Acadia National Park

Location: Bar Harbor, ME

Housing: Provided

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Mental Health First Aid, WFA

Host Site and Position Overview:

Acadia National Park protects more than 47,000 acres of stunning scenery, nationally significant cultural resources, and a wide variety of natural habitats along the rocky, mid-coast of Maine "where the mountains meet the sea." Temperatures generally range from 80 degrees in the summer to 40’s in the fall, with the ocean influencing the park's character and weather. With over four million visits per year, the park and local communities are extremely busy in the summer.

The primary objective of this position is to educate the public on conservation efforts and to influence visitors to become stewards of our public lands. This will be done through interpretive services, including visitor contact stations, interpretive and educational programs, and community engagement/outreach.

The member (s) in this position will have the opportunity to gain the following skills/credentials:

Learn to develop and present education programs for students K-12

Learn to create and update education programs based on state standards

Learn how to provide visitor orientation and services

Optional: gain Search and Rescue operation qualifications

Optional: learn how to create relevant social and other visual media that helps meet organization goals

Learn how to create a federal resume and apply for federal positions (National Park Service and other federal organizations)

Learn the cultural and natural history (biodiversity and ecology) of Acadia National Park

Website: https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm

Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)Biological Monitoring Program (BMP)

Location: Augusta, ME

Housing: Not Provided

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include occasional evenings or weekends

Host Site and Position Overview:

The Biological Monitoring Program (BMP) is part of the State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The BMP assesses benthic macroinvertebrate (aquatic insects, etc.), algal, and aquatic plant assemblages to evaluate the ecological health of the State’s freshwater resources. Monitoring and assessment results are used to document current conditions, identify causes and sources of pollution, determine if waterbodies meet State water quality criteria, and develop protection, management and restoration strategies.

The ES will assist with biological monitoring and assessment of rivers, streams, and wetlands.  This will include both field support and data management related to the project.  As time allows, the member will also conduct or participate in education/outreach activities and volunteer events.

This position will assist the BMP staff with monitoring and assessment of the State’s waters, managing data, and communicating results to a wide variety of interested parties.  The ES will have the opportunity to develop in the areas of water resources management, data management, analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

Additionally, the member will have the opportunity to develop the following skills: 

• Collecting biological samples and water samples from wetlands, rivers and streams
• Operating hand-held water quality meters and GPS unit
• Basic canoe paddling skills
• Managing large data sets using Access, Excel and R applications
• Using ArcMap to manage spatial data and create maps
• Conducting education and outreach activities

Website: http://www.maine.gov/dep/water/monitoring/biomonitoring/index.html

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)Watershed Management Unit (WMU)

Location: Portland, ME

Housing: Not Provided

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings and occasional weekends.

Host Site and Position Overview:

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is a state Agency that is responsible for “protecting and restoring Maine’s natural resources and enforcing the state’s environmental laws” (www.maine.gov/dep/).  The Department is organized into four Bureaus:  Air Quality, Land Resources, Remediation & Waste Management and Water Quality.  The Water Quality Bureau has two Divisions - Division of Water Quality Management and Division of Environmental Assessment (DEA).  The DEA is further divided into eight Units.  The ES will serve in the Watershed Management Unit (WMU) of the Division of Environmental Assessment.

The purpose of this position is to increase capacity of the WMU by providing technical support to volunteer lake associations to build capacity and assist lake associations with volunteer lake watershed surveys.  Specific activities include collaborating with local groups to plan and publicize the surveys; preparing watershed maps and survey materials; helping deliver training; conducting field surveys with teams of volunteers; and compiling survey findings in maps and/or reports.  Through these activities, the member will develop water resources management, data management and analyses, online material development, organizational and communication skills.

The ES will collaborate closely with citizen groups to organize and carry out at least three watershed survey projects; assist partners with writing survey reports and alternative watershed-based management plans; assist with plantings and other hands-on restoration efforts; and provide support to the many other water quality projects in Southern Maine.  The project will increase local understanding of water quality issues, build capacity for long-term watershed stewardship and set the stage for successful watershed restoration.      

General Timeline:

Winter

• Participate in orientation and training, including learning to use GIS mapping tools
• Attend/lead meetings with local steering committees to plan spring watershed surveys
• Create GIS maps and prepare survey materials for watershed survey projects
• Serve on committees for watershed-based planning and implementation projects

Spring and Summer

• Train volunteers and carry out watershed surveys in May and June
• Assist DEA field work, as needed. 
• Assist with and help lead volunteer buffer plantings and other on-the-ground projects, if planned.
• Conduct watershed survey follow up on sectors needing additional information.

Fall

• Compile lake watershed survey data and assist with/prepare summary reports and NPS site trackers
• Meet with steering committees to present survey findings and determine next steps
• Develop alternative watershed-based management plans, if planned.

Website: https://www.maine.gov/dep/land/watershed/materials.html

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust

Location: Harpswell, ME

Housing: Not provided, but the Host Site is looking into options and assistance

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, WFA

Host Site and Position Overview:

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT) is a nonprofit land trust located on the beautiful coast of Maine in a working waterfront community. Our mission is to preserve and protect Harpswell’s natural resources, cultural heritage, and access to the outdoors now and forever through conservation, stewardship, and education. We focus on protecting ecologically important land that enhances valuable wildlife habitat and protects clean water, expanding waterfront access for the public and local fishermen, providing trails and other recreational opportunities, and engaging our community through innovative outdoor education opportunities for all ages. We manage 20 beautiful preserves and 12 trail systems, including several island properties. In addition to our year-round education programs, we facilitate a popular summer camp, Nature Day Camp, for children ages 4-12.

The purpose of the ES position is to support HHLT’s mission in the areas of education, stewardship, and communications. The goals of the position are to engage more fully with people from all walks of life and all ages in the community, adequately care for and monitor preserves that are seeing continued increases in use, and communicate effectively with the community to build a culture of stewardship and encourage support for conservation.

The first project for the ES would be to assist with the re-accreditation process supporting us moving from paper to electronic system back up for our preserve and easement records.

Then in the trail assessment project, the ES would work to identify the attributes of each trail that affect accessibility. They would then create a standardized way to communicate trail categories and terrain to the public and identify three trails whose accessibility could be improved. They would also identify a location for a fully accessible trail.

In the summer the ES would be focused on trail maintenance and potentially implementing some of the trail accessibility improvements. Summer is also the busy season for public programming at HHLT, and the ES would have the opportunity to support a variety of educational programs and HHLT's Nature Day Camp

The summer and early fall would involve continued trail projects, some assistance in easement monitoring, and erosion control projects. Lastly, the ES could recommend future climate resiliency and accessibility projects.

Website: https://hhltmaine.org/

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

Location: Wells, ME

Housing: Provided

Days and Hours of Service:  40-hour week, typically Monday-Friday, with occasional weekends and occasional overnights. 

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Wilderness First Aid, Mental Health First Aid

Host Site and Position Overview: Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1966 in cooperation with the State of Maine to protect valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds. Located along 50 miles of coastline in York and Cumberland counties, the refuge consists of eleven divisions between Kittery and Cape Elizabeth. The proximity of the refuge to the coast and its location between the eastern deciduous forest and the boreal forest creates a composition of plants and animals not found elsewhere in Maine. Major habitat types present on the refuge include forested upland, barrier beach/dune, coastal meadows, tidal salt marsh, and the distinctive rocky coast.

The Environmental Steward will help with a broad range of duties in conjunction with the care, maintenance, and management of habitats and focal species on the Refuge. They will assist the Refuge Biological program and the Land Management Research and Demonstration biologist in various wildlife programs. Much of their efforts will be focused on the conservation of the following rare and endangered species: New England cottontail, saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows and Nelson’s sparrows, piping plovers, least terns, Northern Long-eared bats and Monarch butterflies. An emphasis will be placed on habitat management activities, including treating invasive terrestrial plant species, reducing hazardous fuels, and restoring critical wildlife habitat.

Members may assist with all aspects of refuge fieldwork and operations including areas such as resource management, scientific data collection, and volunteer outreach and coordination. They will be tasked with a wide variety of duties in support of management, conservation, development, utilization, and protection of refuge habitats. Examples include conducting acoustic bat survey work, managing and monitoring piping plover and least tern nesting activity, releasing and VHF-collar tracking New England cottontail, assisting with mist-netting saltmarsh sparrows,  and the potential to participate in prescribed burns of wildlife habitat.

Our goal is for an Environmental Steward placement at Rachel Carson to learn the ins and outs of our conservation efforts,and identify and develop recurring volunteer opportunities that could extend our capacity to accomplish this work into the future. Their efforts will help clear the prohibitive hurdle of launching these programs that can become self-sustaining into the future. Examples include propagating and sharing important pollinator plants in a community context, creating citizen scientist programs that allow for shorebird data collection, organizing volunteer workday programs for invasive species removal, etc.

Website: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/rachel_carson/

Viles Arboretum

Location: Augusta, ME

Housing: Provided at a reasonable rate, private room with a shared bathroom/kitchen on site

Days and Hours of Service:  40 hours per week: may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Additional Training Provided: Chainsaw Safety Training, Wilderness First Aid

Host Site and Position Overview:

Viles Arboretum was established in 1982 in conjunction with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands to provide educational, recreational, and inspirational opportunities to the public through the cultivation of trees and other woody plants from around the world.

Our mission is: "To provide educational, recreational, and inspirational opportunities through the conservation of our natural environment in Augusta, Maine."

Located in Maine’s Capital City, the Arboretum welcomes thousands of people annually to it’s free, easily accessible, 224-acre botanical garden that features miles of trails, sprawling stands of unique and interesting trees, a full-service visitor center, an assortment of programs & events, demonstrative research, and a variety of habitats that are home to flora and fauna of Statewide importance.

Environmental Stewards will split their time between visitor education (50%) and land management (50%).

In their capacity supporting Visitor Education, we will look for opportunities for our stewards to share their specific passions with the public. For example, a past ES developed a very popular salamander monitoring program based on their specific interest.

In their capacity supporting Land Stewardship, the stewards will work closely with our land manager and will be directly involved in the stewardship of our 224 acres of conservation lands, engaging in activities ranging from trail projects to habitat restoration.

Website: www.vilesarboretum.org