Job Information
The Nature Conservancy Utah NATURE Program Fellow in Charleston, West Virginia
WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER In 2021 The Nature Conservancy and Utah State University-Blanding launched an 8-week paid undergraduate program focused on natural resource management for students with Tribal backgrounds. The Native American Tribes Undertaking Restoration and Education (NATURE) program seeks to bridge the gap between traditional ecological knowledge and western science by mentoring and training a small cadre of undergraduates from Tribal backgrounds to work at the interface of scientific research, public lands management, and Tribal perspectives. Students receive training in essential skills including GIS, remote sensing, methods in rangeland assessments, ecological restoration, and inventory and monitoring methods from leading experts in the field. Students meet with and are mentored by traditional Indigenous practitioners, public land managers, and professors as they develop a culminating project. The students' summer experiences conclude with final, formal presentations, typically tackling an environmental issue relevant to their personal and academic experiences. A fundamental goal of this program is to provide mentorship, internship, and job skills for Indigenous students to help prepare them for related professions.
The Utah NATURE Program Fellow (NPF), a one-year position starting January 1, 2025, and ending December 31, 2025, acts as the program manager with key tasks including the development, management, and coordination of the NATURE 2025 program. The position will be remote, part-time, approximately 15-20 hours per week, during the academic year, becoming in-person, full-time for the 10 weeks when the program is in session. The Program takes place June 16th through August 15th, 2025. The NPF will travel with the students throughout the 10 weeks. During those 10 weeks travel is reimbursed, and room and board are provided.
The NPF coordinates the NATURE Program for the 2025 season, including managing the schedule and supporting students. The NPF will work for four months with the leadership team. They will advertise and recruit student participants, interview student candidates, plan the schedule and curriculum development for the program. The NPF will be full-time for 10 weeks during the summer where they will work directly with the students as a mentor, facilitate speakers and programming, and will organize travel. Following the in-person session, the fellow will work directly with TNC's new Global Director of Indigenous Science to explore building a framework for creating a TNC-wide NATURE Program.
WHAT YOU'LL BRING Minimum Qualifications:
BA/BS degree in science-related field and 1-year related experience in land management or similar field or equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience with natural systems. Experience in ecological land management principles. Experience working with Tribal communities or with Tribal students. Desired Qualifications:
Preference for candidates who have already finished their undergraduate degrees. Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated. 1 - 2 years of mentorship or teaching. Ability to recognize plant and animal species. Knowledge/understanding of current trends and practices in conservation, land management and natural resource preservation/conservation or similar field, including Indigenous ways of knowing. Preference for experience and knowledge of desert Southwest ecosystems. Ability to complete tasks independently with respect to timeline(s). Working knowledge of common software applications (e.g.; Word, Excel, Web browsers). Communicating clearly via written, spoken and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.
