Position: Americorps Member: Palouse Place-Based Education Program - Restoration Crew

Location: Pullman, Washington

Service Period: January 15th - December 15th (end date flexible depending on hours served per week; start date only flexible to February 1st at the latest, with advance consent)

Full/Part Time: Full-time (40 hrs per wk) positions available

Compensation: Competitive AmeriCorps living allowance, plus education award upon completing service hours (see following)

Program Benefits: Living allowance totalling about $1500 per month, AmeriCorps education award of over $7000 upon successful completion of service, extensive training in topics such as plant identification and ecological management, priority for Phoenix Conservancy and partner employment opportunities after service, priority hiring in all future federal job applications, free health insurance coverage, housing assistance if eligible, and childcare assistance if eligible.

Position Description:

The beautiful prairie that once covered the rolling hills of the Palouse is almost completely lost, with less than 1% remaining. Restoring Palouse Prairie is crucial to prevent further losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services. The biggest challenges to restoration are limitations in public land, plant materials, and funding; but perhaps most importantly a lack of public awareness. Even among lifelong residents, very few know what the Palouse Prairie is. Given that less than 1% remains intact, this is perhaps unsurprising, as opportunities to see it are few and far between.

This is especially unfortunate for children growing up in the Palouse, who have few opportunities to spend time in nature and develop an ecological sense of place. Connecting with nature is vital for childhood development and education, particularly for developing the capacity to form ideas, think critically, and spark creativity, as well as for physical and mental health. Sadly, even among parents trying to ensure that their children have these vital opportunities, few know where to find these "wild" spaces, and many feel they have to leave the region to find them. Limited public access to such spaces is an especially problematic obstacle for lower-income families, and Whitman County has one of the highest poverty rates in Washington State. To address this problem, we need projects that increase public access to both native areas and relevant educational resources.

The Phoenix Conservancy’s AmeriCorps Palouse Place-based Education Program aims to achieve this through a unique combination of education and conservation service work. A team of education-focused members will develop and help implement Palouse Prairie related educational materials for K-12 teachers, while a team of restoration-focused members will install “Pocket Prairie” outdoor classrooms on public school campuses and restore prairie habitat on other public lands.

Member Duties : Restoration crew members will participate in in-field restoration and greenhouse training sessions, including restoration planning, installation and maintenance protocols, and field safety. AmeriCorps members on both crews will also receive training to build valuable skills for working in conservation, restoration, and related science careers. These include principles of ecological management, plant identification, invasive species control, conservation planning, technical report writing, education and outreach, project development, verbal and written communication, and effective teamwork.

AmeriCorps members will be regularly provided with opportunities to build leadership skills by rotating field crew lead duties each week and leading project plan development. Members may also have opportunities to assist with project development with The Phoenix Conservancy's national-scale project (Great Plains prairie) and global-scale project (Madagascar rainforest).

Terms :
Must be able to begin service by February 1st. Must complete 1700 total service hours over the course of about 11 months (depending on exact hours per week worked), and must be complete them by December 20th, 2025. Personal transporation required for getting to and from meeting areas in Pullman. This service position permits working at another job or attending school during off hours.

Service Areas :
Environment , Sustainability , Community Outreach , Community and Economic Development , Children/Youth , Neighborhood Revitalization .

Skills :
Team Work , General Skills , Landscaping , Plant Identification , Trade/Construction , Verbal Communication .

The Phoenix Conservancy General Expectations:

As an employee of The Phoenix Conservancy, Field Crew Members are expected to meet general expectations for TPC employees. The expectations laid out herein provide a generalized code of conduct for all employees, board members, volunteers, and staff of The Phoenix Conservancy. All organizational members are expected to uphold the following baseline expectations in addition to those specified by each individual role. Each expectation follows directly from core organizational values of The Phoenix Conservancy. These expectations are in place to ensure a culture of mutual respect, foster effective communication, and to maintain an efficient working environment to move the organization closer to our North Star goals. At all levels, employment and participation in the organization are contingent upon upholding these basic expectations.

The Phoenix Conservancy Organization Background:

Founded in late 2016, The Phoenix Conservancy (TPC) has rapidly grown as a grassroots, startup nonprofit, having put in thousands of hours of work restoring Palouse prairie, Great Plains shortgrass prairie, and rainforests in Madagascar. Though seemingly disparate, these ecosystems were selected for their close fit with our three project selection criteria on a local (Palouse Prairie), national (Great Plains prairie), and global (Madagascar rainforest) scale. Our project sites represent ecosystems that 1) Have less than 10% of original ecosystem intact, 2) Have high biodiversity, as measured by a combination of species number and/or uniqueness, and 3) Present pragmatic opportunities for our organization to have an impact.

The Phoenix Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. The Phoenix Conservancy makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.