New Mexico Grasslands Restoration Coordinator

The Restore New Mexico partnership has been working for over a decade to improve rangeland conditions for Lesser Prairie-Chickens and other wildlife through removal of honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa. This position will support these efforts by working with partners to engage private and public land managers to find innovative solutions to conservation challenges and work with agencies, non-profits, and regional conservation groups to continue the momentum of the grassland restoration partnership. This partnership includes Bureau of Land Management (BLM), New Mexico State Land Office, Center for Excellence in Hazardous Materials Management (CEHMM), Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and others. Habitat work has been on the magnitude of tens of thousands of acres per year and is accelerating with influx of Inflation Reduction Act funds through the BLM. This position works within the BLM’s Pecos District of southeast New Mexico, primarily within Roosevelt and Chaves counties but some work in Curry, DeBaca, Eddy, Lea, and Quay counties may occur.

The position requires building relationships with private, local, state, and federal entities, and the incumbent needs to be outgoing, creative, and able to identify and meet the needs of conservation collaborators. This will necessitate frequent in-person meetings and interactions. Day-to-day work consists of connecting with landowners, permittees, JV staff from various disciplines (GIS, biological science, conservation delivery, communications, and social science) and local, state, and regional partners to facilitate bird habitat conservation.