Position Title: Public Involvement AmeriCorps Member
Position Location: Hamilton County Conservation District, 1325 E Kemper Road, Suite 115, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246
Reports To: HCCD Public Involvement Coordinator
Position Duration: Begins November 6, 2023, and ends, October 2, 2024. Requires a minimum of 1,700 hours of service over the service period.
Benefits:
The member will receive a stipend of up to $20,400, and the stipend will be paid biweekly. If the term of service is completed successfully, the member may be eligible for a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $6,895. Full-time members have access to healthcare and childcare. The member will not be an employee of Hamilton County Conservation District (HCCD) and is not entitled to any of the benefits or compensation Hamilton County Conservation District provides to its employees. Housing is not available.
About ORBCorps:
The Ohio River Basin AmeriCorps (ORBCorps) program has been formed to address the issue of poor water quality in Southwest Ohio. Residents are often unaware of our poor water quality and once informed are not really sure how they themselves can have any effect on the problem and the potential solutions. Introducing AmeriCorps members to this area will help expand the education, outreach and data collection efforts to continue to push for cleaner water and better educated residents. At the same time, it will help AmeriCorps members develop skills that will prepare them for employment as a natural resource or water quality professional.
Overview:
The Hamilton County Conservation District is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio, established in 1945 to work with landowners to help address soil and water conservation issues. The District’s purpose is to improve and sustain soil and water quality in Hamilton County, and our mission is to provide resources to meet the conservation needs of Hamilton County land users. Hamilton County Conservation District provides technical assistance, educational programming and other resources to landowners to help them address a diverse range of local conservation issues.
AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges, through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.
Position Description:
The Public Involvement AmeriCorps Member will be an active participant in the implementation of conservation projects alongside students, residents, other conservation agencies and a variety of other public constituents. This person will assist with the preparation and delivery of existing programs and the development of new or additional programming. Conservation programs can vary from traditional classroom style programs to scientific data collection. Due to the variety of programs delivered, this position will involve a mix of outdoor fieldwork including but not limited to: wading in streams, handling fish and other aquatic life, public speaking, educational content creation and managing data and spreadsheets. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working outdoors and have an interest in environmental education.
Essential Position Responsibilities:
- Participate in fish community field surveys using Ohio Environmental Protection Agency electrofishing techniques
- Collection/management/analysis of data from fish community and habitat surveys
- Preparation of sampling reports to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Manage program equipment inventories
- Create environmental education aides and activities
- Possibly provide public education presentations
- Collaborate with outside organizations
- Possibly produce or assist in production of web, print &/or video content
- Assist in staffing public event displays on weekends and evenings
- Assist with coordination of Master Rain Gardener program
- Attend and assist with Regional Watershed Network meetings
AmeriCorps Responsibilities:
- Mid-term and final performance evaluations conducted by supervisor
- Weekly timesheets
- Member Service Plan for tracking achieved goals
- Member surveys and exit survey
Training: Hamilton County Conservation District will provide the necessary training and oversight to allow the AmeriCorps member to successfully perform all aspects of this position. Additionally, the AmeriCorps member will receive monthly programmatic training on a variety of conservation topics. Training content may include, but is not limited to first aid, CPR, volunteer engagement, native species planting techniques, facilitating public involvement, environmental education, minimum control measures and land management.
Qualifying Skills and Abilities:
- Must possess a high school diploma or GED
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office products with an emphasis on excel
- Experience working with Google Suite and Adobe Creative Suite a plus
- Experience doing data analysis and managing data sets
- Ability to communicate in a professional, accurate and energetic manner to a variety of audiences
- Work well within a team: respect and support initiatives of others; communicate in a timely and professional manner with team members, project partners, and supervisors
- A direct working knowledge of watersheds and how humans can impact them
- A direct working knowledge of conservation issues as they apply to natural resources
- Ability to lift at least 25 pounds and carry over uneven surfaces
- Willingness to work outside, at times, in inclement weather and in streams
- Be available on some weekends and evenings (seasonally on a weekly to monthly basis)
- Must successfully pass a comprehensive background and criminal investigation check.
- A valid driver’s license, insurance and a good driving record is required
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in education, or other related environmental field(s)-with at least 2 years’ experience in teaching and/or curriculum development
- Knowledge of the USEPA-NPDES Phase II Storm Water Regulations
- Knowledge of local fish species
Service Schedule:
Daily hours for the Public Involvement AmeriCorps member will be 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for a total of 40 hours a week. Some weeknight and weekend hours may be required.
To Apply: go to http://www.hcswcd.org/orbcorps-info.html. There you can upload a cover letter, resume/CV and 3 references.
The Hamilton County Conservation District is an equal opportunity employer.
