Wyss Conservation Fellow

Overview

Job Summary

The CNPS Wyss Conservation Fellow is a full-time, non-exempt position directly supervised by the Conservation Program Director. The Wyss Fellow shall be employed for a period of two years. As a member of the Conservation Program team, the Wyss Fellow works in support of California’s national monument campaigns with the goal of increasing CNPS’s capacity to advance the conservation of California wildlands and the species and natural communities they support, while training as an early career professional expected to make ongoing contributions toward the conservation of California plants and places.

What You’ll Do

The Wyss Fellow’s primary role will be to provide capacity level support for the Conservation team’s work on California’s national monuments campaign. The fellow will assist the Conservation Program Director in coordinating campaign activities and priorities, including assisting Conservation Program staff in coordinating site visits and stakeholder field trips to proposed monuments sites. The fellow will attend campaign coalition meetings, assisting with the coordination of CNPS Conservation follow-up activities and related research. In addition to monuments work, the fellow will collaborate with Conservation and Communications colleagues on other strategic campaign priorities and actions, such as preparing comment letters, blog posts, and presentations, making calls, and engaging in other forms of advocacy. The Fellow’s other general responsibilities include providing logistical and communications support for the Conservation Program. Projects and tasks assigned will vary as priorities change and needs arise.

National Monuments Projects – 80%

·       Build public and community support to ensure national monument campaign success.  Generate items for “support books” through direct outreach, communication with our members, and the circulation of petitions to document support for campaigns.

·       Attend coalition meetings and coordinate public meetings, tours, and events in collaboration with partners. Mobilize the community, including chapter members, to advocate for campaigns.

·       Develop and deliver campaign messaging (e.g., public-facing articles, blog posts, presentations, petitions), in coordination with Communications and Conservation Program staff.

·       Analyze and synthesize expert information on botanical resources for objects of interest reports to substantiate requests for permanent protection.

·       Research and synthesize news and information related to the environmental and social impacts of monuments designations, identifying common policy issues.

·       Help develop recommendations for national monument management plans by reviewing current management, identifying needs for improved management or monitoring, and researching resources of concern to inform the management plans using the best available science.

Program Support – 20%

·       Attend CNPS Conservation team meetings and provide updates on status of work assignments.

·       Support CNPS staff on advocacy (e.g. writing comment letters, preparing oral testimony, reviewing policy and environmental review documents) on key conservation issues with an emphasis on projects and policies that affect California’s public lands.

·       Attend trainings, workshops, conferences to ensure effective work and support career development.

·       Help craft communications related to projects in coordination with Conservation Program and Communications Program staff.
·       Assist in communications with CNPS chapter conservation volunteers and provide support to the conservation efforts of CNPS chapter members.