Open Positions:
2021 LAND STEWARDSHIP FELLOWSHIP
Colorado Open Lands (COL) is pleased to announce the acceptance of applications for a two-year Land Stewardship Fellow.
The goal of Colorado Open Lands’ Fellowship Program is to provide a recent graduate with hands-on land conservation experience working for one of Colorado’s premier land conservation organizations. The Fellow will assist COL’s land stewardship staff in developing lasting relationships with landowners, ensuring conservation easement compliance, and promoting exceptional land stewardship. At the end of the two-year term, the Fellow will be well-positioned to pursue a career in land preservation in Colorado, whether with a land trust, a public agency, or another conservation organization.
Learning Objectives
The two-year Fellowship Program is designed to provide comprehensive exposure to the components of successful land stewardship, the techniques available for land preservation in Colorado, and an introduction to the agencies and people active in this arena.
This Fellowship will focus on stewarding conserved lands in the Wet Mountain region as part of COL’s conservation easement stewardship program. In 2021, COL anticipates merging with another land trust in Colorado. The Fellow will learn about the merger process and assist with onboarding the new conservation easements into COL’s portfolio. The Fellow will learn professional conservation easement stewardship skills from COL’s experienced staff and will be part of a 5-person Stewardship team. This position involves working with landowners, including ranchers and farmers, across Colorado to support their stewardship of protected lands and to develop strong landowner relationships with COL.
In addition, the Fellow will receive broad exposure to other organizational activities, including conservation, philanthropy, and community engagement. The Fellow will also develop a strong working knowledge of conservation priorities, industry trends, and challenges specific to land conservation work in Colorado.
Job Responsibilities
Conservation Easement Management
– Review conservation easements, due diligence documents, maps, and monitoring reports in anticipation of COL’s merger with another land trust.
– Once the merger is completed, assist with incorporating the transferred conservation easements into COL’s portfolio, including entering records into COL’s file database and GIS system.
– Assist in the review of reserved rights, violations, enforcement issues, and amendments for individual conservation easements.
– Provide landowners with land management information and resources as requested.
– Assist in creating and updating baselines for conservation easement properties.
Conservation Easement Monitoring
– Monitor 40+ conservation easement properties in the Wet Mountain region and other parts of Colorado, which range in size from 1 to 20,000+ acres. Monitoring includes hiking or driving around a conserved property using GPS to navigate and collect field data documenting any changes to the property.
– Meet with landowners to discuss the conservation easement, any changes to the property within the last year and their plans for the future.
– Prepare monitoring reports documenting observations from the field.
– Update GIS maps as needed to incorporate GPS field data.
Organizational Involvement
– Participate in regular staff meetings, conservation easement project review, and events and community outreach activities.
– Help with the Stewardship department’s contribution to Communications and Development (social media, field trips, etc.).
Minimum Qualifications
– Bachelor’s degree: emphasis in natural or environmental sciences, land use, planning, geography, or related field is preferred.
– Excellent written and oral communication skills.
– Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills.
– Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
– Ability and willingness to travel across Colorado, including some overnights (approximately 40% of time from May-October).
– Willingness and ability to work in sometimes challenging field conditions in remote locations. Ability to work outdoors and navigate large farms and ranches independently, often in remote settings.
– Valid driver’s license.
– Ability to complete tasks with a high level of accuracy and consistency.
– Ability to communicate with diverse stakeholders.
– Competent with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint).
– A positive, engaging attitude, a sense of humor, and a commitment to COL’s mission and the conservation of Colorado’s natural landscapes.
Helpful qualifications
– Land trust experience (volunteer, intern/extern, etc.).
– Experience with ESRI’s ArcGIS computer mapping software and familiarity using GPS equipment.
– Experience working with agricultural producers and an understanding of the agricultural industry in Colorado or the western United States.
Salary, benefits, location and target start date
– Salary is $38,000 – $40,000 for each year of the Fellowship, commensurate with experience.
– Medical and dental insurance, vacation time and sick leave, 401k plan, and conference and professional development stipend provided.
– The position is based in our Lakewood, CO office.
– Target start date is April 1, 2021.
Application instructions
Please email a cover letter, resume and three (3) relevant references to Cheryl Cufre, Director of Land Stewardship, at jobs@coloradoopenlands.org. Applications must be received no later than midnight Mountain Time on Sunday February 7th, 2021. No phone calls, please.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Colorado Open Lands provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. For information about Colorado Open Lands, please visit our website at www.coloradoopenlands.org
Colorado Open Lands Staff
For a list of job opportunities in the conservation field, please visit the Land Trust Alliance Careers Page or the Keep it Colorado Jobs Board.
