Stewardship Associate

Reports to: Stewardship and Restoration Manager

Location: Select locations in Washington or Oregon. BMLT’s office is located in Walla Walla, WA. The candidate may work from the Walla Walla office or remotely from a home office in the following Oregon and Washington counties: Garfield, Columbia, Asotin, and Walla Walla counties in Washington, and Umatilla, Union, Baker, Grant, Wheeler, Morrow, and Gilliam counties in Oregon.

Position status: Full-time, exempt

Salary range: $45,000 – 55,000, DOE Posting date: February 27, 2024

Application deadline: Open until filled; applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Job Summary

Blue Mountain Trust (BMLT) is searching for a stewardship associate to monitor and support restoration projects on its 23,300+ acres of protected land across an 11-county service area in Washington and Oregon.

We are looking for a motivated environmentalist who can support BMLT’s stewardship and restoration work on its protected lands with integrity, collaboration, creativity, and insight. The stewardship associate works closely with the stewardship and restoration manager, the conservation manager, and other staff to monitor and restore BMLT’s protected lands and waters to further strategic conservation goals.

About Blue Mountain Land Trust

Protecting the land you love. Forever. Blue Mountain Land Trust (BMLT) is a nationally accredited land trust working in southeastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. Our mission is to protect the scenic, natural, and working lands of the Blue Mountain region through conservation and stewardship and connect communities to nature through education and recreation. Since our founding in 1999, we have acquired 21 conservation easements and one fee title property, protecting over 23,300 acres.

Our team is passionate, collaborative, curious, and committed to conserving clean water, open spaces, vital habitat, healthy soils, and livelihoods for agricultural communities across the Blue Mountain region.

We work to:

• Safeguard our community’s agricultural heritage
• Protect precious spawning streams for native fish
• Preserve important wildlife corridors
• Connect people with the land and its abundant natural resources
• Help present and future communities thrive

Job Role & Responsibilities

Stewardship

• In collaboration with the stewardship and restoration manager, perform annual monitoring visits for protected lands, including data collection and mapping, photopoint monitoring, remote sensing, aerial monitoring, property perimeter checks, game camera checks, plant and animal species inventories, invasive plant species tracking, and document other issues of concern. Support and coordinate monitoring reports for BMLT and project funding agencies. .
• Support the intake and completion of new land and water projects in collaboration with the conservation manager and stewardship and restoration manager. Collect and quantify necessary property data, compile baseline documentation of property natural resources, draft management plans, and identify opportunities for uplift or restoration. Assist communication and workflows with funders, landowners, contractors, and other stakeholders to ensure complete, accurate, and cohesive documentation for protected properties.
• Assist the stewardship and restoration manager in the development and implementation of remote sensing and aerial monitoring systems to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of annual monitoring and baseline reporting for BMLT’s protected lands
• Collaborate with the conservation and stewardship staff to ensure compliance with program policies and Land Trust Alliance (LTA) accreditation best practices and requirements.
• Support the conservation manager, stewardship associate, and legal counsel to resolve any stewardship issues.

Restoration

• Support restoration projects at BMLT’s Phipps Meadow property in collaboration with partner organizations. Projects include but are not limited to river and meadow restoration, forest thinning, planting, and other projects as identified.
• Monitor previously completed projects, including site visits, grant reporting, and maintaining detailed records. Assist with developing BMLT’s biodiversity and ecosystem health tracking systems on its protected properties through time.
• Work with the stewardship and restoration manager to identify other opportunities to maintain, uplift, or restore river, upland, and forest habitat conditions at BMLT’s protected properties. Support the development and implementation of restoration projects consistent with landowner goals and BMLT conservation priorities.
• Support interns, volunteers, and other BMLT staff at stewardship or restoration projects or events.

Partnership Building & Community Engagement

• Build effective working relationships with private landowners, non-profit partners, government agencies, Tribes, and other conservation and natural resource professionals to advance BMLT’s regional conservation efforts.
• Participate in and support public events, such as data collection days, informational tours, and restoration work parties on protected properties.
• Participate in and contribute to internal and external organizational diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) work. Ensure DEIJ principles are integrated into BMLT’s stewardship work.

General & Financial Duties

• Assist the stewardship and restoration manager with developing the annual stewardship department budget.
• Track and maintain stewardship department equipment and materials.
• Assist other work and program tasks as needed to support BMLT funding goals, priorities, and needs.

Desired Experiences, Skills & Attributes

Qualifications for this position can come from professional and/or lived experiences. Below we describe important qualifications for a candidate while remaining open to diverse experiences that can lead to these skill sets. We strongly encourage anyone who feels passionate about this work to apply.

Don’t check off every box in the qualifications and skills section? Please consider applying anyway. Studies have shown that marginalized communities, such as women, LGBTQ+, and people of color, are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging with opportunities to grow.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (conservation, agriculture, natural resources, ecology, biology, fisheries, etc.) or equivalent three-year work or lived experience in agriculture, land management or stewardship, land and water protection, habitat restoration, or other related conservation work.
• Knowledge of or strong interest in natural resource issues in Eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington, including land & water conservation, Tribal governments, and Native communities. Experience working and building relationships with people of different backgrounds and a wide range of perspectives, views, and ideas. Strong sense of ethics, integrity, and commitment to DEIJ principles.
• Experience with aquatic, riparian, upland, or forest restoration projects or other research fieldwork.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to manage multiple, complex acquisition projects simultaneously.
• Independently motivated, innovative problem solver. Ability to work individually and collaboratively with a team, lead colleagues and volunteers, and gain buy-in from all stakeholders to move projects forward.
•  Experience working with state and federal funding agencies and private foundations.
• Experience working with rural communities, landowners, and agricultural producers.
• Skills in GIS to collect, analyze, and visualize geospatial data.

ADA Requirements/Working Conditions

• Valid, insurable driver’s license and clean driving record. Ability to regularly travel throughout BMLT’s 11-county service area, often to remote locations, for site visits to properties and project meetings. BMLT has a work vehicle for use and offers mileage reimbursement at State Government rates for personal vehicle use.
• Flexibility to work occasional weekend or evening hours on an as-needed basis.
• Field work is performed outdoors in conditions that include steep and rough terrain, dense vegetation, inclement weather, and on muddy, uneven, or rocky surfaces. Position requires regular physical exertion, such as hiking, crouching, stooping, reaching, or other similar activities.
• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to hike long distances over difficult remote terrain and in inclement weather conditions.

Benefits

BMLT strives to create a collaborative and supportive workplace that encourages and inspires professional growth. You will be supported by our team in the onboarding process and throughout your tenure. This position has opportunities for growth and advancement within the organization. Benefits include:

• 11 paid holidays (including eight organizational and three floating holidays),
• Accrued paid vacation: 15 days in year 1, 20 days in years 2-5, and increasing in years 6+
• Accrued wellness time, 10 days per year
• Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Cell phone stipend
• Employer-paid elective contributions to a qualified retirement plan, currently at 5% of salary, no match required
• Flexible work schedule and opportunities for professional development throughout the year
• This position can be fully remote within BMLT’s service area in Oregon or Washington, with occasional office-based work in Walla Walla, WA.