The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, a regional non-profit organization based in Annapolis, MD with offices in Virginia and Pennsylvania, seeks an enthusiastic and creative person to join its Chesapeake Forests staff and lead program outreach and management in its efforts to restore forests throughout the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. This position is supported by grant funding for up to two years.

About the Alliance:
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s core mission is to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers by building partnerships, engaging communities to find collaborative solutions, and connecting people to the Bay and its rivers. The Alliance also leads a wide array of on-the- ground restoration projects.

Job Description:

Under the supervision of Alliance’s Chesapeake Forests Director and the guidance of West Virginia Division of Forestry (DOF), this position works to increase the Forestry Technical Support for West Virginia’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). This support will be provided to the Farm Service Agency in the eight counties that drain into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Travel will be required regularly throughout the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District area (Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan Counties) and occasionally throughout the bay watershed.
Candidates must be well organized and able to learn and adapt quickly and be able to evaluate and solve problems and complete tasks on time and in a quality manner. Candidates should have the ability to take initiative and work independently, but also function as a member of a team.

The CREP riparian buffer forester will:

• Provide CREP outreach through the use of the GIS based CREP targeting tool developed by Maryland and adopted by the WV Division of Forestry.
• Provide training to other technical service providers on the use of the targeting tool.
• Provide education to agricultural producers on all aspects of the CREP program with emphasis on Conservation Practices CP22, riparian forested buffers
• Provide technical assistance for CP11 to improve CREP re-enrollments in the next 5 years.
• Provide continued monitoring of all CREP plantings with follow-ups and environmental reviews.
• Reporting all CREP forest buffer activities for Chesapeake Bay BMPs through the (NEIEN) process

Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree in relevant field such as forestry, ecology, natural resource management, environmental science, wildlife management, agriculture, biology and work experience in the natural resources sector
• Understanding of tree planting and maintenance best management practices
• Knowledge of watershed and natural resource issues and working landscapes
• Effective writing and communications skills

Other Desirable Expertise, Interests, and Skills:

• Experience working with a variety of environmental stakeholders in the professional setting, including (but not limited to): private woodland owners, agricultural producers, federal, state and local government agencies, academic institutions, local and regional watershed or conservation groups and volunteers
• Knowledge base of natural resources management, forestry, Chesapeake Bay issues and natural resource and conservation funding programs and agencies
• Experience with the design and/or installation of conservation landscapes and best management practices
• Understanding of Chesapeake Bay forest ecosystems, trees, and other native plants
• Experience writing newsletters, press releases, articles, or other outreach materials
• Understanding of basic invoicing and project budgeting

Location:WV Division of Forestry office, Inwood, WV
Type of Position: Full time (40 hours weekly) with some flexibility to work from home, but also requires working some nights and/or weekends depending on established project deliverables.
Salary: $40,000
Health insurance, life insurance and retirement benefits available.
Closing Date: July 21th, 2017

To apply:

Send an email with the subject line “CREP Forester” and attach PDF copies of the following to forests@allianceforethebay.org
1. Cover letter indicating your interest and experience
2. Résumé or CV
3. Names and phone numbers of at least three references
No phone inquiries, please.

The Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer.