Watershed Engagement Coordinator

Watershed Engagement Coordinator

Friends of the Mad River, Waitsfield, Vermont

Water connects everything and everyone across the landscape. Serving as the Watershed Engagement Coordinator with Friends of the Mad River will give you valuable experience connecting the dots between healthy land, clean water, and the vibrant Mad River Valley community. In the context of a changing climate and landscape, you will help build resilience, adaptability, awareness, and inclusion into our watershed community by serving with the Friends of the Mad River team to coordinate events and opportunities for education and community engagement. These events will come in many shapes and sizes, from community forums on flood resilience to guided naturalist hikes and ecology-focused book clubs. Creativity is encouraged! Your service will connect you with important partners and decision makers and help inform the future of conservation in the valley. A passion for bringing people together, a commitment to following the science, and a love of the outdoors will help you find success in this position.

This position is part of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board AmeriCorps (VHCB AmeriCorps).  The VHCB AmeriCorps program supports the innovative dual-goal approach to creating stable affordable housing opportunities for Vermont residents while preserving the natural and working landscape.  VHCB AmeriCorps is a national service program that places members with non-profit housing or land and energy conservation organizations around the state.

Friends of the Mad River (Friends) is a member-supported, nonprofit organization, founded in 1990. Friends is dedicated to stewarding the Mad River Valley’s healthy land and clean water for our community and for future generations. We build diverse partnerships of neighbors, businesses, towns, and other organizations to restore and enhance the watershed’s valued resources. Together, we learn about the health of the land and water; conserve our natural resources; and celebrate this special place. Our work is grounded in sound science, inclusive education and engagement, and thoughtful action.

Essential Functions:

• Develop events list and calendar with Friends staff and community partners
• Coordinate public educational and engagement (E&E) events and projects focused on climate resilience and a healthy watershed
• Engage community partners to develop new E&E opportunities
• Develop E & E outreach content for digital and print distribution (e-news, social media, newsletter)
• Document events, including attendance, photos, and key takeaways
• Support and expand existing Friends programs, including;
• Climate & Ecology Book Club – partner with the Mad River Valley Libraries to host bi-monthly books clubs
• Expert Series – coordinate field trips and webinars that bring expert knowledge to the watershed
• Mad River Watch – develop E&E opportunities tailored to Mad River Watch volunteers
• Storm Smart & Stream Wise – engage private landowners and managers to identify opportunities for watershed stewardship across the landscape
• Environmental Restoration – provide direct support removing invasive species, planting riparian buffers and upland forests
• Stewardship Partners– support key stewardship partners ship such as stewardMRV and the MRV Black Bear Initiative

Additional Information:

Service will take place both indoors and outdoors. Some outdoor events will take place during inclement weather and throughout all seasons.

Position begins September 9th, 2024 and ends August 8th, 2025.

This position is Full Time: Requires 1,720 hours for an average of 40 hours per week for 47 weeks. Member will receive a living allowance of $30,000 (pre-tax) for the service term. Member will receive an education award of $7,395 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of service. 

Other benefits include health insurance, federal school loan forbearance, and various training and networking opportunities.

To Apply: https://vhcb.org/our-programs/vhcb-americorps/positions

For questions about this position or to send additional materials:

Ira Shadis

4061 Main St, Waitsfield, VT 05673

Application deadline: August 11th, 2024. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis; open until filled.

Additional information on the AmeriCorps is available at www.americorps.gov.