Organization: Manistee Conservation District
Location: Bear Lake, Michigan (with multi-county travel)
Position Type: Full-Time (40 hours/week)
Compensation: $45,000 – $54,000 per year, commensurate with qualifications and experience

About Us: 

At the Manistee Conservation District, we are dedicated to bridging the gap between private landowners and essential services and information. Our mission is to facilitate access to government programs and provide technical assistance in land management, empowering landowners to make informed decisions. 

We take pride in offering a wide range of programs and services designed to meet the unique needs of our community. Our main focus areas include environmental education, forestry, water quality management, household hazardous waste management, produce safety, and seedling sales.

Beyond our core offerings, we provide invaluable resources and advice on wildlife habitat education, plant identification, conservation-focused farming, invasive species management, and other natural resources management concerns. Throughout the year, we organize various workshops and presentations to encourage learning and promote sustainable practices within our region.

Position Summary:

The Manistee Conservation District is seeking a dedicated and dynamic Conservation Specialist to provide crucial operational and technical support to ensure the prosperity of Manistee County’s natural resources. This role involves adaptive management strategies to best support the needs of Manistee County. The primary focus of this position is to provide Manistee County individuals and groups with technical assistance on watershed/water quality improvements. In addition, this position will support local watershed groups through facilitation of goal setting, plan development and implementation, project management, with a focus on development of foundational citizen science groups. 

Responsibilities and Duties: 

• Conduct site visits and provide technical guidance to riparian landowners
• Schedule and coordinate meetings, events, and maintain program records
• Attend meetings with watershed groups, lake associations, municipalities, and other stakeholders to promote water quality initiatives and provide advisory input in decision making.
• Support district events such as plant/tree sales and household hazardous waste collection day
• Deliver education and outreach programs through presentation, media engagement, and community events
• Connect landowners with available local, state, and federal conservation programs and funding opportunities
• Acquire and maintain certifications and credentials related to watershed management
• Assist in the procurement of materials and resources for program implementation
• Host quarterly watershed partnership meetings with watershed groups and partner agency staff
• Expand and maintain existing Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
• Improve and establish standardized digital data entry methods for water quality monitoring and watershed management plans of Manistee County
• Assist with office operations, including phone inquiries, walk-in assistance and team programs and projects
• Perform other duties as assigned

• Research and identify new funding opportunities to support conservation projects and district efforts
• Develop grant proposals to secure diversified funding and implement projects
• Ensure compliance with grant deliverables, budgets, reporting, and monitoring requirements

Work Environment:

At the Manistee Conservation District, based out of Bear Lake, we offer a supportive workplace where staff operate with high autonomy while maintaining a team-oriented spirit when project or district needs arise. This full-time, 40-hour position provides strong work-life balance with ample opportunity to explore all that Manistee County has to offer. Known for our beautiful Lake Michigan Shoreline, renowned coldwater rivers and fishery, specialty fruit orchards, and vast public forest land; it is an incredible place for anyone who values natural resources to live and work. 

You will work standard weekday hours, with flexible scheduling to accommodate occasional evening or weekend obligations. You will work in close partnership with local watershed councils, lake associations, and various state and federal conservation entities. While day-to-day work is centered out of our office, this position requires regular multi-county travel to serve overlapping watersheds and attend regional partnership meetings. District-owned vehicles are available for job duties, and personal vehicle mileage reimbursement at the current federal IRS rate is provided when a district vehicle is unavailable. Time is split between independent office work, stakeholder meetings, and field visits; candidates should be comfortable navigating uneven terrain and working safely outdoors in all Michigan weather conditions. 

Minimum / Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources, Environmental Science, Limnology, Water Resource Science, or a closely related field
• Experience: Minimum of 1–3 years of practical experience working in a conservation, natural resources, or environmental field
• Core Competencies:
• Solid foundational knowledge of environmental concepts, conservation principles, native plant communities (aquatic and terrestrial), and watershed management principles
• Demonstrated interpersonal, written, and public speaking skills with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders and community partners
• Proficiency in basic digital tools, including Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace
• Licensing & Background Check:
• Must possess a valid driver’s license, a reliable insured personal vehicle, and a clean driving record
• Must be able to pass a federal background security check

Preferred Qualifications & Advanced Skills

• Field & Specialized Experience: 3+ years of professional experience in conservation delivery, technical landowner assistance, or watershed management planning
• Lake & Stream Water Quality Monitoring: 
• Direct experience with Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) or similar water quality protocols, including Secchi disk transparency measurements, integrated chlorophyll-a sampling, and dissolved oxygen/temperature profiling
• Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling: Experience conducting stream habitat assessments and benthic macroinvertebrate field collection, identification, and multi-metric index scoring for biological stream monitoring (e.g., Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program protocols)
• Technical & GIS Tools: Hands-on experience utilizing GPS, mapping software, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Online for spatial data collection and management
• Grants & Funding: Practical familiarity with grant writing, grant reporting, budget tracking, and data management
• Program Partnerships: Prior experience delivering educational programming or working with key agencies and programs (e.g., Conservation Districts, MDARD, USDA-NRCS)

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance (with a 14% employee premium share)
• Generous paid time off (PTO) in the form of paid vacation, sick/personal leave and 11 paid holidays
• Use of District owned vehicles with IRS rate reimbursement for personal vehicle work travel
• 457b retirement account with a discretionary, budget-dependent year-end lump-sum retirement contribution
• Discretionary, budget dependent annual cost of living adjustment
• Professional development and continuing education opportunities

To Apply

Please submit a resume, cover letter, three professional references, and college transcript to tyler.dula@macd.org with the subject line "Conservation Specialist Application - [Your Name]".

Application Deadline: September 18, 2026

Position Disclaimer

This job posting summarizes the essential functions, benefits, and general responsibilities of the Conservation Specialist position subject to change and is not a legal binding work agreement.  

The Manistee Conservation District is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate in employment, promotions, or compensation on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 

Employment with the District is “at will,” permitting either party to end employment at their discretion without notice. Employment is contingent upon factors determined by the Board of Directors including, but not limited to, available funding, job performance, changes in program or organization direction.