University of California, Santa Cruz · 4 days ago
Younger Lagoon Reserve Research, Education, Outreach, and Restoration Senior Steward
Santa Cruz County, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$70K/yr - $85K/yrThe University of California, Santa Cruz is a distinguished public university known for its innovative and experimental spirit. The Senior Steward at the Younger Lagoon Reserve leads research, education, outreach, restoration, and stewardship activities, coordinating habitat restoration, conducting biological monitoring, and supporting field-based learning.
ArtEducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Leads, coordinates and performs on-the-ground native habitat restoration efforts including seed collection, propagation, weeding, planting, and irrigation
Documents activities and follows up in accordance with relevant policies and regulations
Drives University vehicle to pick up and deliver plants and supplies
Leads, coordinates and performs general land stewardship and maintenance activities including trail maintenance, invasive species removal, and vegetation control
Documents activities and follows up in accordance with relevant policies and regulations
Supports on-the-ground research, education, and outreach efforts such as class visits and for-credit internships
Leads and coordinates student interns, field assistants, volunteer work crews, and outreach tours
Drives University vehicle to transport students to and from field sites
Ensures instrumentation, infrastructure and required field research commodities and other materials support research goals
Leads, coordinates, and performs flora and fauna monitoring efforts
Procures, deploys, troubleshoots, and maintains sensors and equipment including trail counters, passive acoustic recorders, and camera traps
Assists with weather station maintenance
Identifies and obtains required approvals for wildlife monitoring efforts
Contacts regulatory agencies and maintains required permits (USFWS, CDFW, USGS, etc.)
Responsible for study documentation, logs, field data, and GIS database
Conducts background research for briefs and presentations
Provides research and writing support to grant proposals, meeting summaries and reports
Assists with assessing and monitoring policies and procedures for remote field sites and / or research studies
Evaluates and investigates opportunities for improvement
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in biological or environmental sciences with experience in conducting flora and fauna surveys and / or equivalent experience / training
Thorough knowledge of safety, legal, cultural and regulatory requirements relative to field research responsibility and the ability to train others
Extensive experience working in field-based projects that include habitat management, restoration, invasive species removal, seed collection, plant propagation, planting, etc
Extensive biological and environmental monitoring skills (transect/quadrat surveys, avian point counts, small mammal trapping, weather stations, passive acoustic recording, camera traps, etc.)
Experience with basic carpentry tasks and land management tools/activities (hammer, saw, screwdriver, power saw, shovel, rake, pulaski, mower, string trimmer, chainsaw, etc.)
Proficient with computers and mainstream business software and office equipment (Google suite, MSOffice, email, copiers etc.)
Experience with GPS and ArcGIS
Strong interpersonal communication skills to interact effectively with faculty, staff, students, agency personnel, and the public to represent the reserves accurately at campus and public meetings and to provide clear and concise scientific, technical, and general information in a variety of settings
Proven ability to work independently and with a team, and exercise good judgment and discretion when acting on behalf of the University
Ability to exercise flexibility, initiative, and attention to detail
Ability to direct contract workers, field assistants, and volunteers. Demonstrated experience leading/mentoring students (or groups) from diverse cultural and/or socioeconomic backgrounds
Proven ability to work in ambiguous conditions, use appropriate safety precautions, and take relevant responsible action as required
Preferred
Master's degree in biological or environmental sciences with experience in conducting flora and fauna surveys and / or equivalent experience / training
Experience with wetland delineation
Experience with songbird banding
Experience leading public tour groups
Experience operating heavy equipment such as a tractor
Bilingual in English and Spanish
Benefits
Full benefits
Company
University of California, Santa Cruz
UCSC opened in 1965 with 650 students. Forty-five years later, the campus is home to nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 1,500 graduate
Founded in 1965
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
University of California, Santa Cruz has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (34)
2024 (48)
2023 (52)
2022 (41)
2021 (46)
2020 (29)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$19.6MKey Investors
U.S. Department of AgricultureNational Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)James S. McDonnell Foundation
2023-06-21Grant· $10M
2023-01-10Grant· $0.15M
2022-02-24Grant· $0.25M
Leadership Team
Benedict Paten
Professor
Marco Rolandi
Jack Baskin Endowed Chair in Engineering
Recent News
News-Medical.Net
2025-11-24
2025-11-08
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