Conservation and Land Use Specialist

Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment seeks a Conservation and Land Use Specialist for the Hudson River Estuary Program.

The watershed of the tidal Hudson River in southeastern New York is recognized for its rich biological diversity. With greater than 80% of the estuary watershed in private landownership, many communities and groups have a role in decision-making and stewardship of its lands and waters, including more than 250 local governments and dozens of land trusts. Since 2001, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) at Cornell and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC) Hudson River Estuary Program have partnered to implement strategies in the five-year Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda to achieve biodiversity conservation in the watershed.

DNRE staff on the Conservation and Land Use Team at the Estuary Program support the Action Agenda and advance conservation of important habitat, natural areas, and ecological connectivity in the watershed by engaging communities and partners in science-based land-use and conservation planning.

The Conservation and Land Use Specialist will serve as a subject matter resource to key decision-making audiences on regional biodiversity priorities and conservation planning approaches. Responsibilities include:

• creating educational materials and developing, implementing, and evaluating outreach and training programs to raise awareness, increase decision-making and planning capacity, and encourage innovative and successful models to support biodiversity conservation
• providing technical assistance to municipalities and land trusts on land-use and conservation projects that result in best practices, plans, and local policies
• contributing to partner projects designed to increase understanding of watershed biodiversity, including GIS analyses
• assisting with the annual Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project, including volunteer support and training, and data management.

The Conservation and Land Use Specialist will receive programmatic direction and oversight from the Estuary Program’s Conservation and Land Use Team Leader to independently implement tasks and will work closely with Estuary Program and DNRE colleagues, as well as many partner programs, agencies, and organizations. Travel throughout the Hudson Valley and occasionally to Albany and Ithaca is required. Frequent attendance at evening and weekend meetings and workshops is also required.

For more information about the program:

Conservation and Land Use Planning in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed: https://hudson.dnr.cals.cornell.edu/

Hudson River Estuary Program:  https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/oceans-estuaries/hudson-river-estuary-program

This position, located in New Paltz, NY, is a termed appointment position through December 31, 2025. Annual appointments are expected and will be conditional upon satisfactory performance and available funding.

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 2 to 4 years relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Familiarity with municipal land-use and conservation planning.
• Experience with outreach or adult education, including in-person and virtual programming.
• Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word), ArcGIS and Survey123, and remote work platforms (e.g., Teams, Zoom).
• Ability and desire to learn and adapt to new technology.
• Critical thinking skills and ability to work on multiple tasks in a face-paced, changing environment.
• Excellent English communication skills including public speaking. Ability to speak confidently and concisely particularly in group situations.
• Excellent and detail-oriented written communication and editing skills.
• Skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and proper judgment in accomplishing tasks whether acting independently or participating effectively on a team.
• Capability to coordinate projects with a diversity of stakeholders and partners with a range of interests and backgrounds.
• Ability to work as part of a professional team, promoting cooperation and collaboration, as well as exercising independent judgment to carry out discrete tasks.
• Sound and ethical judgment when acting on behalf of the University and the Hudson River Estuary Program.
• Ability to work nights and weekends to attend specific meetings or programs.
• Must have and maintain and valid and unrestricted NYS driver’s license and be cleared to drive for Cornell University business operations
• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in biology, ecology, natural resources, geography, environmental planning, or related field.
• Knowledge of Hudson Valley biology and ecology.
• Knowledge of New York’s local land-use system and processes, natural resource inventories, open space planning, and local conservation policy options.
• Knowledge of habitat stewardship and management practices.
• Experience with group facilitation and community engagement, especially in municipal land-use planning contexts.
• Experience with biological data and GIS applications for identification of conservation priorities.
• Creativity in designing and delivering outreach materials, and ability to communicate biological and conservation planning concepts to diverse lay and professional audiences.
• Experience with community science projects including engaging volunteers and managing large volunteer data sets.
• Experience with inclusive engagement and working with disadvantaged or marginalized communities to facilitate their participation in decision-making.

Culture of Inclusion and Community Standards

As a university founded to be a place where “…any person can find instruction in any study,” diversity and inclusion are at the core of our values and mission. We strive to be a welcoming, caring, healthy, and equitable community where students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn, innovate, and work in an environment of respect, and feel empowered to engage in any community conversation. As a member of the Cornell University community, it is important to recognize our shared responsibility to each other to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all.  Cornell Core values 

As an individual contributor you will model and support a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and wellbeing and continually seek to understand how your role, behaviors, and actions impact the success of this culture.    

While position responsibilities vary greatly, the Skills for Success and Leadership Skills for Success are foundational to what is expected of every employee and leader working at Cornell.  These skills are essential for individual and organizational success. Staff Skills for Success; Leadership Skills for Success

Department Background

Unique among peer institutions in the United States, the breadth of disciplinary expertise in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment – from ethics and social sciences to conservation genetics and applied ecology – creates a stimulating multidisciplinary atmosphere for our students, staff, faculty and visiting scholars. We have strong collaborative ties across Cornell University, other universities, governmental agencies, and leading environmental and conservation organizations.

Rewards And Benefits

Competitive compensation, generous time-off, and great benefits …More on Cornell Benefits