Conservation Law Director

Founded in 1988, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance is one of the hardest-hitting conservation advocacy groups in the Rockies. BCA is dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places in Wyoming and surrounding states using our 3 programs:

Wild Forests:

We focus on protecting back-country areas that still remain roadless, and on safeguarding key habitats and connecting corridors used by forest wildlife and fish. We keep watch over logging and motorized use to ensure that they will be compatible with maintaining native wildlife and healthy forests.

Wild Deserts and Grasslands:

The Bureau of Land Management oversees these magnificent remnants of the Wild West, with the Forest Service managing the Thunder Basin, Wyoming's only National Grassland. BCA works to protect special places and sensitive wildlife habitats within these landscapes, and provides sustainable solutions to reform drilling, mining, and grazing practices so they can become compatible with the needs of wildlife and public recreation.

Wild Species:

We work to restore populations of native species that have become rare, and to protect our region's abundance of native fishes, plants and wildlife.
 

Position Overview: 

BCA seeks a full-time Conservation Law Director to oversee litigation to protect wild deserts and forests in Wyoming and neighboring states. We seek an intelligent and articulate advocate for public lands and wildlife. This individual's critical legal analysis of projects on federal lands will hold agencies accountable to science and the law. If you want meaningful, challenging work exercising your talent and education to change the world, this job is for you.

Responsibilities:

Primary responsibilities include overseeing litigation, administrative defense and policy work in the arena of logging and off-road vehicle issues on the Black Hills National Forest and oil and gas and wilderness issues on BLM lands in Wyoming's high deserts.

Other duties include: evaluating and critiquing federal projects from a scientific and legal perspective, writing press releases, opinion-editorial pieces, and performing interviews on public campaign issues, lobbying, laying groundwork for legal challenges against projects that threaten wildlife or wild places, working cooperatively with other conservation groups and building coalitions, developing written materials such as newsletter articles, whitepapers, alerts and technical comments, working with and supporting other lawyers in litigation, participating in staff consensus meetings over policy, maintaining files and performing personal clerical duties, and traveling to meetings and conferences.

Qualifications:

The successful applicant will be organized, motivated, and goal-oriented, with the ability to execute a work plan from idea to fruition under minimal supervision. Experience working with NEPA, FLPMA, NFMA, ESA, and other federal environmental laws, and experience in commenting on and appealing or litigating objectionable projects is advantageous. A background in natural resources law or biological sciences will be strongly preferred.

The ideal candidate will also have a suite of other qualities including many of the following: personal commitment to protect wildlife and wild places, quality writing and research skills, strong intellect, creativity, proficiency with technology including database, spreadsheet, word processing, online research, power-point and general personal computer maintenance, ability to drive a stick shift, knowledge of Wyoming's unique political/environmental landscape, ability to constructively deal with conflict, flexible schedule, willingness to travel, leadership, experience working in teams, self-starter, ability to track multiple responsibilities and meet timelines, and a sense of humor.

Compensation: Base salary is $29,367 per year with a generous paid vacation package and health insurance.

To Apply:

Please submit cover letter, writing sample and resume with contact information for 3 professional references through September 25, 2009. Use of email or recycled paper is encouraged.

Biodiversity Conservation Alliance
PO Box 1512
Laramie, Wyoming 82073