Position description

Wilderness Dayen (Forest Service Colorado)

Title: Wilderness Dayen
Reports To: National Program Director
Classification: Exempt
Location: The Dayen will work on wilderness areas within the White River National Forest in Colorado, based out of Minturn, CO
Start Date: 05/01/2023
Time: Full Time (40 hours), 1 year contract
Salary: $20/Hr or 42,400$/annually
Benefits: 2 weeks paid time off per year, federal holidays, $500/month health insurance reimbursement, simple IRA with 3% employer match.
Application Review Begins: 02/24/2023

To Apply: Email a resume, cover letter, a one-to-two page writing sample, and three professional or academic references to Julia Cotter at: hiringmanager@wildernessstewardship.org Please include the position you are interested in that email subject line of the email.

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship (SWS) is a non-profit organization seeking to promote excellence in the professional practice of wilderness stewardship, science, and education to ensure the life-sustaining benefits of wilderness. In other words, we are a professional society working to set the standard for wilderness management.

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) For more than 100 years, the Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. The USFS seeks to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

The White River National Forest is a 21st century organization, leading the nation in innovative landscape conservation, connecting citizens to the land through world-class recreation, restoring and enhancing resilient ecosystems, and contributing to sustainable economies. We share our story and take care of each other as we continue our legacy of meeting incredible challenges with passion, creativity, and collaboration.

Location

Eagle-Holy Cross and Dillon Ranger Districts are two of the most highly visited ranger districts in the country, encompassing the mountains stretching along both sides of Interstate 70 from Eisenhower Tunnel to Glenwood Canyon. People come from around the world to enjoy world class recreation opportunities. The districts span all ecosystems from 14-thousand-foot-high alpine peaks to pinyon juniper high desert ecosystems. With 300+ days of sun per year and temperatures rarely below 20˚ in the winter, the Eagle Valley (where the position is based) has one of the most livable climates in the Rockies. The valley communities host a variety of services including many modern health care, libraries, county recreation facilities, performing arts centers, and Denver and big city amenities are just a short drive east on I-70. For this position, a USFS truck will be provided for all work-related travel. It is highly recommended that this fellow have a car for personal use while living at the bunkhouse in Minturn, CO.

Program Overview

The Wilderness Fellows Program is a collaborative effort and was created in order to complete Wilderness Character Baseline Assessments, thereby continuing important assessment work that has been underway since 2001, and fulfilling the USFS Wilderness Stewardship Performance (WSP) element “Wilderness Character Baseline”. The Wilderness Character Baseline requires that steps be made to determine a baseline and provide the foundation for evaluating trends in wilderness character. These trends indicate the outcome of management actions and success at preserving wilderness character as directed by the Wilderness Act.

As stated in Keeping It Wild 2: An Updated Interagency Strategy to Monitor Trends in Wilderness Character Across the National Wilderness Preservation System (Landres et. al, 2015), “the results of wilderness character monitoring provide [agency staff who manage wilderness day-to-day, and regional and national staff who develop wilderness policy and assess its effectiveness] some of the key data they need to improve wilderness stewardship and wilderness policy.” The report goes on to say that, “Implementing this monitoring strategy does not guarantee the preservation of wilderness character, but it informs and improves wilderness stewardship, and ensures managers are accountable to the central mandate of the 1964 Wilderness act – to preserve wilderness character.”

In 2001, the USFS Wilderness Monitoring Committee developed the first national framework for Wilderness Character Monitoring (WCM). Progression was attained by the USFS in 2006 with WCM pilot testing occurring in every USFS region and the publication of the Applying the Concept of Wilderness Character to National Forest Planning, Monitoring, and Management in 2008.

After years of testing different monitoring protocols, the USFS and Aldo Leopold Research Institute published the Wilderness Character Monitoring Technical Guide in May of 2019. This document provides a national framework and detailed protocols to monitor trends in wilderness character in the Forest Service. Wilderness Fellows will apply the tools in the Technical Guide to complete wilderness character baseline assessments.

Position Overview

This fellow will be based in Minturn, CO, with some travel within the Dillon and Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District areas. Work is roughly 90% office-based and 10% field-based and is performed at USFS offices to directly support the goals of a collaborative wilderness character monitoring initiative currently underway in the USFS. The Dayen will work closely with Wilderness staff and SWS staff to produce a wilderness character baseline assessment for three wilderness areas in the White River National Forest.

Primary Responsibilities

Lead the project to produce Wilderness Character Baseline Assessments for the Eagles Nest and Ptarmigan Peaks Wilderness Areas. Coordinate with Forest Service staff, partners and others, write the assessments, set overall project timelines and goals.
Attend a one-week Wilderness Fellow training at Powell Ranger station, near Missoula, MT.
Work out of remote USFS locations, residing in USFS housing.
Coordinate meetings with USFS resource specialists and line officers to gather information regarding wilderness character.
Research, compile, and analyze legislative and administrative historical data per wilderness area.
Travel to and into wilderness areas.
Select indicators relevant for each wilderness area to monitor wilderness character over time.
Compile and analyze data for selected monitoring indicators and complete a baseline assessment for wilderness character monitoring.
Implement inventory and monitoring strategies for tracking wilderness character.
Write a wilderness character baseline assessment for each wilderness area worked in.
Participate in weekly conference calls.
Set and meet benchmarks and deadlines for data collection, meetings, and draft and final reports.

Key Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field, Master’s degree preferred.
Educational background in Wilderness Management, Protected Area/Natural Resource Management, Recreation Resource Management, Conservation, Social Science, Environmental Policy, Natural, Biological and/or Physical Science.
Deep interest in wilderness/resource management and the U.S. Forest Service.
Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
Research skill and attention to detail and organization.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively on projects, a high degree of initiative.
Understanding and the ability to use GIS is a plus.
Results-oriented with the ability to set and follow realistic goals and objectives.
Flexibility to adapt when faced with changing needs and priorities.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, comfort with technology.
Ability to travel to remote field locations (travel provided), and to relocate if necessary (assistance not provided).
Must have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
A personal vehicle is highly suggested for travel to the location and off-day travel.

Essential Functions: Employee may be required to sit, stand, and lift objects up to 50 lbs. Employee may be required to travel and camp in the backcountry, and to drive to remote project locations.

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship is an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.

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