Conservation Associate
Woodland CA
Yolo Land Trust is pleased to offer a part-time (30 hours a week) employment opportunity in its Woodland, California office. The Conservation Associate will have responsibility for monitoring the Land Trust’s portfolio of conservation easement projects, for maintaining office records and for researching funding for new projects.
The Conservation Associate will work under the supervision of Executive Director. The Conservation Associate must have the ability to conduct monitoring in the field, to work as a team member and to be flexible in work assignments due to the small size of the organization.
Position Duties and Responsibilities.
• Monitoring Conservation Portfolio – This is the Conservation Associate’s primary responsibility (comprises about 40% of the job)
o Conduct monitoring of all conservation easements by visiting each farm once a year during a four-month period (March to June); there are currently 63 easement properties
o Complete monitoring reports, and submit accurate and timely reports as required by funding obligations
o Analyze conservation easement agreements to determine compliance following monitoring, and to answer questions about permitted practices; write letters or reports following analysis
o Communicate with landowners to schedule monitoring and to establish and maintain a good working relationship with landowners o Compile maps of properties, take photographs
o Draft easement abstracts and monitoring checklists, organize closing binders
o Research latest standards, protocols and technology for monitoring o Track time on an hourly and per project basis
• Maintain Conservation Portfolio Files – An important component of the job is the maintenance of the conservation portfolio files (comprises about 35% of the job)
o Update Access database and produce reports as needed o Develop Access entries and calendar for fee owned properties
o Evaluate conservation portfolio records for purposes of accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance and internal policies and procedures
o Organize records and draft policies in preparation for accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance
• New Projects – This will vary from time to time (comprises approximately 10% of the job)
o Assist Executive Director on new conservation projects as needed, including preparation of the Baseline Conditions Report. This includes at least two field visits which the Conservation Associate must complete, compiling soil reports, preparing maps, determining future monitoring needs
o Research and write grant proposals for new projects
The Conservation Associate must possess the following:
• Commitment to the mission of the Yolo Land Trust to conserve agricultural land in Yolo County
• Demonstrated strong organizational skills, with attention to detail and to following instructions; ability to track work time on an hourly basis
• Demonstrated communication, interpersonal and administrative skills, along with the ability to work as a team member in a small office setting
• Excellent writing skills
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain outreach program with landowners
• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, science or related field
• Two years experience in conservation, agriculture, real estate or related field
• Physical ability to conduct fieldwork, especially during monitoring season, throughout Yolo County, including walking throughout farms; most fieldwork is done by the Conservation Associate without additional assistance or personnel; must possess valid driver’s license
• Proficiency in software programs including MS Office (Word and Excel), Adobe and Access
• Experience in GPS; experience in GIS is preferred
• Public speaking skills for occasional community presentations
Qualified candidates should send a cover letter and resume tomclark@yololandtrust.org. Please no telephone calls. Position open until filled. Please reference where you saw this opening.