What are the responsibilities and job description for the Plant Collections Apprenticeship position at Mount Auburn Cemetery?
ORGANIZATION :
Mount Auburn Cemetery comprises 175 acres and is situated in Watertown and Cambridge near Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1831, and now visited by over 200,000 people each year, Mount Auburn is a National Historic Landmark, recognized as the first “rural cemetery” and the inspiration for the American Parks Movement during the 19th century. As an active cemetery, Mount Auburn inspires all who visit, comforts the bereaved, and commemorates the dead in a landscape of exceptional beauty. As an accredited arboretum, Mount Auburn features 5,000 trees and more than 20,000 plants overall.
POSITION SUMMARY :
The Plant Collections Department manages the mapping, labelling, and general record keeping of over 19,500 plants / massed plantings. We use BG-BASE as our botanical garden database and ESRI ArcGIS software to manage our maps. The position will provide an opportunity to engage in botanic garden collections management, primarily focusing on helping to complete field-check verifications of the collections and compiling data to maximize the information that will be available to the public through the Flora Mount Auburn app. Training will be offered and experience will be gained in tracking plant acquisitions data, labeling the collections, conducting field-checks and taxonomic verifications, and using GPS equipment with digital mapping software. The apprenticeship will be offered as a single 9-month term.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :
Under the supervision of the Plant Records Manager, the apprentice will gain experience working with a wide range of plants and an understanding of how technology can be used to support stewardship of an historic landscape with an active horticulture program. The work includes the use of BG-Base and ESRI mapping software to track specimens in the plant collections. It also includes work in the field to check living plant specimens against the database, including photographing specimens and tracking data. The work will mostly be completed outdoors. Indoor work will include data entry, digital mapping, plant label production and light photo editing. Some on-the-job training will be included.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS :
- Knowledge of the basics of botanical identification and nomenclature with a background in horticulture or landscape design.
- Familiarity with the temperate flora (USDA Zone 5-6) of eastern North America and Asia.
- Knowledge of botanical GIS, with some experience using ESRI software and the ability to use maps to locate plants in the field.
- Ability to shoot botanical reference photos of the plant species in our collection.
- Ability to conduct light digital editing and resizing of photos as needed.
- Ability to stay organized and communicate successfully with staff, visitors and the general public.
- Valid driver’s license
REQUIRED PHYSICAL DEMANDS :
