Ecological Restoration Fellow

About Mass Audubon  

Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England. Founded in 1896 by two women who fought for the protection of birds, Mass Audubon carries on their legacy by focusing on the greatest challenges facing the environment today: the loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and climate change. With the help of our 160,000 members and supporters, we protect wildlife, conserve and restore resilient land, advocate for impactful environmental policies, offer nationally recognized education programs for adults and children, and provide endless opportunities to experience the outdoors at our wildlife sanctuaries. Explore, find inspiration, and take action at massaudubon.org.  

About this position 

Mass Audubon is committed to creating a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just organization and to providing greater access to nature for everyone, which is why we created the Environmental Fellowship Program for Early Careers (EFP). Now entering its fifth year, the EFP is a unique program that increases pathways for a diversity of early career professionals into environmental professions. Each 14-month fellowship is hosted within one of five departments/teams: Land Conservation, Conservation Science, Nature in the City, Wildlife Sanctuaries & Education, or Diversity & Inclusion. Our fellows will tackle some of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time while working with a passionate and dedicated team of professionals. This is an opportunity designed for recent graduates or those beginning their careers with up to one year of professional experience. In addition to professional experience, the fellows are given opportunities for networking, mentoring, and skill development within a supportive cohort model. To learn more about the program, please register for an Information Session which will take place on Wednesday, January 28th at 6PM EST and Monday, February 9th at 6PM EST. 

About the Conservation Science Department and Ecological Restoration Program 
Mass Audubon operates under a strategic plan known as the Action Agenda, a five-year plan to address the rapid loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and the threat of climate change. Conservation is a key component of our success, involving collaboration among colleagues throughout the organization to protect, restore, and steward land for wildlife and for people.  

The Ecological Restoration Fellow will join our Ecological Restoration Program within the Conservation Science Department, based out of Mass Audubon Headquarters in Lincoln, MA. Ecological Restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been damaged, degraded, or destroyed. The Ecological Restoration Program focuses on improving the health and functioning of rivers and wetlands on lands managed by Mass Audubon or by other partnering organizations. Our program is focused on 4 types of projects: urban wetlands, salt marshes, cranberry bog wetland restoration, and dam removal. Our projects take several years to design, permit, and implement, and are tied to long-term monitoring and adaptive management. 

The Ecological Restoration team is committed to creating a positive work environment and a meaningful experience for the fellow. We value cultivating joy, curiosity, healthy work-life boundaries, progress over perfection, collective responsibility, and mutual respect. The Ecological Restoration Fellow is committed to protecting the nature of Massachusetts by supporting our ecological restoration work including on-the-ground projects, monitoring, public outreach and engagement, and other potential focus areas.  

Responsibilities 
The Ecological Restoration Fellow will play a key role in supporting various ecological restoration projects, with a focus on dam removal, salt marsh restoration, cranberry bog wetland restoration, and urban wetland initiatives. The Fellow will assist with project management, background research about sites and watersheds, and GIS work, aiding in the enhancement of ecosystems and resilience. The position offers the opportunity to gain experience in office-based and fieldwork activities, collaboration with diverse stakeholders, and the utilization of specialized software tools.  

The list below outlines common Ecological Restoration Program tasks and those the Fellow may support. Prior experience is not required; the team will provide full training. Final project assignments will be determined with the Fellow based on their professional development interests. 

• Project Management:
  • Assist in the coordination and project management of dam removal, salt marsh restoration, cranberry bog restoration, and urban wetland projects.
  • Collaborate with team members, stakeholders, and volunteers to develop scopes of work, manage budgets, consider project designs, and address public and regulatory concerns.
• GIS and Research Work:
  • Conduct GIS analyses to support project planning and implementation.
  • Perform literature reviews on relevant ecological research, especially pertaining to restoration practices.
  • Develop and maintain GIS databases to track project progress and ecological data.
• Programmatic Support:
  • Assist the Ecological Restoration team with development of internal documentation and processes to facilitate internal and external communication about specific projects and the program
• Fieldwork:
  • Assist with data collection and study design (vegetation surveys, electrofishing surveys)
  • Support the implementation of new and ongoing monitoring and restoration management practices.
  • Undertake additional fieldwork tasks as required, contributing to various restoration and monitoring efforts.

Qualifications
At Mass Audubon, our highest priority is finding the best candidate for the job. Research has shown that people of color and women are less likely to apply for jobs if they don’t believe they meet every one of the qualifications described in a job description. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our described qualifications or you have a less traditional background. We are looking for applicants with the following qualifications: 

Must Haves: 

• Must have obtained a bachelor’s degree by the start of the Fellowship. Degrees or coursework especially suitable for this work include: Biology, Ecology, Landscape Architecture, Ecological Restoration, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Environmental Planning, Civil and Environmental Engineering, or a related field
• A commitment to practicing conservation through a lens of equity, inclusion, and access
• Passion for conservation and/or ecological restoration and a willingness to learn
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organized and motivated
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team
• Comfort working in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook) and using Microsoft collaboration platforms (Teams, SharePoint)
• Interest in community engagement work
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel frequently and extensively throughout the state

Nice to Haves: 

• Interest in developing entry level career skills
• Experience communicating technical content to a variety of audiences
• Experience with natural resources fieldwork (ex: environmental, water, biological, ecological, etc.) through coursework, projects, professional, or volunteer experience
• Interest in learning about Massachusetts state and federal environmental regulations
• Experience with GPS devices and digital data collection, and/or ArcGIS mapping software and database design/management