CURRENT JOB OPENINGS
ASSISTANT GROUNDSKEEPER
The Clifton Institute is looking for a part-time Assistant Groundskeeper to help manage our beautiful 900 acre property to control non-native plants and benefit native plants and animals.
The duties will be diverse, including:
- bushhogging
- lawn mowing
- cutting brush with a chainsaw
- weedeating
- gardening
- assisting with ecological research projects
- other duties as assigned
Required skills: experience driving medium-sized tractors, operating hydraulic and three-point-hitch implements, confident with chainsaw operation, an interest in nature conservation, proficient in English.
Bonus skills: Mechanical expertise, basic carpentry, or experience with horticulture, invasive species control, prescribed fire, or wildlife conservation, would all be a plus, but none of these are required.
This position will pay $15 per hour and will be a maximum of two days per week. We will provide all equipment required for the job.
Must be authorized to work in the US.
To apply: Please send the following materials in an email to Bert Harris (bharris@cliftoninstitute.org)
• A 1-page cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications and why you are a good fit for this job
• A brief resume
Questions: Email any questions about this position to Bert Harris (bharris@cliftoninstitute.org).
BOTANICAL INTERN
A botanical intern position is available to study vascular plant diversity in remnant and restored grasslands in northern Virginia. Temperate grasslands are the world’s most endangered biome. Grasslands in the southeastern US are botanically rich, but most are small and isolated, and there is limited information available about how to restore them. Native grasslands in the northern Piedmont are especially poorly known. The seasonal botanist will work with Dr. Bert Harris (Clifton Institute), Dr. Leighton Reid (Restoration Ecology Lab at Virginia Tech), Dr. Amy Johnson (Virginia Working Landscapes), and Jordan Coscia (Virginia Working Landscapes). The botanical intern will be hired by the Clifton Institute and will live and work near Warrenton, Virginia. The successful applicant will learn about conservation, botany, and grassland restoration, under the supervision of Dr. Bert Harris, Executive Director of the Clifton Institute.
Time period
15 May – 15 August
Responsibilities: The botanical intern will be expected to:
• Assist botanists with surveying grassland plant communities across northern Virginia for 5 hours per day over 12 weeks
• Spend 3 hours per day entering data and assisting botanists to key out plant specimens
• Work with botanists, interns, and volunteers
Preferences: Preference will be given to applicants who:
• Have a proven record of doing challenging field work (e.g. very hot weather, working in thick brush)
• Demonstrate plant identification skills, especially with southeastern species
• Demonstrate a strong ability to work independently as well as with a team
• Demonstrate a strong work ethic, capacity for logistics, and time management skills
• Have a valid driver’s license
• Authorized to work in the United States
Benefits: The successful applicant may expect to receive:
• $1,200 per month
• Free housing at the Clifton Institute in Warrenton, Virginia
• Reimbursement for mileage driven on their personal vehicle for fieldwork ($0.58 per mile)
• Authorship on resulting publications as appropriate (https://tinyurl.com/rx6ebbh)
To apply: Please send the following materials in an email to Bert Harris (bharris@cliftoninstitute.org)
• A 1-page cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications and why you are a good fit for this job
• A brief resume
Questions: Email any questions about this position to Bert Harris (bharris@cliftoninstitute.org).
GRASSLAND BIRD CONSERVATION INTERN
We are seeking a skilled birdwatcher for a three-month internship at the Clifton Institute. Grassland birds are declining faster than those from any other biome in North America, and we need to improve our understanding of their habitat requirements so that we can reverse population declines. The primary duty of this position is to study American Kestrel foraging habitat. We will be tagging adult kestrels and studying the use of different kinds of grasslands as foraging habitat. We will also assess how habitat characteristics affect territory size and nesting success. In addition to the kestrel project, the intern will conduct occasional surveys of breeding birds in grasslands and shrublands on the Clifton Institute property. The successful applicant will learn about conservation, ornithology, and grassland restoration, under the supervision of Dr. Bert Harris, Executive Director of the Clifton Institute.
Time period
15 April – 15 July
Responsibilities: The intern will be expected to:
• Spend 6 hours per day for ten weeks (15 April – 1 July) tracking kestrel movements, sampling vegetation inside kestrel territories, conducting point count bird surveys, mapping grassland bird territories, and searching for nests
• Spend 2 hours per day for ten weeks (15 April – 1 July) entering data
• Spend two weeks (1 July – 15 July) writing a report on results of the kestrel project
• Work collaboratively with interns and volunteers
Preferences: Preference will be given to applicants who:
• Have a proven record of doing challenging field work (e.g. very hot weather, working in thick brush)
• Are able to identify all breeding birds of the northern Virginia Piedmont (https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2020&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-VA-061) by ear
• Have experience with scientific writing
• Have experience with hawk banding, GPS tags, point counts, nest searching, or spot mapping. None of these are required.
• Demonstrate a strong ability to work independently as well as with a team
• Demonstrate a strong work ethic, capacity for logistics, and time management skills
• Have a valid driver’s license
• Authorized to work in the United States
Benefits: The successful applicant may expect to receive:
• $1,200 per month
• Free housing at the Clifton Institute
• Reimbursement for mileage driven on their personal vehicle for fieldwork ($0.58 per mile)
• Authorship on resulting publications as appropriate (https://tinyurl.com/rx6ebbh)
To apply: Please send the following materials in an email to Bert Harris (bharris@cliftoninstitute.org)
• A 1-page cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications and why you are a good fit for this job
• A brief resume
Questions: Email any questions about this position to Bert Harris (bharris@cliftoninstitute.org).