Pardon the bulletin board nature of this post. I did include a couple prairie photos from yesterday to compensate you for suffering through a couple announcements that will be irrelevant to most of you. If you’re not looking for either a job or a grant (and you don’t know anyone else who might be) you can just scroll down to the photos. However, I’d sure appreciate you forwarding this to anyone who might be interested in either the job(s) or grant.

The Job:

I mentioned this job in an earlier post, but we’ve just extended the deadline to apply for our Science and Stewardship Technician position at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies. It’s a seven-month position, but includes housing and full benefits (including health insurance). The technician will be housed at the Platte River Prairies south of Wood River, Nebraska, but will spend much of their time at the Niobrara Valley Preserve as well. The job runs from April 24 – December 1, 2023.

The Science and Stewarsdship technician will assist me with several field research projects this year. They will also work on grassland stewardship and restoration projects, including invasive species control, seed harvest, prescribed fire (weather permitting), and basic preserve infrastructure work. Read the full job description and learn how to apply by going to nature.org/careers. Click on ‘current job opportunities’ and then search for ‘Nebraska’ to find this and other open positions. The deadline for application is January 27, 2023.

While you’re there, check out the other jobs available at TNC Nebraska, including a seasonal prescribed fire technician position at the Niobrara Valley Preserve, an agricultural projects lead, and a finance director position. We’ve got a lot going on right now!

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The Grant:

The second piece of news is that we’re still accepting proposals for our J.E. Weaver grant program. The program awards $1,500 grants to graduate students working on research related to conservation needs in the Great Plains of North America. It’s an easy application to fill out and money will be awarded in early April of this year. Applications are due March 3, 2023. Information can be found here.

Prairie Stuff:

I took a long walk yesterday at Lincoln Creek Prairie, here in Aurora. The high thin clouds overhead created beautiful diffused light, making photography really enjoyable. I spent most of my time admiring seed heads in the prairie and ice bubbles along the creek. Today’s post includes three of the seed head photos I came home with.