Royal Botanical Gardens Hiring For Botany Student at Burlington, ON Full Time

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.

RBG has committed to becoming a fully sustainable and ecologically restorative organization. This is an integral part of our culture and we require all our employees to assist us with this goal by committing to make the best ecological decisions possible in the execution of their responsibilities, keeping in mind the possible effects these decisions may have on the human and natural environments both now, and into the future.

Botany Summer Students work closely with the Herbarium Intern and under the supervision of the Field Botanist and Herbarium Curator to 1) assist with vegetation and ecological inventories, 2) collect and process botanical specimens for RBG’s herbarium from both our natural lands and our gardens, 3) help with maintaining and organizing the herbarium and 4) assist with preparing and delivering plant-focused educational programs. Students will be expected to summarize and report on their 2020 work and perform other herbarium and field botany duties as required. This is an excellent opportunity for students who have already learned strong plant identification skills to put them into practice and strengthen them. Botany Students will learn about the curation and management of an important botanical collection.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Assist with field surveys of wild plants
• Collect data for research projects
• Collect and process herbarium specimens from RBG’s natural lands and gardens
• Identify fresh and pressed plant specimens
• Organize, enter and verify data
• Assist with mounting, repairing, digitizing and filing herbarium specimens
• Assist with integrated pest management in the herbarium
• Assist with delivering plant identification workshops and other programs
• Other duties as required

Required Skills:

• Very good knowledge of wild flora of southern Ontario, including woody, herbaceous and wetland plants
• Experience using taxonomic keys
• Familiarity with cultivated plants
• Understanding of botanical nomenclature
• Excellent organization skills and attention to detail, especially regarding field notes
• Good computer skills including experience with spreadsheets and record keeping
• Ability to work independently and in a team

Qualifications : In addition to above noted requirements, Students must be:

• A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act3; and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial/territorial guidelines
• Currently enrolled as a full-time student at a post-secondary institution and intending to return to full-time studies in the semester following this position

Closing date: March 27, 2022

Please submit applications to www.rbg.ca/careers by March 27, 2022, with a cover letter and résumé, saved as one pdf file, using the naming convention of your first then last name and position title (e.g. Jane Smith Herbarium Intern.pdf).

RBG is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fair and accessible employment practices. Upon request, suitable accommodations are available under the Accessibility for Ontarians Act.

We thank all applicants; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.