Botanic Gardens- Temporary Agricultural Worker- CALS

Cornell Botanic Gardens is a living plant museum comprising over 3,800 acres of University land in three major areas: the Botanical Gardens, Arboretum, and Natural Areas. An administrative unit of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Cornell Botanic Gardens manages and protects these areas to support teaching and research at Cornell University; to preserve habitats and rare/endangered plants; and for public use for learning and recreation.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, hard-working horticulture staff member to join our botanic gardens team this summer. This position is benefits eligible, full time (39 hours per week) for seven months from April 24 - Nov. 30, and the pay rate is $23.44/hour. This team member will assist with the care of gardens throughout Cornell Botanic Gardens program areas, especially the high-visibility entrance gardens near the Nevin Welcome Center, with direction provided by the horticultural staff. This is a great opportunity to work outside with people and plants, and to be a part of achieving our organization's vision: a world in which the interdependence of biological and cultural diversity is respected, sustained, and celebrated.

Responsibilities will include:

• Collaborate with horticulture staff to maintain gardens, grounds, specimens, and trails ensuring Cornell Botanic Gardens' high aesthetic standards are met by tasks such as planting, dividing, weeding, watering, mowing, fertilizing, mulching, edging, pruning, laying down chips on paths and benches, etc.
• Amend or top dress soil to provide recommended growing conditions.
• Prune woody and herbaceous plants to improve health or achieve desired growth habit, with guidance. Assist arborists with ground-access tree care and other tasks.
• Occasionally assist IPM coordinator with scouting and pest control strategies in keeping with our integrated pest management strategies.
• Occasionally assist arborists with tree removals, planting, and establishment care.
• Use appropriate hand tools to clear brush and invasive plants as needed to open sites for new plantings.
• Check both plant identification and interpretive labels and notify plant records manager of any missing tags. Complete status change documentation recording plant movements into and out of the specified collections, as well as reason(s) for plant loss and failure.
• Safely operate small-scale power equipment such as UTV's, string trimmers, hand mowers, mini trucks, roto-tillers, etc.
• Other gardening related duties as needed.
• Work alongside students, volunteers, and botanic gardens staff, and appropriately represent the botanic gardens during interactions with visitors, classes, alumni, and other audience members on a regular basis.
• Attend meetings, keep up to date with Outlook calendars for scheduling, and reply to emails in a timely manner.

Required Qualifications

• High school degree and a minimum of 6 months experience working in a landscape maintenance environment and working with living plants, or a related set of experiences and education.
• Requires physical fitness, must be able to lift heavy objects, and move more than 50 pounds.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license and receive university approval for operating vehicles.
• Ability and willingness to safely operate light-duty power equipment and vehicles such as roto-tillers, string trimmers, hedge trimmer, leaf blowers, UTVs, and mini trucks.
• Ability to identify and care for a diverse variety of herbaceous perennial and woody plants, and familiarity with the common weeds present in our region. Must be personable, flexible, and take pride in their work.
• Ability to work in a team environment and develop effective working relationships and communications with a variety of constituents such as fellow staff, students, visitors, coworkers, supervisors and faculty.
• Must be willing to work under varying climatic conditions (heat, precipitation, etc.) and have the ability and willingness to work in an environment that utilizes pesticides as a plant management tool.
• May be required to report to work outside of the regularly scheduled shift to address time-sensitive operational needs, or to assist with departmental emergencies, or to deal with issues of public safety.

Preferred Qualifications

• In addition to the required qualifications, an Associate's or Bachelor's degree in horticulture, plant science, or a related field is desirable; two or more years of experience working in plant or landscape care.

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