The Wetlands Initiative seeks an Assistant Ecologist, who will play a central role in the small, collaborative team that carries out TWI’s ecological restoration projects.
This new full-time position with benefits will be based in our Chicago office and will provide project, research, and administrative support for our ecologists and site managers. This will be an excellent position for someone at the start of a career path in restoration ecology or a related field. The work will be carried out mostly during normal office hours and mostly at the Chicago office; some in-state travel and evening or weekend hours will be required. The Assistant Ecologist will report to TWI’s Senior Ecologist.
Founded in 1994, the Wetlands Initiative is dedicated to restoring the wetland resources of the Midwest to improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and reduce flood damage. The Wetlands Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Our vision is simple: Wetlands are more valuable wet than dry.
For years, many people believed that wetlands were more valuable dry than wet. In Illinois, more than 90% of the wetlands present 200 years ago are now drained, tiled, dammed, or leveed. With so much of the wetland landscape already lost in the Midwest, we focus on restoration of wetlands and their associated habitats, not simply preservation of remnants. Our work is guided by three primary questions:
- Since we’ll never be able to restore all the wetlands that have been lost, which projects will make the most difference?
- Which projects will advance the larger scientific field of restoration ecology?
- Is there a way to promote more restoration by harnessing the economic value of wetland services?
Salary range: $48,000 – 52,000
Apply by: December 20, 2016