Job Type: full-time temporary position
Opportunity location:
Closing date (if specified): 30 Oct 2010
Opportunity Description:
Background:
With the passing of the Green Energy Act Ontario has allowed developers to enter the province and construct green energy projects such as Wind and Solar Farms. Traditionally, these projects have been on private and public lands. More recently, aboriginal communities have become more attractive to developers. This project will focus on the consulting process required to set up and perform environmental consulting work on areas targeted for green energy projects, largely within aboriginal communities. This opportunity was created to tackle the shortage in the environmental industry of well qualified candidates to perform environmental consulting work on upcoming projects.
Requirement:
To assist with the completion of the following tasks while performing environmental consulting work;
1. Ecological Land Classifications (ELC)
2. Vegetation surveys - vascular plants
3. Bird surveys
4. Environmental Assessments
Period of Contract:
mid to late May to November, 2011, possibly with an extension into 2012.
Basis of Payment:
This opportunity being awarded in a format to meet the requirements of the environmental industry and the changes reflected by the incorporation of the Green Energy Act into the environmental planning and consulting process. It is intended to provide people who are experiencing difficulties with finding and maintaining employment in the environmental industry with professional skill upgrades so that they may qualify for employment. Please note, if you lack any of these required certifications you must be willing to upgrade and pay for these courses at your own expense. Candidates who state this in their cover letters will be given preference. Once an internship has been awarded payment is based on qualifications + how many required certifications the candidate possesses. Successful candidates who possess all the requirements may receive a wage of between $12 to $25/hr, depending on experience.
Qualifications:
Please do not apply unless you meet the following criteria;
1. You possess a post graduate degree/diploma from a recognized college/university
2. If you lack the required 3 – 5 years of practical working knowledge field experience you must state in your cover letter that you are willing to enroll in the 3, 6, 9, 12 month or 2 year EARTHQUEST international Field Biology Training Program to make up for this lack of required experience
3. You wish to work in terrestrial ecology
4. You are facing difficulties finding work in the environmental industry and willing to work and go to school, if necessary, on paid internship opportunities, but you must pay for any required certifications or professional skill upgrades before gaining acceptance on any paid internship opportunities.
All applicants who do not meet the qualification criteria must be willing to enroll, close to graduation or graduated from the EARTHQUEST International Field Biology Training Program, preference given to full time 6, 9 and 12 month students who must also possess the following attributes and skill sets;
i. Excellent organizational, report writing, communication and interpersonal skills
ii. Valid Ontario “G” class license
iii. Familiarity with terrestrial plant identification to the 75% accuracy range for the Carolinian and Mixed Deciduous forest regions of Ontario
iv. Familiarity and experience with the EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario ACCESS database and ability to enter flowering date records of all vascular plants (ie. trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns and club mosses) encountered within the Carolinian and Mixed Deciduous forest regions of Ontario
v. Experience or an interest in collecting voucher specimens and cataloguing
vi. Experience with utilizing cameras (digital or SLR) to photograph flora
vii. Experience with Arcview 9.3 (ArcMap and ArcCatalogue platforms) or GIS certification
viii. ELC certification
ix. Environmental Assessment certification
x. Excellent proficiency in ACCESS database management
xi. Familiarity with aboriginal First Nations/Metis environmental issues and rights
EARTHQUEST FBT Certifications or recommended or needed to apply (Candidates with 3 – 5 years of practical experience may also apply)
• Level 1 FBT terrestrial plants – families
• Level 2 FBT terrestrial plants – genera
• Level 3 FBT SAR plants of Ontario – species
• GIS
• ACCESS
• ELC
• Environmental Assessments
Please see following links on our website for more details (most of these courses can be completed within 5 days);
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/Plantcourses.htm
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/FBTCourses.htm
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/Grasssedgerushcourse.htm
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/InternationalFBTProgramcoursedescriptions.pdf
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/GIScourse.htm
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/SARPlantcourse.htm
http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/EAcourse.htm
Statement of Work:
i. Work independently in the field (as part of a larger project team) to assist with the completion of environmental consulting & field inventories/surveys. Surveys will require movement throughout terrestrial or aquatic/wetland sites
ii. Interns will contribute toward the completion of a total plant species list for each county where work is performed.
iii. Hours of work will be part to full time, during the day in accordance with EARTHQUEST protocol requirements (ie. Mondays, Tuesdays, or other days specified by the Project Coordinator).
Deliverables:
i. Verbal or email reporting on a biweekly basis
ii. Submission of flowering date records for all vascular plants encountered while on surveys, particularly for counties not well surveyed or covered on a weekly basis to the Project Coordinator for EARTHQUEST in the format of EXCEL spreedsheets or ACCESS database tables which are compatiable with EARTHQUEST.
iii. Original field data/survey sheets completed and submitted to the Project Coordinator for EARTHQUEST
iv. A summary report of findings, discoveries, significant observations to be submitted to the Project Coordinator for EARTHQUEST within two business days (48 hours) of completing field surveys via email
v. Submission of properly catalogued plant voucher specimens
vi. Submission of edited photographs of plants
vii. Submission of rarity reports for all S1 – S3 ranked vascular plants along with GPS coordinates in UTM (eastings and northings and latitude/longitude)
viii. Submission of all ELC data cards
ix. Submission of well written report which incorporates ELC findings and GIS work
x. Search of Ontario Species at risk (SAR) flora and fauna, with concentration on vascular plants
xi. Submission of well constructed GIS maps with attribute data attached for final reports
Wages:
Any wages based on vegetation surveys will have the following floral inventory rates and are set at the following pay schedule;
i. $12 – 15/hr Floral inventory rate of 10 – 20%
ii. $15 – 18/hr Floral inventory rate of 20 – 30%
iii. $18 – 21/hr Floral inventory rate of 30 – 50%
iv. $21 – 25/hr Floral inventory rate > 50%
If hired for a full Junior Terrestrial Ecologist position (ie. 3 – 5 years of solid environmental consulting work in terrestrial ecology) candidates may be hired at a starting wage of $30/hr.
For more info, contact:
The length of this internship is not known at this time, but candidates may be short listed for longer term positions if they do well on this internship and submit all required documentation in a timely and organized manner. Qualified candidates are invited to submit a cover letter, copy of their degree/diploma + transcript, plant species list of all trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns and club mosses observed and resume detailing how their skills match the qualifications stated herein no later than 5 pm on October 30th to the attention of;
Mr. Dave Jolly, B.Sc.,
Project Coordinator
Green Energy Projects
Email: earthquestcanada@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.earthquestcanada.ca