The Coastal Volunteer Coordinator will work as a member of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. The Alliance is a partnership between Audubon CT, the Connecticut Audubon Society, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Division, The Nature Conservancy, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Alliance implements conservation efforts statewide to protect nesting areas and reduce disturbance, while monitoring the breeding populations of five focal species, Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, Common Tern and Black Skimmer. The Coastal Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for aiding in efforts to recruit, train, schedule, correspond, and review data submitted by approximately 125 volunteers that assist with the inventory, monitor, and stewardship of these five species.

The Coastal Volunteer Coordinator is a seasonal, full-time position ($20-22/hr, 35 hours per week) and is slated for March 3, 2025 through Aug 30, 2025. Travel to field sites in Connecticut is required. Also, pending funding, there is opportunity in this role to transition from a seasonal to a permanent position in the fall. 

Essential Functions

The volunteer coordinator will:

• Become familiar with the sites and bird species that volunteers will monitor and data collection protocols
• To understand what is being asked of volunteers:
  • assist with the installation, maintenance and removal of string fencing, signage and Piping Plover nest exclosures
  • Engage with beach-goers about beach-nesting birds and their conservation needs
• Support recruitment of volunteers for the beach-nesting bird monitoring program, fencing dates, and other opportunities
• Assistance with volunteer training over Zoom (March) and on the beach (April)
• Schedule volunteers to ensure proper coverage of specific field sites prior to the start of the field season and maintaining the best possible coverage throughout the project period (April – Aug)
  • Connect volunteers interested in monitoring at Griswold Point with The Nature Conservancy’s volunteer coordinator.
  • Collect vehicle (make and model) and license plate information for people volunteering at Sandy Point and share that information in West Haven Parks and Recreation.
• Correspond with project volunteers (through email/phone correspondence) including answering questions about sites, survey methods, and data entry in a courteous, professional, and mature manner.
• Review of monitoring data submitted by volunteers via the google form or ebird to see if anything seems out of the ordinary as a means of quality control.  Work with volunteers to correct any errors.
• Share information provided by volunteers on nest locations, banded Piping Plover, and unusual (illegal) observations with the State of CT Wildlife Division.
• Enter information provided by volunteers on disturbances (ex. dog roaming freely on the beach) into Incident Observation Report Form.
• Participation in weekly Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds Zoom or in person meeting (max of once per month) and communicate with Alliance staff via Slack, text, and phone.
• Produce and send out bi-weekly email updates summarizing data collection status, upcoming events, pertinent news items or other relevant information to all project stakeholders, staff, and volunteers
• Post bi-weekly email updates and other relevant project information (training videos, waiver, educational materials) to ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com and to the AAfCW facebook page
• Assist AAFCW staff in assembling species pair numbers and productivity data and provide a volunteer monitoring report (numbers of volunteers and volunteer hours by activity type).
• Track number of volunteers signing up for zoom and field trainings, thank you potluck, fencing set up and removal events, and those who need lanyards.
• Promoting the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) and provide a point-of-contact for project stakeholders, staff and volunteers as well as for relevant outside inquiries.
• Additional duties may be assigned to support all aspects of the Coastal Program

Qualifications and Experience

• A B.A. in environmental education, environmental science, biology, or a related field and/or prior experience with outreach is preferred.
• Prior shorebird and/or field experience is not required, but a willingness to learn about beach-nesting bird biology and conservation is.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. Volunteer Coordinator will be representing Audubon and partners in correspondence with volunteers and other stakeholders.
• Comfortable engaging and communicating with a diverse public audience.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and computer literacy, particularly word-processing, e-mail and database functions required. Proficient in Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and social media.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, take initiative, and problem solve.
• Must be physically fit, able to walk miles in sand or on rocky coastal terrain and able to lift/carry at least 25 lbs with or without accommodation.
• Position requires some travel (using personal vehicle reimbursed at the federal rate, public transportation, or rideshare).
• Some work on holidays/weekends is required.
• Interest in conservation and commitment to the mission of the National Audubon Society.