The Conservation Ecologist supports the Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy’s conservation programs by assisting with administration of the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP) and by providing support to TNC’s land management team. The Conservation Ecologist will perform field and desktop analyses of natural resources, assess protected areas for wetlands, streams, invasive species, and wildlife habitats, review and help to develop management and restoration plans for TNC and partners, and perform land management tasks for MNRCP and TNC-managed properties throughout the state.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The Conservation Ecologist provides technical leadership and support to the Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy by performing field and desktop natural resource assessments and evaluating protected area management and stewardship plans. The Conservation Ecologist will work on a team that supports TNC’s administration of MNRCP, which TNC administers on behalf of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Support for MNRCP will include: site visits and assessment of proposed and completed mitigation sites; field and desktop analysis of projects to determine natural resources present and ecological value; support of the MNRCP proposal review process; review of project restoration, monitoring, and management plans; program outreach; and communication with program partners, including state and federal agencies, municipalities, and non-profit conservation groups. The Conservation Ecologist will support TNC’s land management team by performing a variety of land management duties on TNC-managed properties around the state, including invasive species control, trail maintenance, boundary marking, ecological monitoring, and management plan review and revisions.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Provide support for TNC’s administration of MNRCP and TNC’s land management team.
- Support MNRCP through field and desktop natural resource evaluations, review of project restoration, monitoring, and management plans, and assisting with administration of program operation.
- Conduct field and office work as part of the land management team maintaining TNC preserves statewide.
- Perform tasks with minimal supervision and make independent decisions based on analysis, experience, and context.
- Engage in learning and practicing principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and use these principles as a lens in communication and decision-making.
- May supervise volunteers, graduate students, and/or interns and has ability to motivate, lead, set objectives and manage performance, including conflict resolution.
- Ensure program compliance with internal policies and external requirements.
- May work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain and under physically demanding circumstances.