Pros
Sometimes working in beautiful areas. Employees are passionate about their cause and generally friendly. Great starter job for learning native plants and the fieldwork industry. Super cool opportunities: prescribed fire, solar conservation sites, several certifications, and ATV/tractor operating.
Cons
Benefits aren't great. Working in adverse weather gets rough: pouring rain or freezing temperatures rarely stops work. Inconsistent hours and generally low pay. May work 7-7 or 8-3:30 depending on the day. Gives a bad work-life balance, unless conservation work for little money or taking thorough after-work chemical contamination showers is a hobby of yours. Lack of communication from upper management. HR is a nightmare to deal with for anything and much of the administrative staff have recently quit. Wonder why. Have to fight for your legally required boot compensation. Deceptive hiring: spring start is posted for a higher salary range than summer start, despite the jobs being exactly the same. Incompetent people make more than hard workers because of their hiring date and the company's refusal to take disciplinary action or dock pay... that is until the right person complains about that worker. No raise from technician 1 to 2 advancement. Very little to no professional advancement in general. On the ground managers choose favorites and control your advancement opportunities: including experiences needed for pay raises. Peer pressure from coworkers to not take proper lunch breaks and just eat between sites: since management can't legally tell you not to take lunch. Unpaid lunch if you're lucky enough to get one, despite also not getting the two required 15 minute paid breaks throughout the day. Upper management claims travel counts as a break, but one is driving while the other does time-sensitive paperwork: still working, just sitting. Managing herbicides with little safeguards - typically lots of direct contact even with provided PPE due to older equipment. If you aren't in your physical prime, you will be treated poorly for extra effort needed to keep up with younger or more experienced employees. Heavy lifting, ability to work in adverse weather, and hiking or backpacking experience is not enough: they expect ridiculous speed, thoroughness, and accuracy, regardless of prior experience and on-site hazards, including cliff-like inclines, trip hazards, and equipment issues. Employee effort is acknowledged as a group, but there's a lot of individual ridicule and scrutiny, and managers won't have conversations about where you're lacking. You'll just be gossiped about between management and workers. No professional discretion here! If you complain about any of this, you get further alienated or see agreeance with no change. Would not recommend for more than a summer job.