Job Title: Wetland Specialist

Organization: Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever

Type of opportunity: This is a temporary position between Pheasants Forever (PF), along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW), and Ducks Unlimited Inc. (DU), to work on restoring seasonal wetlands in Northeast Illinois for the improvement of wildlife habitat diversity, water quality, and flood protection. The Wetland Specialist (WS) will be the primary representative of the partnership in the field and help to coordinate, plan, and manage projects. The WS will be responsible for seeing existing projects through completion, provide post-restoration management recommendations, and develop new projects. The position will be based from the WS’s home location, ideally in the Ford-Champaign County area.

Contact: For any questions, please contact Erin Holmes, Illinois State Coordinator, at eholmes@pheasantsforever.org

Duties:

• Program promotion, providing technical assistance to private landowners, conservation planning, contract coordination, site assessment, and reporting to support the delivery of a grant-based wetland project focused in the same counties.
• Coordinate and conduct training sessions which include workshops and tours for landowners and resource professionals.
• Provide technical assistance for wetland habitat management techniques to private landowners and public organizations.
• Meet with local partners to coordinate and influence wetland habitat management efforts and participate in statewide meetings.
• Meet regularly with PF, USFWS-PFW, and DU staff regarding projects.
• Aid private landowners with their wetland projects both pre- and post-restoration.
• Assist in construction management for wetland restoration or enhancement activities.
• Attend necessary trainings.

 
Desired qualifications:

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with landowners and partner agencies.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service, sales and promotion to cooperators interested in conservation.
• Ability to work independently with little supervision and with diverse personalities and organizations.
• Extensive knowledge of wildlife ecology, wetland ecology, and wetland management techniques.
• Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems such as ArcMap and air photo interpretation.
• Knowledge of soils and their influence on water holding capacity.
• Knowledge of the Wetlands Campaign of the Illinois State Wildlife Action Plan.
• Excellent verbal and written communication. Good computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite).
• Strong organizational skills.
• Valid driver’s license required; some use of personal vehicle required (mileage reimbursement provided

Start and end dates:  October 2019 –  June 30, 2021.

Salary/pay: $32,000 + Health Benefits and Retirement Package

How to apply: Visit our website at: http://www.pheasantsforever.org/jobs . ONLY ONLINE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Please combine your cover letter, resume and 3 references into 1 Word document or PDF file before uploading to the Recruitment website.

Application deadline: 9/25/2019