Do you love nature and enjoy sharing your passion with people of all ages?
Are you comfortable talking in front of a group of 10-20 people?
Do you enjoy engaging with children in an outdoor learning experience?
Greenheart is seeking part time, seasonal Naturalist Guides for our TreeWalk in the UBC Botanical garden.
Objective
We are currently building our team of TreeWalk Naturalist Guides for the upcoming season (April to October – with an emphasis on mid-May, June, July and August). Our aim is to have a group of 4-6 enthusiastic people who are passionate about trees, forests and nature, and also enjoy communicating their passion to a wide diversity of audiences especially children. We are seeking people whose overall goal is to introduce and educate people as to the beauty and value of our natural environment. We welcome people with specialized knowledge and/or skills to help expand our ability to deliver outstanding educational and creative programming to our visitors.
Responsibilities
The Naturalist Guides are the critical connection between visitors and our TreeWalk adventure; they can make the difference between an ok experience and an amazing experience for the visitor to the TreeWalk.
The primary role of the naturalist is to deliver the nature and place-based educational tours through the TreeWalk for groups of all ages. Tours come in the form of pre-booked groups and 3x daily drop-in tours. The pre-booked tours are often done in tandem with Botanical garden tours.
TreeWalk entrance tasks include greeting and discussing with all visitors, ensuring that safety rules are understood, setting up and maintaining interesting nature displays on the interpretive table, and creating ideas for new educational offerings. TreeWalk general tasks include twice daily walk-throughs to ensure there are no safety hazards on the system, walk-around of understorey ground to observe nature details of the area (e.g. plant growth, signs of animals, etc.) and to pick up garbage.
Naturalists are expected to spend ‘slow’ periods learning more about the forest ecosystem so as to enhance their own guided tours. They are also expected to learn about the garden so that when they interact with garden visitors, they can provide helpful information and appropriate suggestions of places to visit in the garden.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
We are looking for candidates that:
Have deep passion for nature and nature education
Possess desire and ability to transmit enthusiasm about nature to others
Enjoys connecting with children in a fun and creative manner
Have ability to identify and describe points of interest to groups in a way that will hold their interest
Be knowledgeable about tree identification, forest ecosystems and indigenous peoples’ uses of the plants in this ecosystem
Have aptitude for thinking creatively and being resourceful when encountering unexpected situations
Have ability to work independently, sometimes for extended periods (“slow” visitor periods)
Comfortable with working independently
Take pleasure in helping visitors to the best possible experience
Have a keen interest in furthering their own current knowledge of plants and animals
Education and Experience
The ideal Naturalist Guide candidate will have or be studying towards a degree in Natural Resource Conservation, Urban Forestry or Forest Sciences, Sciences or Science Education, or another related field. The candidate will also have experience working with groups of children preferably in an outdoor setting. Particular consideration will be given to candidates who possess specialized knowledge and/or skills in a unique area of study within the broad scope of nature education (e.g. bird identification).
These positions are particularly suitable for somebody who is taking spring or summer courses, or has another part time position.
Standard First Aid and CPR Certificate prior to commencement.
About the Company & the TreeWalk
Founded in Vancouver in 2002, the Greenheart Canopy Walkway Company Ltd. is a private conservation company that is dedicated to the promotion and protection of nature around the world through development of nature-based, eco-tourism adventure activities that produce revenue from the protected forest areas in which they are located at the same time as providing local employment.
Greenheart Canopy Walkway Company Ltd. built, maintains and operates the Greenheart TreeWalk nestled deep within the primarily natural coastal temperate forest vegetation at the far southern end of the David Lam Asian garden within the UBC Botanical garden. It is a system of suspended bridges and platforms with a remarkable engineering design that allows them to be hung from the trees without the use of invasive devices which could cause permanent damage to the trees and delicate surrounding ecosystem. This aerial trail system offers a unique perspective on the forest area and an excellent place from which our Naturalist Guides can deliver the educational program that builds new understanding and appreciation for the forest environment.
Interested?
Please forward your cover letter and resume to Laura Cottle (laura@greenheart.com), Manager of Operations at the Greenheart TreeWalk in the UBC Botanical garden, by April 18, 2019.