Parks​/Recreation Specialist - Horticulture​/Natural Resources

Overview

Parks seeks reliable and customer-focused individuals to join our team as part-time Parks/Recreation Specialist. This position may report to the Operations or Natural Resources Divisions to assist in maintaining Park Board-controlled properties. Duties may include general landscape/lawn care, forest restoration, and/or horticultural services. In this role, you will provide excellent customer service to park visitors, address inquiries, and ensure a positive experience for all patrons.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills, a friendly demeanor, and a passion for promoting a safe and enjoyable environment within our parks.

Part-time employees work up to 30 hours per week. Some positions may work weekends, holidays, and evenings.

• A Seasonal Horticulturalist (Operations and Green space)
• Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following items:

• Designs, installs, and maintains horticultural displays
• Communicates closely with community representatives to plan displays and inform them of progress
• Maintenance and duties include driving a city pickup truck with a large water tank and operating a gas-powered pump to water
• Fertilize, prune, deadhead, weed, replace soil as needed, divide plants, remove litter, and related tasks. Responsible for working with a horticultural technician to assist you with maintenance requirements
• Assist with all maintenance and planting tasks, including landscape bed preparation, mulching, weeding, pruning, planting various plant materials and removal, deadheading, trash pickup in beds, raking up debris, fertilizing and other chemical applications, and watering

• Wildlife Habitat and Forest Restoration

• Trail Management: inspection and maintenance of the trail system throughout the park system
• Invasive Plant Removal: using herbicide, a chain saw, weed whip, and/or machete to manage invasive shrubs, trees, and herbaceous plant materials
• Prairie & Meadow Management:
  Preparing and managing fields using herbicide and/or mechanical means; collecting native seed for propagation and use in new prairie installations
• Forest Management:
  Reforestation and landscape planting of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous understory material; monitoring for emerging invasive species and other possible management issues
• Ecological Research: creation, set up, monitoring, and reporting on research projects related to ongoing and/or future research projects, including data entry in MS Excel and ArcGIS Field Maps
• Volunteer Engagement:
  Serving as a site-leader for volunteer workdays on various land management and conservation-based projects related to the above

• All Part-time employees must:

• Urban Forestry Technicians
• Tree Care - help with brush chipping, roping down branches, and/or bucking up ground material, young tree pruning, watering, and fertilization
• Urban Forestry Management - Assist Urban Forestry Staff with tree inventories for the preparation of contracted preventive maintenance cycle; administrative work may include data entry in MS Excel and/or ArcGIS
• Tree inventory: work alongside one of Park’s certified arborists to collect tree data using Arc Collector
• Follow safety procedures, maintain a safe environment/facility for staff and visitors, and recognize potential environmental and situational hazards
• Provides general cleaning of park facilities and office areas
• Demonstrates good organizational and administrative skills. Contacts staff and volunteers working on special events (email or phone calls), prepares any paperwork needed, and provides event statistics for monthly reports
• Secures building and event facilities at the end of the workday and as needed during work hours
• Assists with developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with community groups and other partnership organizations during the special event
• Performs related duties as required

Must be eighteen (18) years of age, a high school graduate, and have a valid driver’s license.

• Courses in the natural sciences, education or related area
• Knowledge of local ecology, local…