Citizen Science Job Opportunity
The Hornby Island Natural History Centre is excited to offer a new job opportunity. The Citizen Science Coordinator will lead the implementation of a community-based coastal monitoring project funded through MEOPAR’s Community-Led Research Program (Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response). This position supports the delivery of a citizen monitoring initiative focused on establishing baseline data on key seaweed species on Hornby Island , integrating scientific protocols, community engagement, and place-based education. The program will build upon existing relationships with and seek guidance from local Indigenous elders, guardians, and educators on topics such as cultural protocols and traditional marine use to ensure future research is done appropriately.
British Columbia is home to over 600 species of seaweeds, but how this diversity is distributed at a local level is poorly understood (e.g. there is no comprehensive or even easily-accessible checklist of seaweed species for Hornby Island). We do know that Hornby Island, at the centre of the inner Salish Sea, is experiencing some of the greatest local ocean warming in B.C, alongside other drivers of marine biodiversity loss. At the same time, B.C. Island communities bring a spirited commitment to environmental stewardship. Hornby Island has a track record of community-led conservation such as hosting marine research projects like the Kelp Rescue initiative and the Hakai Institute’s Sentinels of Change program, and this Citizen Science Leader role will add to that knowledge base.
The Citizen Science Coordinator will train and empower the community to contribute new knowledge about Hornby Island seaweed biodiversity in the form of biodiversity records added to the iNaturalist citizen science platform and pressed seaweed specimens contributed to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Both the iNaturalist and Beaty Museum databases are available and accessed by scientists, educators and the general public.
Please see the complete job description here.
