Regional Manager, Land Conservation

Location

Urbana, IL | United States

Job description

The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) is seeking a Regional Manager, Land Conservation for the northeast region of Illinois which spans 39 counties. This position will be the active lead in training associated with junior or newly hired Land Conservation Specialists (LCS) within the conservation programs at NGRREC. Training and retention of new LCSs is a realized priority of NGRREC and its Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partners. These positions will facilitate such by providing needed leadership, management, administrative, coordination and training support to the Conservation Program Manager in an ever-growing Land Conservation Specialist program at NGRREC. In addition to these roles, this position will also provide agricultural conservation assistance to USDA-NRCS in a multi-county region. This includes but is not limited to: conservation planning, landowner outreach, easement monitoring, and mid-contract management assistance to agricultural producers in order to leverage Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) opportunities to achieve wildlife and water quality goals. This position will have the opportunity to also help coordinate new initiatives such as education opportunities and monitoring that align LCS work and responsibilities to the goals and mission of Lewis and Clark Community College and NGRREC.

Duties:
Supervise and onboard new LCS through working with appropriate L&C and NRCS administrative personnel (three to six positions).
Supervise and train new LCS in CRP and WRE and related responsibilities including NRCS field visits associated paper and computer work.
Review and oversee selected budgetary items related to the LCS program and assist the Conservation Program Manager on budgets as needed. Serve on and chair search committees for LCSs hires in coordination with manager and NRCS.
Work with NRCS staff to develop conservation plans consistent with the landowner’s objectives on new CRP establishments.
Actively target new CRP conservation with landowner outreach and one-on-one consultation.
Provide information and outreach to agricultural producers about CRP mid-contract management practices, such as prescribed fire, strip disking, strip spraying, interseeding, and timber stand improvement.
Write wildlife and burn plans for CRP contracts.
Facilitate positive working relationships with local agency staff, agricultural producers, and other stakeholder groups.
Understand and provide information to landowners about the suite of state and federal conservation programs for the purposes of implementing conservation practices and BMPs for watershed, soil, and wildlife goals.
Develop field specific project plans and cost estimates.
Assist NRCS with administrative, outreach, and CRP/WRE monitoring needs.

Minimum Qualifications:

Associate’s Degree in a natural resources field such as environmental science, restoration ecology, forestry or similar field, plus 1-2 years of similar work experience in the conservation field.
Attained Level 1 (Apprentice) NRCS Conservation Planning Certification or completed within 6 months of employment and provided to L&C Human Resources
Strong interest in and knowledge of biology, ecology and management of wildlife and their habitat requirements and habitat management techniques are essential.
Proficient experience with wildlife management, Rx burn experience and burn plan writing, shallow water wetland management, and forest management practices for habitat restoration.
Proficient experience with a variety of computer software applications including Microsoft Office Suite and especially ArcGIS Suite.
Effective organizational, written, and verbal skills.
Ability to work efficiently and effectively with others (i.e. NRCS, FSA, IDNR, NGOs, SWCDs, etc.), as well as independently, and be able to prioritize a heavy and varied workload.
Possession of valid driver’s license, and vehicle insurance coverage meeting state minimum requirements at all times for required travel of position.

Tagged as: Conservation

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