Land Management Outreach Associate
Agency: The Clifton Institute
Location: Warrenton, VA
Closing Date: October 13, 2020
Contact: bharris@cliftoninstitute.org.
Please include a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in working at the Clifton Institute. Please also provide the names and email addresses of at least three references.
Term/Grade: Permanent
Position Summary:
The Clifton Institute seeks a Land Management Outreach Associate to educate landowners on best practices for natural habitat management in northern Virginia, to liaise with partner organizations to improve management of native grasslands, and to restore and maintain the Clifton Institute property for the benefit of declining native species. The Clifton Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located north of Warrenton, in the northern Piedmont of Virginia. Our 900-acre field station, which includes grasslands, shrublands, forests, and wetlands, is permanently protected under a conservation easement, and is home to 1,800+ species of plants, animals, and fungi. We use organic and conventional methods as well as prescribed fire, mowing, and grazing to manage the 300 acres of early successional habitat on the property. The Clifton Institute is a small but dynamic organization and the successful applicant will play an important role in the growth of the organization.
Major Duties:
- Visiting private properties to advise landowners on the management of grasslands, shrublands, forests, and landscaping to benefit native biodiversity and achieve landowners’ goals. This will include conducting rapid baseline plant assessments to guide management plans and providing advice on:
- Organic and / or conventional management of invasive exotic plants
- Establishment of wildflower meadows
- Shrubland management to provide habitat for priority species
- Management of grazing land to benefit native biodiversity (e.g. rotational grazing, native forage, fescue stockpiling)
- Wildlife management (e.g. managing grasslands for Northern Bobwhite)
- Sustainable forestry
- Liaising with partners (e.g. power and gas companies, the Virginia Department of Transportation, managers of public lands, state biologists, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and non-profit organizations) to improve grassland management at a large scale. This will include educating partners on native biodiversity found in utility corridors and along roadsides, and communicating with partners to improve management.
- Collaborating with the Executive Director and groundskeeping staff to manage grasslands, shrublands, cattle pastures, and forests at the Clifton Institute for the benefit of declining biodiversity and to ensure the Clifton Institute property serves as an example of best practices.
- Generating interest in the Clifton Institute’s restoration and education programs and cultivating potential donors.
- Collaborating with volunteers on native plant propagation projects. This will include overseeing and executing seed collection, sowing, and care of seedlings.
See announcement and apply here.
