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Form of workFellow: One Tam Forest Health Community Engagement
Do you love nature, the outdoors, and talking to people? Are you interested in learning and sharing forest science? Are you interested in work-based learning and professional development in parks? This is a full-time, one-year, paid fellowship designed for individuals interested in parks, forests, and Community Engagement.
Organization Description:
Since 1981, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy) has served as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, collaborating with the Presidio Trust, partners, donors, and the community to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The GGNRA stretches across three Bay Area counties north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge and includes iconic places such as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, Alcatraz Island, Crissy Field, Mori Point, Lands End, and the Presidio of San Francisco.
The Parks Conservancy engages at the intersection of national park sites, local communities, social justice, and climate resilience. Collaborating with partners, our staff are dedicated to enhancing public awareness and providing volunteer and educational opportunities in the parks. We are park builders, caretakers, ambassadors and educators, all working to connect people to parks in support of our vision Parks for All Forever. Join Us.
One Tam is a partnership between the National Park Service, California State Parks, Marin County Parks, Marin Water, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Together, we work for the long-term health of Mt. Tamalpais by studying and enhancing the health of our ecosystems, improving trail corridors, expanding educational programming, and inspiring community support through volunteerism and philanthropy.
Position Overview:
To support forest resilience, in 2023 the One Tam partnership released the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy. The plan takes a multi-benefit approach—restoring habitat; reducing wildfire risk to people and ecosystems due to climate change and decades of fire exclusion; collaborating with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge; and other benefits. Gaining public support for increased forest management —including prescribed burns-- in Marin County’s public lands is a vital part of building the capacity for doing the work on the ground.
We are seeking a Community Engagement Fellow to help ensure the success of this collaborative project by leading efforts to educate and engage community members about Marin’s forests and the need for forest stewardship. The Fellow will gain knowledge on fire ecology, the role that invasive species play in increasing wildland fire behavior, wildland fire safety and prevention, and climate change adaptation strategies for forest management.
This position is housed within the Parks Conservancy’s Community Stewardship and Engagement Department. This position will also work closely with colleagues in the Parks Conservancy’s Projects and Community Science Departments as well as Marin Water, National Park Service, Marin County Parks, and California State Parks. We are a diverse, collaborative, and fun team that leads engagement programs on and around Mt. Tamalpais lands and communicates key messages to the public. We are passionate about science, land, and people!
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
Community Engagement
- Coordinate and lead programs and activities that engage visitors at park sites, community events, and festivals about Forest Health topics. Many of these programs will be led from the Tam Van, our mobile visitor center, which the Fellow will drive. Sites will include One Tam partner lands where Forest Health work is happening such as Lake Lagunitas, Marin City, Muir Woods, Tomales Bay State Park, and others.
- With staff support, develop creative and engaging informational and educational activities, materials, signs, flyers that synthesize key messages related to Forest Health, fire ecology, climate change, conservation, local flora and fauna, and One Tam projects and programs.
- Organize and work with volunteers; train volunteers on Forest Health related topics.
- Build relationships with community partners and attend community meetings.
- Support stewardship and other volunteer and community programs as time allows
Operations and Administration
- Support Tam Van program operations, such as vehicle maintenance, cleaning and stocking; safety practices; scheduling and other logistics.
- Support general program administration, such as meeting attendance and coordination, data and photo management, and purchase of materials.
Training
- Participate in virtual and in-person workshops, trainings and discussions relating to forests, the ecology of Mt. Tamalpais; safety; diversity, equity, and inclusion; workforce skills development; job search essentials; leadership; and field -specific technical skills.
Position terms:
This is a full-time, benefitted position for a 12-month term with a possible extension.
- Start Date: April 16, 2024
- Schedule: 40 hours a week, generally Tuesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm. We request candidates to be flexible and accept dynamic schedules, as much of our work is weather dependent and in collaboration with our communities.
- Location: This position involves a mix of office and fieldwork, primarily in Marin County. Office work will be based from One Tam’s San Rafael office and our Fort Mason, San Francisco office. One to three days per week will involve fieldwork, which includes taking the Tam Van to park sites, attending community events, running volunteer programs at parks, attending meetings at One Tam partner offices and more.
- Transportation: access to work vehicles is provided from our offices in San Rafael or San Francisco.
Reports To: Community Engagement Senior Program Manager
Desired Education and/or Experience:
- College degree or relevant experience
- Minimum age: 18 years old
- Minimum two years of driving experience with current driver’s license, excellent driving record and comfortable driving; interested in being trained to drive the large Tam Van and committed to driving safely.
Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Interest in Forest Health, fire ecology, climate change, parks, love of the outdoors and curious about our local ecology, Mt. Tam, environmental issues, climate change; eager to learn and share information with others.
- Strong speaking and writing skills; Spanish or other languages a plus.
- Interest in communications, art and design skills a plus.
- Friendly and enjoy speaking with members of the public; eager to offer programming for people of all ages including preschoolers, teens, and seniors.
- Enthusiasm for working with people of diverse backgrounds including different ethnicities, races, genders, sexualities, ages, and viewpoints.
- Highly organized and able to coordinate program logistics for self, colleagues, and volunteers.
- Basic computer skills including experience with Google documents and MS Office suite programs (Word, Excel).
- Ability to work independently once provided direction.
- Reliable and punctual.
Physical Requirement and Work Environments:
- Able to work in an office environment and in challenging field conditions. Field conditions may include working outside in inclement weather, loading and unloading program supplies; able to lift 25 pounds, able to occasionally hike on uneven and steep terrain for several miles.
- Reliable transportation to One Tam’s San Rafael Office Dr., located at 1600 Los Gamos (whether by car, bus, or bike) or our Fort Mason, San Francisco office.
Pay Rate and Benefits:
- Pay rate: $22/hour (Grade 8)
- Competitive suite of medical, dental, and vision plans for employee and family
- Up to 3 weeks paid vacation; plus, additional one week of personal days, 11 paid holidays, and sick days
- 403(b) retirement plan
- Employer-match Commuter Program
- Employee Assistance Program and employee discounts
- Work from beautiful locations across Mt. Tam and Marin parklands.
Health and Safety:
It is the goal of the Parks Conservancy to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace. We work to mitigate hazards and risks that may cause harm to employees, consistent with state and federal laws. Employees play an active role in creating a safe and healthy workplace and are expected to comply with all applicable health and safety rules.
Based on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parks Conservancy requires all employees to be vaccinated and to provide proof of such vaccination as a condition of employment.
Application Deadline Date: Applications will be reviewed as they come in. Priority consideration will be given to applications received by March 19, 2024. After that date, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please apply with a resume and thoughtful cover letter that specifies the name of the position you are applying for. Applicants applying to both the Forest Health Community Engagement Fellow and the One TamCommunity Engagement Fellow should indicate which position they would prefer and why.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities as needed.
The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment, placement, and promotions are conducted without regard to an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical handicap, veteran status or sexual orientation, or any other classification protected by Federal, State, and local laws & ordinances. We will consider qualified candidates with criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
