North Coast Forest Fellow (Forestry Conservation)

North Coast California

(2-year funded position through Save the Redwoods League’s North Coast Forest Fellowship program,

providing post-graduate opportunities for emerging natural resource professionals in support of the field of redwood forest restoration.)

Save the Redwoods League is looking for a collaborative and energetic natural resource professional who will work to build natural resource management capacity on the conservation lands of California’s north coast. The north coast is home to the majority of the world’s remaining old growth coast redwood forest, as well as large tracts of former timberland now owned by public agencies for conservation purposes. Industrial timberland, small private forest landowners, homesteaders, Native American tribes, and a burgeoning cannabis farming industry all represent significant ownership types in the region. This complex ecological and social context is made further challenging by the remoteness of the landscape.

The Forest Fellow will enhance the forest restoration capacity of Save the Redwoods League’s partner public agencies throughout California’s north coast redwood region, and will increase the League’s local presence and property stewardship capabilities.

Based in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and embedded within land management agencies on the north coast, the Forest Fellow will work to advance a new inter-agency collaborative forest restoration effort by developing planning documents, providing technical expertise to individual land management projects, and convening regional working groups and initiatives.

Further, the Fellow will serve as the League’s place-based representative, and will provide a physical presence that will benefit existing protected lands, League-held properties, and our inter-agency and institutional relationships.

* Coordinate the restoration effort stakeholder group and sub-groups of agency teams

* Provide logistical and administrative support to stakeholder and expert working groups

* Identify alignment between agency planning documents to set restoration priorities

* Develop forest and watershed restoration project priorities in conjunction with working groups

* Collaborate with agency teams to initiate individual restoration projects

* Support project funding efforts

* Convene Mill Creek Advisory Committee and North Coast Forest Restoration Co-op

* Serve as liaison between research institutions, agencies, and the League

* Facilitate and oversee League work to address stewardship and management issues on League-owned properties in the region

* Represent the League at local events

* Develop public communications documents

* Masters-level or higher graduate degree in forestry, conservation biology, or related field required; experience with restoration forestry, management planning, and watershed assessment is desirable

* Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to assemble, assess and organize data, conduct analyses and propose clear, practical recommendations for technical issues

* Commitment to the League’s pragmatic, non-confrontational approach to conservation

* Excellent writer, with proven ability to synthesize primary scientific literature and communicate important findings to a broad audience, as well as to tailor messages to varied audiences

* Self-starter, able to work independently as well as in a team, with a track record of collaborating successfully with others in a complex environment

* Highly organized with excellent project management skills, including the ability to establish and monitor priorities, maintain flexibility, and handle multiple tasks under pressure with stringent time constraints

* Strong verbal communication skills, including public speaking abilities required

* Proficient user of Microsoft Office computer programs, including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint; GIS experience and skills desirable

* Understanding of federal, California state, and local regulatory framework desirable

* Personable with a good sense of humor Working Conditions:

* Frequent travel, predominantly within California.

* Some weekend and evening responsibilities, including overnight trips.

* Valid driver’s license and safe driving record.

* Regularly sits at a desk or workstation.

* Actively utilizes computers, telephones and other office equipment.

* Frequently moves about and between offices to collaborate with colleagues.

* Frequently required to hike through forest land while working off-site, including walking on uneven ground, climbing over obstacles, and accessing remote locations.

* Occasionally lifts, carries, or otherwise moves and positions objects weighing up to 30 pounds.

Save the Redwoods League has been preserving redwood lands for nearly 100 years, with the mission of protecting and restoring redwood forests and connecting people with their peace and beauty. We are leaders in the effort to ensure thousand-year old forests exist for millennia more. To learn more about us, go to www.SaveTheRedwoods.org.