Land Stewardship Associate Fellowship
The Aldo Leopold Foundation
Salary: $580 biweekly, housing included
Organizational Overview
The mission of the Aldo Leopold Foundation is to foster a land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold. Our mission is broadly interpreted and applied in education and land care through local, regional, and national initiatives. Based in beautiful Baraboo, Wisconsin, we interpret Aldo Leopold’s Shack and Farm, a National Historic Landmark, for thousands of visitors each year. Our care of this special place and surrounding areas continues a Leopold family tradition while demonstrating on-the-ground conservation relevant to the 21st Century. Through outreach we share Leopold’s land ethic and A Sand County Almanac widely. Utilizing these and other initiatives, we actively engage educators, citizens, natural resource professionals, and private landowners to build a land ethic and improve land health in their own communities.
Future Leaders Program Overview
Leadership in conservation is a critical piece to solving the ongoing and emerging environmental issues of today. The Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Future Leaders Program is designed to provide recent graduates and early career professionals the opportunity to gain experience and grow in six core areas: understanding conservation leadership, finance and fundraising, applied science and natural history knowledge, partnership building, strategic planning, and communication. Each of these areas is addressed through a formal curriculum and applied on-the-job experiences that allow for exploration of each topic and time for each fellow to practice and apply these key elements of leadership. Fellows specialize within one of two program areas, Education and Outreach or Land Stewardship, depending on their individual career aspirations.
Position Impact Statement
The Land Stewardship Fellows assist with a wide variety of land management and monitoring techniques on ALF lands and across the Leopold Pine Island Important Bird Area. In addition, Land Stewardship Fellows also participate in an array of on-site programing, creating opportunities for on-site audiences to join the Foundation in its work to advance a land ethic and land health.
Position Summary
The Land Management Fellowship is a unique opportunity to challenge and enhance your natural resource background through the legacy of Aldo Leopold. Working side-by-side with experienced ALF staff, fellows will assist with management activities on the 2,000 acre Leopold Memorial Reserve (LMR). Surrounding Aldo Leopold’s famous Shack, the Reserve has both restored and remnant native Wisconsin habitat ranging from prairies to floodplain forests to sedge meadows to oak savannas. This diverse outdoor classroom provides opportunities to learn first-hand about native plant communities, identify threats to native landscapes, and gain effective tools and strategies to efficiently manage a number of diverse ecosystems. As seasons change, management focuses on different activities including invasive species control, prescribed burning, monitoring, prairie planting, and more. Fellows will have the opportunity to interact with both a diverse range of conservation professionals and the Leopold family, who play active roles in guiding and executing the foundation’s mission.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assist with land management activities on the Leopold Pine Island Important Bird Area. This includes but is not limited to prescribed fire, herbaceous and woody invasive species treatment, timber stand improvement, prairie planting and establishment, brush management, plant identification, mowing etc.
- Attend a wide variety of professional development trainings focusing on the aforementioned core areas. These will constitute approximately 20% of the working hours of the position.
- Provide support and logistics for on-site programing including crane congregation tours, property tours for outside groups, Shack tours, educational programing, front desk staffing etc.
- Document management activities in summary reports, grant tracking documents etc.
- Maintain ALF equipment and vehicles. Includes routine maintenance, shop organization, equipment repair, etc.
- Become familiar with the life and work of Aldo Leopold and his family. Explore your own connection to and understanding of land ethics.
- Become familiar with the work of all staff at the Aldo Leopold Foundation and how each staff member contributes to the mission.
- Other tasks as assigned
Qualifications Summary
The Aldo Leopold Foundation seeks recent graduates or early career professional with a degree in a natural resources-related field. Fellows must be prepared for physically demanding work in a variety of conditions including extreme heat and cold, standing high water, and exposure to ticks and mosquitoes. Applicants should have an interest in and passion for learning about the complex and interdependent world of conservation. The ideal candidate will be have some relevant outdoor experience, have demonstrated leadership skills and be adaptable, energetic, and eager to learn. All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States at the time they apply and have a valid driver’s license. Fellows must commit full-time for the entire nine-month program.
Fellowship Term, Hours and Schedule
The internship start date is Monday March 12th, 2018 and will run through December 14th, 2018 (39 weeks). Fellow’s hours will vary depending on the season and management activity. Most weeks will consist of 5 workdays, 8am to 4pm. During some seasons, longer days will be expected, with time off later in the week.
Fellowship Compensation
The Land Stewardship Fellows will be paid $580 biweekly. Fellows also receive nine days of paid vacation. Housing is provided in the recently completed Future Leaders Center. (Internet and utilities included).
Approximate Hiring Timeline
February 1st – Applications Due
February 12th- 16th – Phone Interviews
March 12th – Preferred Start Date
Application Procedure
Please send the following application materials to Carl Cotter, Stewardship Coordinator (cdcotter@aldoleopold.org) by February 1, 2018.
- A one-page cover letter,
- A resume (no more than two pages), and
- A 300-500 word response to the following prompt: Please describe one instance in your academic or professional career in which you have demonstrated leadership. What qualities made you successful and what did you learn from the experience?
Applicants must also have two academic and/or professional references complete the Fellowship Reference Form by February 1, 2018. Fellowship Reference Form can be found here: www.aldoleopold.org/2018-fellowship-references
