Land & Stewardship Coordinator

The Chopps. Photo by Heather Perry.

The Chopps. Photo by Heather Perry.

Land & Stewardship Coordinator (L&S Coordinator)

Join our collaborative team and help care for 4,100+ acres conserved land, 25+ miles of recreational trails, 12 public preserves, while adding 2-6 land conservation projects annually in one of the most ecologically diverse areas of Maine; Merrymeeting Bay and Lower Kennebec River region. KELT needs a dedicated individual passionate about the environment to help drive forward this conservation work.

TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references in one PDF file to info@kennebecestuary.org with the subject line “Land and Stewardship Coordinator.”

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interested parties are recommended to apply early. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Questions can be directed to KELT’s Program Director, Becky Kolak, at 207-442-8400.

Application deadline: Friday, March 12, 2021

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Land & Stewardship Coordinator (L&S Coordinator) is responsible for careful and detailed management of projects in KELT’s Stewardship and Land Protection programs. Duties include collecting and documenting natural resource data; creating maps with property attributes (e.g. ecological features, human uses); writing and managing grant proposals to individuals, foundations, and local, state, and federal agencies; budgeting; supervising contractors, partners, and volunteers; integrating with other departments within KELT (education, communications, and fundraising); and finding creative approaches to implement KELT’s mission and reach our strategic conservation goals. This position requires the employee to perform tasks often under minimal supervision, to communicate consistently and to excel at developing positive working relationships with co-workers, donors, landowners, volunteers, and other local stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

  • Education and/or experience in natural resource management, land stewardship, ecology, forestry, environmental studies, environmental policy, or similar fields.

  • Self-motivated professional with a demonstrated skill in managing multiple projects and consistently hitting deadlines. Practical problem-solving and organizational skills with attention to detail and record-keeping.

  • Strong speaking, writing, and listening skills. Comfortable speaking in public to a group or conversing with individuals to build relationships and strengthen collaborations.

  • Familiarity with ESRI ArcMap or similar software for mapping and simple spatial analysis as well as competency with standard computer software, including Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.

  • Knowledge of or demonstrated ability to learn plant, animal, and natural community identification.

  • Comfortable working in outdoor settings with the ability to hike on rough terrain in adverse conditions.

  • Valid Driver’s License in good standing and access to a reliable automobile.

  • Willingness to work occasional evenings and/or weekends and to take on work outside of the immediate job description when in the best interest of KELT.

LOCATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

The KELT office is located in Bath, Maine. Fieldwork is required throughout the nine towns in KELT’s service area (Bath, West Bath, Arrowsic, Georgetown, Woolwich, Bowdoinham, Dresden, Richmond, and Westport Island). Occasional travel may be necessary outside of the KELT service area.  Our office can be bustling with fellow staff, contactors, volunteers, and visitors. In accordance with current CDC recommendations, options to work part of the week from home, including computer equipment, are available.

COMPENSATION

Full time position with benefits include health/dental insurance, retirement savings plan, paid vacation time/ holidays, and a flexible work schedule. Commensurate with experience, $35,000 - $48,000 annually.

DUties

 

Stewardship

  • Field work on KELT-owned (fee) properties that includes: conducting annual monitoring visits; planning and constructing recreational trail routes; assessing existing preserves’ trails and boundaries for maintenance needs; and planning and leading maintenance with staff, volunteers, and/or contractors.

  • Field work on conservation easement properties that includes: assisting with annual easement monitoring visits; coordinating with property owners; reviewing relevant easement information; and completing monitoring reports in a timely manner.

  • Keep organized and detailed stewardship-related records and documents.

  • Attend Stewardship Committee meetings as well as communicate information to Committee members including reports, budgets, maps, written project descriptions, etc.

  • Assist with the hiring and managing of seasonal stewardship positions.

  • Inventory and organize tool storage areas; estimate and communicate annual budgetary needs for tools, equipment, signage, and trail hardware purchases and maintenance.

Land Protection

  • Assist in negotiations, due diligence, and record keeping for land protection projects that includes: conducting initial site visits for potential land protection projects and completing reports.

  • Produce updated maps of protected lands and projects for both internal and public audiences.

  • Work with federal, state, and/or local partners on regional land conservation goals.

  • Manage the KELT Land Acquisition Committee by communicating information to Committee members including reports, budgets, maps, written project descriptions, etc.

  • Maintain progress tracking records for all active, exploratory, and inquiry land protection projects.

  • Prepare management plans for fee properties that protect conservation values, manage access and approved uses, and address other management concerns.

  • Prepare Baseline Documentation Reports and Current Conditions Reports for new and existing conservation easement properties.

 

General

  • Be able to discuss KELT’s mission, goals, and stewardship and land protection programs at a variety of forums.

  • Support KELT’s GIS capabilities by securing spatial data in support of the land conservation work, ensuring that conserved lands are up-to-date, and identifying boundary data needs on fee and easement properties.

  • Assist to identify funding strategies for stewardship and conservation projects, which includes private donations as well as grants from private, state and federal sources. Then write and/or assist in writing proposals.

  • Manage or assist to manage awarded grants for projects, including writing reports and communicating with grantors, for private, state, and federal grants related to land protection and/or stewardship.

  • Work with KELT’s communication staff to supply information about ongoing work; assist creating internal and public use maps, articles, images, and other information for print and digital media.

  • Work with KELT’s fundraising staff to continually integrate stewardship, land protection, and fundraising efforts– includes content for annual giving asks and raising funds to support the Land Protection and/or Stewardship Funds and specific projects.

  • Work with KELT’s education staff to conduct education programs on various topics and for various audiences.

    The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to do this job. The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required. The omission of specific statement of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

 

DESIRABLE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES

(Not requisite but great to know about!)

  • Experience or in-depth knowledge of property management, landscaping, and/or trail building/maintenance.

  • Experience and confidence using compass, maps, and GPS.

  • Certification in chainsaw use and/or familiarity with the use and maintenance of a variety of outdoor-use tools and equipment.

  • Ability to drive a pickup truck (automatic) with trailer.

  • Familiarity with Avenza, Survey123, iMapInvasives, and/or other data-gathering applications.

  • Current ability or willingness to obtain a Maine Master Applicator pesticide license.

  • Experience identifying and removing non-native plant species.

  • Experience reading and interpreting surveys, deeds, conservation easements, and other legal documents.

  • Familiarity with the preparation and submission of permit and tax program applications to state agencies.

  • Experience writing grants, policy and procedure, or other technical documents.

  • Experience with legal compliance monitoring, particularly of conservation easements.

  • Experience organizing, leading, and/or teaching audiences of various ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

  • Experience presenting educational programs to groups or training/certification in public interpretation and/or environmental education.

  • Experience training and leading interns or staff and/or hiring and working with contractors.

  • Prior work with a land trust or similar organization and/or familiarity with the Land Trust Alliances Standards and Practices for Stewardship and Land Protection.

  • Certification in first aid or wilderness first response.

Becky Kolak