NCC properties, entering data in the Land Information System (LIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) and conducting science projects.

Extensive travel and independent fieldwork requires liaising with landowners, staff, volunteers and partner organizations.

**Position Requirements**

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Biological inventory, field data collection and annual monitoring (i.e., invasive species, rare plant and wildlife documentation, ecological community classification and condition assessments), data entry - LIS and GIS, photograph documentation, analysis and reporting required to implement Property Management Plans for NCC owned properties;
- Assist in the planning and delivery of a landscape scale restoration program focused on controlling invasive Phragmites across the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula;
- Assist in the implementation and reporting of Effectiveness Monitoring Programs to track the viability of Biodiversity Targets and the effectiveness of conservation actions to abate threats at the property and Natural Area scale to guide property management;
- Conduct field work, data entry and analysis to develop Baseline Reports for NCC properties using LIS, GIS and NCC’s standardized reporting format in all Natural Areas;
- Assist in the development of conservation planning documents (e.g., Property Management Plans) following NCC’s standardized report format;
- Assist in the development and management of leases, contracts, and research permits pertaining to NCC properties;
- Assist with the maintenance and repair of infrastructure, monitor and maintain trails, fences, gates, and signage, and address liability issues on NCC properties such as unwanted motorized vehicle access and trespassing;
- Maintain positive, productive and open relationships with landowners, lessees, project volunteers, local planning authorities and conservation partners within the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula;
- LIS and GIS data entry for previously surveyed NCC owned lands and Conservation Agreements in all Natural Areas;
- Assist in the development and coordination of grant proposals and reporting to funders;
- Assist with land management activities and ecological restoration activities as needed;
- Assist with Conservation Volunteer Events in all Natural Areas; and
- Other duties as assigned.

**Skills and Aptitudes**:

- University graduate from a Natural Sciences Program with a focus on biology, ecology, environmental studies or closely related field. College Diploma and Certificate combined with experience post graduation will be considered.
- Knowledge of vegetation community types; alvar, forest and wetland ecology and ability to monitor ecological health;
- Experience in designing, implementing, analyzing and reporting on the effectiveness of land management/stewardship activities;
- Experience in collecting, organizing and analyzing natural resource data;
- Experience in developing technical reports, grant proposals, monitoring protocols and presentations;
- Experience supporting active land management and ecological restoration (e.g. livestock grazing, prescribed fire, haying, invasive species control) through monitoring;
- Analytical and detailed oriented, creative, proactive thinker;
- Ability to work independently (with attention to detail), seek assistance and input as required, and to work on interdisciplinary teams;
- Experience managing, prioritizing and completing tasks independently and on schedule;
- Experience with project planning and management;
- Ability to take a project from back