The Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s Department of Ecological Research, Stewardship and Restoration seeks two Seasonal Botany/Ecology Field Assistants to conduct ecological field work and stewardship activities for the 2026 field season. Successful applicants will primarily focus on fieldwork including vegetation community composition sampling in grasslands, forests, shrublands, and wetlands, rare plant inventories, and invasive species monitoring and management, and native plant propagation projects. The selected Field Assistants will participate in office work including data entry, data quality control, and brief data summarization and reporting as needed. They will also participate in public outreach and education and support the organization’s special events as needed as part of our non-profit team. For more information on NCF’s mission and current research projects, please see the Foundation’s website www.nantucketconservation.org.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Quickly develop a working knowledge of plant species at project sites;
• Monitor vegetation communities for research and management projects using various sampling methods: percent cover, line intercept, species counts, presence/absence, etc., in various habitats including grasslands, forests, shrublands, salt marshes, and wetlands;
• Participate in restoration projects such as: native seed collection, greenhouse propagation and out-planting, native demonstration garden weeding, planting and care;
• Participate in rare plant species monitoring and mapping for submission to the MA Natural Heritage Program;
• Monitor and document invasive plant species and participate in staff and weekly volunteer manual invasive management activities;
• Perform data entry and quality control;
• Occasionally participate in environmental education/interpretive events, assist with tasks related to development/fundraising activities, and non-Botany Ecology Department projects as needed.

Required Qualifications: B.S. or B.A. in Ecology, Plant Biology, Botany, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Science, or a related biological/ecological field. Strong plant identification skills and an interest in ecological monitoring and hands-on management; ideally with past plant taxonomy/systematics coursework. One full season of fieldwork experience required. Experience in vegetation community monitoring techniques and ecological field data collection. Experience using GPS units (or phone-based GPS program, such as Field Maps/ArcCollector) in the field. Experience using Microsoft Excel for data entry. Interest in invasive species management and willingness to participate in manual aspects of herbicide management projects. Strong observational, critical thinking, and organizational skills are essential, as is the ability to accurately collect data and record field notes. Individuals must be able to work both independently and as a member of a team. Candidate must have a valid driver’s license, solid driving experience, and be comfortable driving a pickup truck or SUV during work hours.

Desired Qualifications:  Familiarity with the flora of the northeastern United States.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: This is a field work intensive position, and applicants must be able to tolerate adverse field conditions. Field work includes the possibility for inclement weather and variable terrain, poison ivy and biting insects (mosquitoes, ticks). Nantucket is an area with a high incidence of tick-borne disease so precautions to minimize risk are encouraged. The work involves hiking, standing, bending, kneeling, digging, and hauling field gear on a routine basis. While field assistants will not be applying or working directly with herbicide, they may be working in the vicinity of licensed applicators.

Dates/Hours: This is a full-time, temporary and seasonal position ideally beginning in Mid-May or early June and ending in late- October; exact dates are somewhat flexible. Hours are 40 hours a week with exact daily schedule variable depending on particular projects: early-morning and late-night field work may be required depending on project, weather, tides, etc. Occasional weekend work will be required for certain field projects and non-profit special events.