Pinedale or Jackson, WY

Position Title: Land Steward & Staff Biologist

Organization: Jackson Hole Land Trust

Location: Pinedale or Jackson, WY

Organization Overview: Jackson Hole Land Trust’s mission is to protect and steward Northwest Wyoming landscapes for current and future generations. They envision a legacy of resilient open spaces, wildlife habitat, working lands, and community places, forever protected across Northwest Wyoming.

Position Overview: The Land Steward & Staff Biologist is responsible for stewarding conservation easement properties and ensuring that conservation decisions are tied to sound science. The core of the position is to ensure for the integrity of conservation easement partnerships through annual monitoring and support to landowners in the care and improvement of their properties. Additionally, the position maintains and develops relationships with State, Federal, and NGO partners to ensure that the JHLT is informed with timely and accurate scientific information and potential resources to further its conservation interests.

Duties: 

Stewardship: 70%

• Create and maintain effective relationships with conservation easement landowners, ranch managers, and property caretakers
• Ensure easement monitoring, through property visits with fellow stewardship staff, is completed on an annual basis
• Identify and document natural and human-driven changes to easement properties that may impact the conservation values of a property
• Effectively communicate with landowners to inform them of best management practices encouraged by the JHLT and often required by the conservation easement
• Assist landowners with property stewardship through personal expertise, JHLT conservation partners, and in-house resource materials
• Provide analysis of impacts of property uses to conservation values to inform decision-making by the Director of Stewardship and the Board of Directors
• Work with staff, landowners, and partners to initiate resolution of easement violations
• Assist Director of Stewardship to maintain records of conservation easement monitoring, violations and requests from year to year
• Assist Director of Stewardship in preparation for Stewardship Committee and Board meetings by creating maps and other documents
• Maintain stewardship equipment in good, working order
• Assist with management of JHLT-owned conservation properties

Fundraising and Communications support: 10%

• Attend JHLT donor and outreach events, as needed
• Assist with landowner and public outreach including newsletters, web content, and social media posts
• Represent the organization in the capacity of Staff Biologist, as needed, as a presenter/educator in various situations designed to increase public awareness of the mission and goals of JHLT

Protection: 20%

• Create Baseline inventory documentation for new conservation easement projects
• Identify and evaluate conservation values for new conservation easement projects
• Maintain relationships with State, Federal, and NGO partners to inform protection work

Qualifications:

• Preferably a master’s degree in wildlife biology, ecology, rangeland management, or related field or other post-baccalaureate schooling in agriculture or conservation-based land management
• 5+ years of experience in natural resource management, conservation practice, and communications in the Intermountain West, preferably in the following fields: Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, Watershed or fisheries management, Habitat management for species of conservation concern (migratory birds, amphibians, etc), or Landscape resiliency
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
• Working knowledge of resource management topics of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the ability to convey this both in a professional setting and in laymen’s terms
• Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships and effectively communicate with co-workers, landowners, agencies, board members and other stakeholders with a diversity of perspectives
• Experience developing and managing multiple projects and timelines
• Working knowledge of ArcGIS to create maps and analyze landscape values
• Practical problem-solving and organization skills with attention to detail and record-keeping
• Proven interest in land conservation
• Valid driver’s license and a reliable form of transportation required for monitoring

Salary/Pay: $54,000 – 64,000 / year Depending on Experience

Application Deadline: December 15

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