Education & Outreach Coordinator – Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council – Dexter, OR

Education & Outreach Coordinator

Position Description

Position Title: Education & Outreach Coordinator

Reports to: Executive Director

Status: Full-time, exempt employee

Work Location: MFWWC Office (Elijah Bristow State Park, Dexter OR)

Compensation: $38,000 + benefits, DOE

General Position Description

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council seeks a qualified individual to serve

as our Education & Outreach Coordinator (E&OC). The E&OC manages and

provides leadership for our successful Watershed Education Program, Watershed

Rangers, and develops and implements an outreach program to promote

awareness, communication, education, learning, and participation among all people

and interests within the watershed. This is a full-time salaried position that reports

to the Executive Director.

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed and Council

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed (MFWW) is located southeast of Eugene-

Springfield and is a fourth-field watershed comprised of approximately 870,000

acres. The Middle Fork Willamette River provides the cities of Oakridge, Lowell, and

Springfield with quality drinking water and at the confluence with the Coast Fork,

forms the headwaters of the Willamette River. The MFWW supports healthy

populations of aquatic and terrestrial species, including populations of bull trout,

Oregon chub, spring Chinook, winter steelhead, trout, northern red-legged frogs,

western pond turtles, bald eagles, migratory and song birds and native and rare

plants. The MFWW contains rich and diverse ecosystems with significant

opportunity to protect, restore and enhance species viability and habitat for now

and future generations.

The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (MFWWC) is 501c3 non-profit

organization with a volunteer-based partnership of diverse watershed stakeholders

that focus on promoting sustainability and making the Middle Fork Willamette

Watershed a better place to live, work, and visit; for now and future generations. We

work together as a community to restore and sustain the ecological integrity and

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economic viability of the Watershed. Public land accounts for approximately 70% of

the watershed area and the remaining private lands are located in the lower

watershed (communities of Fall Creek, Little Fall Creek, Jasper, Lowell, Dexter, Lost

Creek and Pleasant Hill). Working with private landowners within these communities

is the focus of the MFWWC while also working closely with the US Forest Service and

partner agencies to improve watershed health on public land in the upper watershed.

For more information, please visit our website at www.mfwwc.org

Education & Outreach Program Background

The MFWWC Education & Outreach Committee established a Watershed Education

Program in 2006 and launched the Watershed Rangers (WR) project in 2007. The

WR Project is a place-based education program for elementary school students and

teachers in grades 3 through 6. The goal of the project is to increase student

awareness of the rich environments and natural resources of the local area. The

E&OC works closely with the Committee and teachers to plan classroom lessons,

guest speakers, field trips and service learning projects throughout the school year.

In the last academic year, we served 475 students in the communities of Oakridge,

Lowell and Pleasant Hill.

MFWWC outreach is focused on the social, ecological and economic stability of the

communities within the Middle Fork Willamette watershed. The program will

support the Council’s mission to have clean water, floodplain connectivity, aquatic

and terrestrial habitat, as well as viable economies with working landscapes that

support local residents and businesses. The E&OC will work with the Executive

Director, Committee and staff to develop and implement activities in support of

these program goals.

Position Description: Duties and Responsibilities

The E&OC will be responsible for managing the projects in support of our Education

& Outreach Program. The position will involve working with elementary, junior

high, and high school students and teachers, local businesses and private

landowners. The E&OC works with the Executive Director to design and produce

outreach campaigns, materials, workshops, meetings to promote watershed

enhancement and increase public awareness for Council activities and goals. E&OC

will lead outreach efforts to landowners, provide information on watershed issues,

establish relationships, and write successful grants for additional projects and

continued funding for this position.

Education Program Goals & Objectives

• Create a positive connection between youth and residents and the

environment in which they live, specifically the Middle Fork Willamette

Watershed;

• Provide classroom and field-based opportunities that build students’

awareness of and appreciation for watershed ecosystems, specifically the

Middle Fork Willamette Watershed;

• Provide students with the knowledge, skills, and capacity that will equip them

to become good watershed stewards;

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• Establish watershed education as a standard component of the curriculum for

schools in the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed;

• Encourage inquiry into and exploration of ‘my watershed’ and its natural

resources;

• Involve local agencies, partners, and community members in watershed

education.

• Provide local schools with the curriculum, materials, staff support needed to

offer watershed education to their students;

• Provide training opportunities and assistance to teachers regarding use of the

Watershed Rangers curriculum and other aspects of watershed education;

• Provide a watershed education curriculum that includes the restoration

priorities for the Middle Fork Willamette watershed, meets State of Oregon

benchmarks, and generally helps teachers achieve their academic goals for

the class;

• Provide schools with no-cost classroom and field-based opportunities; and

• Reinforce classroom-based learning with outdoor activities such as field trips

and participation in service-learning projects.

Outreach Program Goals & Objectives

• Increase community and landowners’ involvement and participation in

MFWWC activities and restoration projects through targeted outreach

campaigns and volunteer opportunities;

• Advocate for healthy riparian habitat, floodplain connectivity, habitat

protection and enhancement through outreach to landowners and public

events;

• Raise awareness for the connection between lottery funds and watershed

restoration;

• Plan and coordinate bi-monthly public meetings;

• Website: Manage and keep current Council Website;

• Assist in building and maintaining volunteer base for organization;

• Publications: preparation and distribution of publications, including flyers,

pamphlets, bi-monthly newsletter and reports;

• Follows and supports MFWWC policies and procedures.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has a passion for the natural environment, instructing youth

and adults, promoting clean water and habitats and working with diverse

perspectives. He/she is detail-oriented, organized, and has the ability to work well

as a team member and independently.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

• Experience working with school-age children, teachers and environmental

education;

• Experience planning and leading events and projects;

• Excellent leadership, communication, and networking skills. People skills are

essential;

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Adobe programs InDesign and Acrobat

(Illustrator and Photoshop a plus) and other related databases;

• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation;

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• A bachelor’s degree in a natural resources-related field and three years of

relevant work experience

• Successful track record in securing grant funds;

Desired Qualification Requirements:

• Understanding and working across cultural differences;

• Experience or willingness to learn website management using Dreamweaver;

• Knowledge of natural resource management practices

• Designing and facilitating public involvement efforts

• Coordinating volunteers and committees

• Familiarity with natural resources of the Willamette Valley (i.e. plants,

wildlife)

Work Environment

Work will take place at the MFWWC office (Elijah Bristow State Park, Dexter, OR)

and throughout the 870,000 acre watershed, particularly areas of Oakridge, Lowell

and Pleasant Hill. A valid Oregon driver’s license is required and the use of a

reliable personal vehicle at any time for transportation to project and meeting sites.

Mileage from and to the office for business-related trips is reimbursed at the State

of Oregon rate.

The MFWWC staff, independent contractors, partners and board of directors are a

highly-functioning team. We seek to add a qualified E&OC to our team who shares

our interest in enhancing and protecting the ecological integrity and economic

stability of the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed for now and future generations.

Compensation

This is full-time, exempt, position. Full-time is considered 40 hours per week.

Compensation is $38,000 plus a competitive benefits package. Opportunity for

professional advancement is available with this position.

Application Instructions

To apply for this position, submit all of the following:

• A cover letter;

• Curriculum Vitae or Resume;

• A writing sample of no more than 3 pages (e.g. grant proposal or technical

report); and

• Contact information for three professional references

Application packet must be received by:

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 by 5:00 pm. No late submissions will be accepted.

Review of applications will occur on August 31, 2011. Interviews will occur by

September 13, 2011. Preference will be given to candidates who are available to

begin work in mid-September, 2011.

E-mail application packets to: director@mfwwc.org

Please direct questions for this position to: Eve Montanaro, Executive Director

E-mail: director@mfwwc.org Phone: 541-937-9800

For more information on the MFWWC, please visit our website at www.mfwwc.org.