Instructor Naturalist / Mentor

*Contracts available for Summer, Spring/Summer, Summer/Fall, or full season.
*Housing provided for all seasonal employees. Meals provided when programs are running.

Green River Preserve is a nonprofit co-ed summer camp in western North Carolina with a mission to inspire environmental stewards through a joyful connection to nature.

Mentors are professional teachers and naturalists (age 24+) from a wide range of fields, either by interest or by training, who lead up to 14 campers on field study hikes each morning throughout the Preserve. Mentors live in staff-only housing, but spend each day playing in waterfalls, exploring caves, munching wild edibles, and teaching children the art of discovery.

Beyond the role as a naturalist, Mentors form a small group of environmental educators that advance each member’s knowledge about the natural world, youth development, and career possibilities. Depending on interests and skills, most Mentors will spend each afternoon teaching classic camp activities, from archery and primitive skills to music and theatre. Mentors also adopt a camper cabin each session, and they serve as a valuable adviser and support system for campers and counselors alike.

Requirements:

• At least 2 of these 3:

– Experience teaching or facilitating in a classroom, outdoor, or other group setting

– Professional or personal experience as a naturalist; understanding of ecological systems, botany, phenology, geology, hydrology, biology, principles of conservation, sustainable agriculture, etc.

– Professional or personal experience with indigenous studies, wilderness skills, anthropology, and/or human connection with nature

• Ability to lead campers ages 7-14 in a camp activity
  Options vary – areas of highest need are:
  Climbing, Mountain Biking, BB Skeet, Fly Fishing, Fencing, and Pottery
• Wilderness First Aid certified or willing to become certified (training provided)
• Willingness to mentor counseling staff ages 19+ in interpersonal skills, professional development, and working with youth
• Must commit to our full Summer season, at minimum, which runs from June 1 to August 8, 2025, with mandatory training the week of May 25
  **Please only apply if you can make that commitment.
• Not a requirement, but helpful: CDL Class B (We use campified school buses to transport our campers throughout our 3,400-acre nature preserve.)

For more information about our programs, please visit our website or reach out to Programs Director, Lauren Betz (lauren@greenriverpreserve.org), with questions.