Salary              $20.00 per hour starting

Duration         May – November 2023 [Actual dates are weather and/or workload dependent]

Schedule         This is a full-time seasonal position. Start and end dates are contingent upon weather including smoke and funding. Weekend, and holiday work is required for this position.

Background

Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD) partners with the California Tahoe Conservancy to manage Tahoe RCD and state-owned lands through the Tahoe Conservation Partnership. Under the Tahoe Conservation Partnership, Tahoe RCD hires and manages field crews and natural resource specialists to perform natural resource management activities on public lands, owned by California Tahoe Conservancy and Tahoe RCD. This 25+ year relationship of restoration and land management allows Tahoe RCD and the Tahoe Conservancy to collaborate and manage approximately 4,700 parcels, totaling nearly 6,500 acres on the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin. This tremendous responsibility includes forest habitat enhancement and hazardous fuel reduction, resource protection and restoration, streambank stabilization, property inspection and maintenance, and aquatic invasive species management.

Tahoe RCD follows local and state guidelines and protocols regarding Covid-19. Daily operations and scheduling may be affected.

This position requires working in various adverse conditions including wildfire smoke, snow, rain, and extreme heat. Length of field season may be modified due to inclement weather, adverse field conditions and/or workload demands and funding constraints.

Primary Duties

The primary duties of this position include inspection of Conservancy properties and stewardship of the Conservancy’s Upper Truckee Marsh (UTM) and Trout Creek Meadow, and Tahoe RCD’s Johnson Meadow.

Stewardship Duties- The primary responsibilities of the land steward are to promote awareness and stewardship of the UTM, Trout Creek Meadow, and Johnson Meadow and the issues related to Tahoe RCD’s and the Conservancy’s property management efforts. Other duties include educating the public on rules and local ordinances associated with the UTM and assisting with the implementation of interpretive and educational programs. This position will also assist with the UTM Restoration Project by conducting monitoring, public outreach, and data management. 

Inspection Duties - The selected candidate will assist with routine maintenance and inspection of the Conservancy’s 4,700 parcels on the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin. This includes project identification, resource evaluation, litter and trash abatement, trespass/encroachment verification and resolution, and interaction with landowners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Land Steward

• Educate marsh visitors on appropriate use of the property and importance of wildlife protection
• Coordinate with law enforcement as needed to address various UTM user issues
• Ensure property protection and identify management issues
• Identify, monitor, and treat invasive species populations
• Monitor usage patterns and onsite natural resources
• Assist with outreach events
• Monitor and protect Tahoe Yellow Cress populations
• Conduct restoration monitoring tasks, including basic data collections, photo documentation, and field inspection
• Support the UTM Project construction, including compliance monitoring and public outreach
• Perform administrative and office support activities, including data entry and spreadsheet management, document scanning, file organization, and weekly report preparation.
• Litter removal

Lot Inspector

• Evaluate resources on-site including identification of erosion control issues, invasive species, hazardous trees, project monitoring, and general management concerns
• Use GPS enabled tablet devices to document property inspections
• Input and manage field data through Conservancy’s Property Data Management System
• Identify property lines
• Identify and plan maintenance and restoration projects
• Conduct litter abatement
• Communicate with Conservancy neighbors to resolve encroachments and other resource issues
• Attend routine check-in meetings in an office setting

Required Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills, desire to interact with and educate the public
• Professional demeanor, demonstrate tact and patience during potentially contentious public interactions
• Ability to work safely and independently with limited daily supervision in the field for extended periods of time in varying weather conditions including smoke and varying terrain
• Ability to maintain detailed records and manage data
• Ability to self-motivate and maintain a positive attitude when completing repetitive tasks
• Possession of a valid California Driver’s License with clean driving record
• Understanding of Tahoe environmental issues and concerns

Desirable Qualifications

• Educational background in natural resources related fields
• Ability to interpret assessor parcel maps, identify property boundaries, and use various boundary identification methods
• Understanding of resource management and ecological restoration methods
• Bilingual in Spanish (verbal and written)
• Experience with tree, native plant, and invasive weed identification
• Knowledge and experience with GPS/GIS technologies
• Knowledge and experience in database management
• Natural resource-related coursework or degree
• Knowledge and familiarity with the Tahoe area.

Benefits

Paid sick leave accrued at a rate of 3.08 hours for every 80 regular hours worked.