Lompoc, California

Position Title: Preserve Manager

Organization: Center for Natural Lands Management

Location: Lompoc, California

Organization Overview: The Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, created in 1990, whose mission is the perpetual stewardship of natural and created conservation lands, sensitive species, and their resident ecosystems.  Conservation stewardship activities are practiced on preserves in California, Oregon, and Washington.  CNLM currently has a preserve portfolio of over 100 preserves that combined represent more than 75,000 acres of high conservation value.

The majority (>90) of CNLM’s preserves are in California, encompassing over 70,000 acres throughout the state, with new preserves added intermittently.  The preserves vary in size from three to thousands of acres and are managed under direct ownership, conservation easements, or management contracts.  For purposes of organizational structure and oversight, CNLM’s California preserves are organized into (currently five) regions: Northern California, Central California, South Coast, Riverside County, and San Diego County.

Central to CNLM’s mission and fundamental to its success are the principles of rigorous cost estimation for managing conservation areas in perpetuity and application of appropriate scientific information for conservation and restoration.  CNLM staff developed the iconic “PAR” software and made it available (now through subscription to the app) to the conservation community to assist with determination of perpetual stewardship costs.  Financial support for CNLM’s conservation activities is primarily acquired from earnings on investments (endowments) that are professionally managed.  Conservation properties are typically acquired through mitigation processes. As such, the properties have been well vetted for conservation value and are accompanied by perpetual stewardship funding.  In addition to its fee title properties, CNLM monitors and defends conservation easements it has been granted over many properties and works collaboratively with natural resource regulatory agencies to protect and maintain conservation values.

CNLM is culturally significant in its focus on rare and vulnerable species, small populations, and sensitive habitats.  Such responsibilities require stewardship staff with a strong background in natural sciences, the ability to apply principles from conservation biology with experienced discretion, and a passion for contributing to conservation success through long-term, on-the-ground, management.  To fulfill its conservation mission, CNLM has a well-established practice of selecting for and investing in excellent staff.

Given the dispersed nature of its preserves throughout California, and in Washington and Oregon, almost all CNLM staff work from home offices—accessing and posting information in a cloud-based system and maintaining core culture through virtual and in-person (when possible) meetings.  CNLM currently maintains a small administrative office in Temecula, California.

CNLM offers competitive salary, paid vacation and sick time, and other financial benefits.  Most importantly, they offer the opportunity to work with a team of talented and committed conservation professionals and to achieve a legacy of substantial conservation impact.

Position Overview: The Preserve Manager – Santa Barbara County (Preserve Manager) will be responsible for managing a preserve in Santa Barbara County that has been permanently protected for conservation purposes. That preserve – Gaviota Tarplant Ranch Preserve – is a 2,731-acre preserve located south of Lompoc, CA that includes annual and perennial grassland, coastal oak woodland, coastal scrub, riparian, and wetlands. The species that commands the stewardship focus on this preserve is the State and Federally Endangered Gaviota tarplant. Other significant species that reside within the Preserve include Mesa horkelia, Kellogg’s horkelia, and California red-legged frog. CNLM will have perpetual management and monitoring responsibilities for this Preserve.

In this case, the Preserve is sufficiently large and demanding in its management that it is anticipated there will be two Preserve Managers. The Preserve Managers will work together but with some differentiated areas of emphasis—one focused on grazing and rangeland management and one focused on biological monitoring—as described below. The Preserve Managers will work with support of the South Coast Regional Preserve Manager for California in conducting all the management and monitoring activities needed to protect and conserve the Gaviota tarplant. In addition to managing the Preserve, the Preserve Managers may—as part of CNLM’s conservation team—work with other CNLM staff on some other preserves as reasonable for best efficiency.

Both positions will focus on the monitoring and management of Gaviota tarplant populations and habitat conditions and contribute to applied research and adaptive management in support of this species.

Duties: 

• Provide stewardship for the Gaviota Tarplant Ranch Preserve including planning, management, enhancement, monitoring, reporting, budgeting, and other activities
• Monitor occurrences and populations of native, listed, and exotic species of plants and animals
• Carry out specific preserve management activities such as vegetation management, maintaining and repairing fences and posting signs, patrolling and enforcement (of easement conditions), and preparing scopes of work and contracts for specific services if required for appropriate stewardship and as allowed by preserve budgets
• Conduct stewardship activities that could include occasional restoration or enhancement activities and integrated pest management including chemical control of exotics if needed and/or mechanical control
• Manage (adaptively) a grazing program that involves planning and implementation through monitoring and relationship maintenance with landowners, grazing operators, and others
• Review monitoring protocols, analyze and interpret the results of monitoring activities, and incorporate this information into management activities and plans
• Develop and maintain a permanent record of preserve activities, decisions taken, and preserve conditions
• Participate in planning and community meetings as a representative of CNLM and lead outreach as needed – especially with neighboring land owners, police and fire departments, and regulatory and other natural resource agencies and entities, as appropriate
• Manage and engage the public, as needed
• Prepare and implement annual work plans, budgets, and reports
• Identify any additional (beyond provided budget and work plan) important activities, develop plans, and participate in efforts to acquire additional resources
• Work collaboratively, productively, and professionally with other CNLM staff, natural resources agencies, consultants, advisory committees, and other conservation organizations
• Supervise other CNLM staff (e.g., Rangers) if applicable and as appropriate and as needed
• Participate in acquiring new CNLM preserves which includes conducting PAR (Property Analysis Record) analyses on new properties and conducting associated field surveys and due diligence as needed
• Fulfill other duties as assigned .

Qualifications:

• Master of Science (or Arts) degree (strongly preferred) in Natural Resource Management, Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Range Ecology, Botany, or related field; or compelling evidence of equivalent experience and self-education that would result in understanding of core principles and ability to use statistical, preserve design, ecological, and genetic principles in preserve stewardship and decision-making (appropriate academic emphasis will depend on the specific (area of emphasis) Preserve Manager position
• Relevant experience in land stewardship, including application of good management practices, restoration, and management of rare or fragile species; at least three years of such experience is desirable
• Experience in management of annual grassland, coastal scrub, and oak woodland habitats is desirable
• Previous experience and supportive formal education background in rangeland management and use of grazing animals to achieve conservation objectives is required for one of the positions (Grazing and Rangeland Management area of emphasis)
• Previous experience and supportive formal education background in designing field experiments and monitoring protocols for plant species, data management, analysis, and presentation is required for one of the positions (Biological Monitoring area of emphasis)
• Knowledge—identification, life history characteristics, management—of southern California native plants is highly desirable
• Excellent communication skills; ability to write professional stewardship-related plans, reports, and other documents
• Demonstrated effectiveness in working collaboratively and professionally with committees and the public
• Proven self-starter, able to work efficiently and effectively with minimal supervision, and able to appropriately use initiative to meet habitat management goals; seeking advice and policy guidance when needed and appropriate
• Able to quickly learn and effectively use the PAR (Property Analysis Record) software, including the due diligence required for proper application of this financial tool
• Able to prepare annual budgets and manage Preserve activities within them
• Working knowledge of GIS and GPS technologies and associated software and a working knowledge of Windows operating systems and PC applications such as Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with statistical analyses and associated software is desirable
• Possession and maintenance of a valid driver’s license and safe driving record
• Understanding of basic statistical principles for designing monitoring protocols, simple field trials, and analyzing resulting data is highly desirable
• Some familiarity with federal, state, and local environmental legislation and codes such as the California and Federal Endangered Species Acts and ability to work with appropriate discretion in a context involving listed species and regulatory requirements
• Able to structure time effectively and meet deadlines
• Ability to operate from a home office, to provide a safe location for a CNLM vehicle if one is provided, and to make efficient use of the limited funds available for transportation in traveling to/from the Preserve and conducting other work-related responsibilities

Salary/Pay: $64,480 – $74,480

Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

How to Apply: Please use the online application to view the full job description as well as how to apply.