Ecological Monitoring Technician

Job title: Ecological Monitoring Technician

Reports to: Meaghan Fortune, Ecological Monitoring Program Manager

Job location: 90 Esplanade, Sydney, NS, B1P 1A1

Wage: $19.00 / hour

Hours: 35 hours per week (15-week internship)

Number of Positions: 1

Equity Hiring:   

Clean is committed to Employment Equity. Our goal is to be inclusive of a diverse workforce that is reflected at all job levels. The Clean Leadership Program welcomes candidates from diverse equity groups to apply and encourage you to self-identify on our registration form.  

About the Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program 

The Clean Leadership Summer Internship program helps grow the clean economy by matching interns (age 15-30) with employers for 9- and 15-week summer work placements. Participating interns will receive paid hands-on experience, mentorship opportunities, take part in a professional development conference and training, while supporting local environmental projects. 

Program Requirements
● Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, person who has been granted refugee
status in Canada or legally entitled to work in Canada
● Must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of internship
● From and/or will be residing in Nova Scotia for the duration of the internship
● Must not be an immediate family member of host employer

About the host employer
ACAP Cape Breton was founded in 1992 and it has been our mission to support resilient, environmentally sustainable communities across Unama’ki – Cape Breton ever since. ACAP’s work in habitat restoration and ecological monitoring encompasses source watershed research, species at risk monitoring, stream habitat restoration, and revegetation of riparian zones and afforestation. We provide hands-on learning opportunities for students from elementary through post-secondary by inviting the community to our sites to take part in ecosystem restoration and monitoring. Our office is at 90 Esplanade, Sydney, Cape Breton.

Summary of position
The host employer for this Summer Internship position through the Clean Leadership program will be ACAP Cape Breton. In this position, you will be mainly responsible for ecological monitoring activities, specifically our species at risk pollinator monitoring, under the supervision of the Ecological Monitoring Program Manager. This position involves significant opportunities for applied professional learning, and we anticipate that the intern will take on progressively more responsibility throughout the season. The successful candidate needs to have a high degree of safety consciousness, ability to work outdoors for extended periods, integrity with respect to data collection, strong teamwork and leadership skills, and be comfortable working with insects.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Ecological Monitoring Technician will work primarily outdoors in forests, meadows, and farmlands (terrestrial environments). The selected candidate will monitor species-at-risk pollinators by completing bumble bee and monarch field surveys alongside the Ecological Monitoring Team. The Ecological Monitoring Team members must hike into our field sites and spend extended periods outdoors, rain or shine. During the summer field season, you will gain hands-on experience in assessing terrestrial habitats, identifying pollinating insects and understanding their life cycles, behaviors, and threats, identifying plant species that are important for pollinators, navigating to remote areas using GPS, using ArcGIS Field Maps for
pollinator surveys, mapping site locations using ArcGIS Online, participating in educational and outreach events to share information about pollinating insects. Throughout the summer, there will be an opportunity for the selected candidate to join in other monitoring activities, including frog monitoring, source water protection monitoring, and various aquatic monitoring activities.

Requirements/Qualifications
● Have an aptitude for safe work practices and the ability to multi-task in a busy work environment
● Be able to work productively as part of a team while responding to feedback
● Demonstrated interest in future employment in the environmental or clean sector is considered an asset
● Knowledge of ecological principles or other environmental and outdoor skills
● Ability to work outdoors for extended periods of time
● Comfortable working with insects
● Adhering to weather appropriate dress, and following directions from team leads
● Willingness to take direction and learn from feedback
● Experience using a GPS, or willingness to learn
● Willingness to learn supervisory skills and oversee field monitoring and restoration tasks
● Time management
● Solid judgment
● Commitment to ecological learning
● Ability to work as a member of a team

Working Conditions
● Working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions for extended periods (up to 7 hour days)
● Working in rural/semi-remote settings

Physical Requirements
This is a physically demanding job requiring moderate physical exertion for up to 7 hours/day. Physical requirements include walking/hiking (5km – 10km a day max) and carrying field equipment.