Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator

North Branch Land Trust (NBLT), an accredited land trust, seeks qualified candidates for the position of Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator. Formed in 1993, NBLT's mission is to conserve the scenic, natural, and working landscapes that sustain us including forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, farmland, scenic viewsheds, critical urban fringe open space, and other natural areas. NBLT also works with communities to develop smart growth strategies for the benefit of their citizens. Serving most of Northeastern Pennsylvania and specifically the watershed of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, NBLT has conserved 11,000 acres through 46 conservation easements and 5 fee acquisitions.

Position Overview:

The Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator is an integral member of the team at North Branch Land Trust, reporting to the Executive Director. The Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator has 2 distinct responsibilities: Implementation of the Trust's land conservation program and stewardship of all conservation easements and fee lands.

The Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator will proactively engage landowners in the service area or areas designated in the Trust's strategic plan in an effort to protect these properties with a conservation easement or to acquire these properties in fee. The Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator will also be responsible for the monitoring of all conserved and fee owned lands as well as the maintenance of records pertaining to those lands.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for the conservation of natural lands, familiarity with land protection tools such as conservation easements and land use planning, a bachelor's degree in biology, ecology, natural resource management, or related field, knowledge of Pennsylvania plant and animal communities, strong communication and organizational skills, strong computer skills in the use of Microsoft Office and ArcGIS mapping software, and strong GPS skills. The candidate must have his/her own vehicle for daily travel and be able to work independently as well as with volunteers and other staff members.

Responsibilities

Implementation of the Trust's Land Conservation Program:

• Work within the Land Trust's regional service area (Northeastern Pennsylvania) or specifically identified corridors outlined in the strategic plan to contact and correspond with landowners whose land meets the Land Trust's protection or fee acquisition criteria.
• Develop and implement practical, creative land protection solutions for specific projects or areas. Inform landowners in the project area of the Land Trust's mission and efforts in accordance with a work plan developed for that area in cooperation with the Land Committee and the Trust's strategic plan.
• Carry out community education and outreach through meetings, events, written materials, and digital presentations. Discuss the Land Trust and its mission and point out the benefits of land conservation, specifically conservation easements, and smart growth strategies. Be an overall ambassador for the Land Trust and its mission.
• Participate in government land protection projects when appropriate, such as county agricultural land preservation programs and state and federal programs.
• Maintain a database of all land protection projects under consideration and in development.
• Maintain complete digital and physical files on active and completed projects to document activities, intentions and actions in conformance with project file procedures.
• Identify and pursue project-specific funding sources; prepare grant proposals such as PA DCNR conservation grants.
• Chair the Land Committee meetings and submit a monthly written report on land projects to the Land Committee and then to the Board of Directors for review and action.
• Negotiate and assist in drafting easement language for potential easement donations and oversee the review of the draft easement by the potential grantee(s) and his/her/their counsel and tax advisor.
• Solicit stewardship endowment gifts in connection with easements or gifts of land to enable the Land Trust to provide perpetual care for these resources.
• Work with attorneys, appraisers, surveyors and project-related consultants.
• Do field work for and prepare all baseline documentation reports for projects.

Implementation of the Trust's Stewardship Program:

• Coordinate the monitoring of all eased and fee owned properties on an annual basis. This includes coordinating the volunteer network to help facilitate monitoring.
• Using GIS and GPS, coordinate the documenting, mapping and monitoring of the Land Trust's conservation easement properties and preserves. This includes all aspects of data collection and compilation for baseline documentation and monitoring reports. Ensure all reports are filed in a timely manner.
• Maintain complete digital and physical files on active and completed projects to document activities, intentions and actions in conformance with project file procedures.
• Involve volunteers in land protection projects whenever possible, including monitoring, and maintain a volunteer database.

Other duties and responsibilities:

• Be available on occasional evenings and weekends.
• Be available to travel to attend regional, state and national meetings and conferences.
• Be available to attend job-related workshops and trainings.
• Work on special projects and complete other tasks as required by the Executive Director.

Qualifications:

• An outgoing and friendly personality with the ability to easily meet new people and to quickly earn the confidence of landowners.
• A working knowledge of land protection and stewardship tools.
• A graduate or bachelor's degree in biology, ecology, natural resource management, or related field.
• Knowledge of real estate and land transactions.
• Good verbal, written communication and organizational skills.
• Fundraising and grant writing abilities.
• Public speaking skills are essential.
• A self-starter with the ability to initiate new programs in order to achieve the goals of the Land Trust.
• Ability to work with and through a committee to develop approaches to land conservation in designated areas.
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software along with strong Global Positioning Systems (GPS) skills.
• Must have the physical capability to traverse uneven terrain while in performance of required extensive field work.
• Must have valid driver's license and dependable transportation.

Compensation: The office and job are based in Trucksville, PA (Wilkes-Barre area), and benefits include a flexible work week, mileage reimbursement, medical coverage (employee co-pay required), generous vacation package, paid sick time and holidays, 403(b) retirement plan, and a salary range of $28K to $38K depending on experience (40-hour work week plus additional hours as needed).

Deadline: Open until filled

To Apply:

Interested candidates should please submit a cover letter, including statement of interest, references and résumé, by email. Subject line should read: Land Protection and Stewardship Coordinator Search.