Easement Stewardship Associate

We are an accredited, 50-year-old, land trust serving a three-county area near Ann Arbor, MI.  We are managed by a dynamic Executive Director with a dedicated board of directors and staff of fun, diverse, but professional conservationists!

Job Overview

About Legacy Land Conservancy (Legacy):

Legacy Land Conservancy is an accredited land conservancy founded in 1971 to protect the forests, fields, wetlands, and rivers of southern Michigan. Serving Washtenaw, Jackson, and Lenawee counties, Legacy’s mission is to secure for current and future generations a land base for nature, agriculture, fresh water, and recreation today and forever. More information: www.legacylandconservancy.org.

As an accredited land trust, Legacy is required to monitor all of the conservation easements we hold on private property each calendar year. Legacy also contracts with other local entities to complete their annual monitoring.

Legacy Land Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Legacy recognizes that opportunities in the conservation and environmental fields have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, as well as Asian, Latino/a, and Hispanic people, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. We strongly encourage individuals with these, and all other identities to apply.

Legacy is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. We embrace people from all backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints, because we value the collective sum of our individual differences, unique capabilities and talents. We encourage and support our employees’ differences in age, race, color, ability, ethnicity, family or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, veteran status and any other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Core Values:
Legacy seeks to embrace these core values in all our actions: Justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, trust, relationships, integrity, perpetuity, responsibility, honor, collaboration, science, sustainability, history.

Position Overview:
The Easement Stewardship Associate works closely with the Easement Stewardship Manager to assist in Legacy’s Easement Stewardship Program. The aspects of the Easement Stewardship Program this position assists with are: Scheduling and conducting annual monitoring of conservation easements, conservation easement landowner communication, education and engagement, and other tasks as needed to nurture conservation easement stewardship. The Easement Stewardship Associate also helps the Land Team with Baseline Documentation Reports, Current Condition Reports, and the transfer of projects from Acquisition to Easement Stewardship. This position requires engagement with other land department staff, development and communications staff, volunteers, conservation easement landowners, and external partners.

Start Date: The ideal candidate would start April 15, 2024, but we are willing to work with the right candidate’s schedule.

Reports to:
Easement Stewardship Manager and will work closely with the Land Team.

Hours:
40 hours per week. Legacy embraces a remote work culture. Position’s schedule can be flexible and will be determined with supervisor. Position requires some time at the office and travel throughout our service area of Jackson, Lenawee, and Washtenaw Counties. Evening and weekend work may be required to meet the goals of this position.

Compensation:
• Salary is $49,000. Legacy sets a nonnegotiable salary to ensure all candidates are compensated equitably
• Legacy provides 100% employer-paid health, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-term disability
• Annual health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contribution $1,008
• Up to 3% employer match to each employees’ SIMPLE IRA (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees Individual Retirement Account)
• Annual stipends for professional development opportunities
• 12 paid holidays per year
• Accrued, paid personal time off starting at 24 days per year

Responsibilities:
• Monitor assigned conservation easements on a monthly basis, including preparation, documentation, and follow up with landowners and contracted partners.
• Assist Easement Stewardship Manager with managing the volunteer photomonitor program.
• Assist Easement Stewardship Manager with conservation easement transitions from Acquisition Department to Easement Stewardship.
• Assist Easement Stewardship Manager with communications to conservation easement landowners.
• Write Baseline Documentation Reports and Current Conditions Reports for conservation easement properties.
• Organize, enter, and synthesize data into various databases including Salesforce, Landscape, and internal spreadsheets.
• Maintain GIS data, and create maps in ArcGIS.
• Assist Easement Stewardship Manager with public-facing education and engagement events.
• Draft newsletter articles and social media posts to help communicate the work of the Easement Stewardship Program.
• Other tasks as needed.

Required Qualifications:
• Must be able to work outdoors in varying conditions and terrains
• Willingness to learn
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• High attention to detail
• Willingness to progress Legacy’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commitment
• Comfort making basic maps in ArcGIS Pro
• Basic familiarity with Michigan invasive species and/or native plants
• Work well with a highly collaborative team

Desired Qualifications:
• Familiarity with land trust operations, issues, and best practices
• Knowledge or prior experience with GPS, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Suite
• Familiarity with natural community designations and identification

Other Requirements:
• Valid Michigan driver’s license and reliable transportation

Position Milestones:
First month:
• General Legacy onboarding with supervisor and outgoing Easement Stewardship Associate.
• Meet with each staff member to learn more about their work.
• Meet with Easement Stewardship Manager to learn about easement stewardship.
• Complete training on how to monitor a conservation easement.
• Shadow outgoing Easement Stewardship Associate on monitoring visits.
Within three months:
• Completion of first two months of assigned annual monitoring properties.
• Become comfortable with Salesforce and Landscape software.
• Have a grasp of Legacy’s ArcGIS data organization.
Within six months:
• Completion of assigned monitoring.
• Learn how to complete Baseline Documentation Reports and Current Conditions Reports from the Land Protection Specialist.
• Attend an education or engagement event with the Easement Stewardship Manager.
Within one year:
• Completion of assigned monitoring.
• Begin a Baseline Documentation Report or a Current Conditions Report.
• Assist with a transfer of an Acquisition project to Easement Stewardship.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should send their cover letter, resume, and references to [email protected] with the job title in the email subject. Qualified candidates will be emailed for an initial interview on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm March 15, 2024.