Buzzards Bay Coalition
114 Front Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
savebuzzardsbay.org
The Buzzards Bay Coalition (BBC) is a membership-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration, protection, and sustainable use and enjoyment of our irreplaceable Bay and its watershed. The Coalition works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research, and advocacy. The Watershed Protection Department within BBC advances land conservation, land stewardship and habitat restoration activities throughout the watershed of Buzzards Bay. BBC holds a total of 38 conservation easements (2,000 acres) and owns and operates a series of 5 publicly accessible river and bay reserves totaling about 400 acres.
Land Stewardship Coordinators (LSC) Build the long-term capacity of their host sites by creating networks of volunteers to support hands-on stewardship of community lands. They organize, train, and collaborate with municipal boards, neighborhood and civic associations, community members, youth groups, and schools to care for, improve access to, and support the long-term resiliency and sustainable use of community lands.
LSCs may assist their host site by: surveying and monitoring conservation land, building and maintaining recreational trails, monitoring and maintaining urban farmland, restoring wildlife habitat, mitigating erosion, and improving public access to open spaces. By providing training and organizing collaborative land-focused projects, they increase resources for community projects, demonstrate environmentally responsible land management, help individuals build skills, and nurture an inclusive sense of public ownership in the local landscape. LSCs spend roughly 40% of their time in the office and 60% in the field.
TerraCorps members engage with their supervisors to develop and carry out three or more capacity building projects over the course of the service year. Some of these projects will involve recruiting, training, and/or managing community volunteers. Buzzards Bay Coalition has proposed the following potential project for their Land Stewardship Coordinator:
1) Complete baseline documentation reports for conservation land properties.
2) Enhance access to conservation land properties by coordinating development of public access trails.
3) Develop and implement property specific public engagement plans for interpreting the natural and cultural history at one of our sites through multiple communication pathways including site natural history hikes, development of interpretive kiosks, development of short videos, development of content for property specific web pages, and short pieces for local newspaper and radio.
4) Recruit and train volunteers to conduct stewardship and citizen science projects such as trail maintenance, invasive plant inventories, and salt marsh/river habitat restoration activities.
5) Provide community outreach on topics such as water resource protection, wildlife habitat management, invasive species management, and other stewardship topics.
Development of these and other projects will occur during the first two months of service and consider the member’s interests and skills.
Essential Qualifications:
- BA/BS in natural resources, forestry, land use planning or other scientific related field (experience may be substituted for education)
- Knowledge and direct experience with ArcGIS mapping software
- Ability to navigate independently in the field utilizing map, compass, and GPS units
- Ability to read and interpret various maps such as surveys, aerial photos, and USGS topographical maps
- Experience working with natural systems and identifying plant and wildlife species
- Comfortable working independently in both an office and field setting
- Able to walk 3-4 miles a day over uneven terrain and work in a range of weather conditions
- Comfortable utilizing computer programs such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and have the ability to quickly learn new programs
Desired Qualifications:
- Ability to effectively communicate with people from a variety of backgrounds
- Ability to write detailed technical reports
- Knowledge of the principles of natural lands management and water resource protection
- Experience with the flora and fauna of coastal New England
- Experience using and/or working around a variety of hand and power tools such as brush cutters, chainsaws, drills, hammers, etc.
- Experience driving and operating 4×4 pickup trucks
- Experience giving presentations and/or trainings to diverse audiences
- Experience recruiting, training, and managing volunteers
- Experience developing and completing projects both independently and with others
For questions about BBC’s Land Stewardship Coordinator position, contact sidar@savebuzzardsbay.org.
