Capitol Land Trust
CapitolLandTrust.org
360.943.3012
AmeriCorps Position – Restoration Coordinator
This is a volunteer opportunity offered through a partnership with the Washington Service Corps AmeriCorps Program to begin September 1, 2015. The AmeriCorps member will receive a stipend through the
Washington Service Corps.
This opportunity is contingent on funding.
Sponsoring organization: Capitol Land Trust
Capitol Land Trust’s Mission: Furthering collaborative and strategic conservation of southwest Washington’s essential natural areas and working lands.
Location: Capitol Land Trust’s office in downtown Olympia, and Land Trust properties throughout Thurston and Mason counties.
Project description: Capitol Land Trust’s mission includes both protecting additional lands for conservation and restoring lands already under our management to improve ecological functioning. The Restoration Coordinator will mobilize volunteers by implementing a series of volunteer restoration service days on properties managed by Capitol Land Trust in the Black River watershed and along the Puget Sound shoreline in Mason and Thurston counties—with the goal of restoring important riparian, wetland, and marine shoreline habitat that support threatened species, reducing risks to local economies dependent on these resources, and improving water quality.
In the Black River watershed, efforts will focus on removing invasive plants and replanting native species. In Mason County, efforts will focus on two Oakland Bay properties: Bayshore Preserve, where we have a large restoration project to remove a tidal dike and improve salt marsh habitat; and Twin Rivers Ranch Preserve, where we are expanding healthy riparian buffers. The AmeriCorps member may also organize restoration events to remove invasive plants, plant native plants, and maintain existing native-plant plantings at other Capitol Land Trust properties.
In addition, the AmeriCorps member will help Capitol Land Trust improve public access to two of our preserves by coordinating with staff and Board members to create and install interpretive signage at Oakland Bay Historical Park. The AmeriCorps member also will recruit volunteers to prepare the site for these improvements, and will use this experience to plan an interpretive trail for our Bayshore Preserve to educate visitors about the natural land and cultural history of the land.
Restoration Coordinator Responsibilities: The AmeriCorps member will organize 8 restoration service days at multiple locations in Mason and Thurston counties, drawing from our current database of volunteers and recruiting new volunteers through public channels.
Two of these restoration service days will be large public events and two will be with grade-school students. The member will engage with other partner organizations to implement more targeted restoration efforts for the remainder of the service days. The AmeriCorps member will help develop interpretive signage for educating the public about the many ecological and cultural values at the Oakland Bay Historical Park, and mobilize volunteers to prepare the site and install signage (which may include some light trail maintenance). The member also will transfer gained knowledge to staff to further the development of the public access plan for the Bayshore Preserve. The AmeriCorps member also may be asked by WSC to deploy to help support disaster response and/or recovery efforts.
Preferred Qualifications:
College degree.
Training or demonstrable background/coursework in natural sciences, natural resource management, environmental studies, land-use planning, or related fields.
Desire to serve with people to promote environmental stewardship.
Outgoing and friendly personality, and an ability to meet and interact with new people easily.
Good organizing and project management skills.
Physically able to conduct outdoor field service and traverse through rough and steep terrain.
Able to serve and train in various parts of Mason/Thurston County.
Good computer skills, and good speaking, presentation, and writing skills.
Communicate in a positive, professional manner and function well in a team environment.
Ability to work independently.
Regular and reliable attendance.
Able to occasionally serve on weekends and evenings.
Experience with volunteer management a plus.
Experience with habitat restoration a plus.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) experience a plus.
Submit to a criminal background check.
Ability to commit to the full term of service.
Must have a valid driver’s license.
Must own or have regular access to a privately owned vehicle, to drive to field sites for restoration events. (CLT will provide mileage reimbursement at the IRS rate.)
AmeriCorps Requirements:
Must be 18-25 years of age at start of service term.
10 ½ -month term of service, starting September 1, 2015 and ending July 15, 2016.
Must serve a minimum of 1,700 hours during the 10 ½ -month term of service.
Complete and submit all necessary AmeriCorps paperwork and reports in a timely manner.
Complete and submit at least one article for the AmeriCorps ‘Stories of Service’ program each quarter.
Attend all required AmeriCorps training and orientation events, and achieve the core competency trainings.
U.S. citizen, national or lawful permanent resident.
Member may have part-time job or attend school provided it doesn’t interfere with schedule set at site.
AmeriCorps Benefits:
A taxable monthly stipend of $1,195, provided by Washington Service Corps.
Upon successful completion of a full term of service, eligible members receive an educational award of $5,730, provided by the National Service Trust.
Student loan forbearance on qualifying loans.
Basic health insurance (covers members only, not dependents; vision and dental insurance is not included).
Childcare assistance (if qualified).
Training and experience.
To Apply:
Applications will be accepted until July 1, 2015.
Email resume and cover letter to info@capitollandtrust.org.
Applicants will also be required to complete the online AmeriCorps application once it is available.