*The full position description can be found on our website.

Duties & Responsibilities: The Stewardship Manager will work collaboratively with the Stewardship Director, other SAHC staff, board members, interns, volunteers and other state, federal and non-profit partners to help support SAHC’s growing program of managing conservation easements and SAHC-owned properties.

Core Responsibilities

Conservation Easement Stewardship

Monitoring Compliance

● Develop a detailed understanding of the related documents and histories of your portfolio of conservation easement projects
● Monitor each conservation easement within your portfolio annually by site visit and/or using satellite imagery
● Maintain detailed monitoring reports and records for your portfolio of projects using a combination of software (e.g., Salesforce, ArcGIS Pro, Lens imagery)

Conservation Defense (*this also applies to fee land stewardship)

● Identify, investigate, and document violations and other stewardship issues
● Resolve violations and issues with input from the Stewardship Director and other relevant staff in accordance using SAHC’s established policies and procedures. This may involve interacting with attorneys and participating in the legal defense process
● Maintain detailed records for submission to affiliate federal and state agencies and inclusion in Terrafirma Conservation Defense claims

Landowner Relations

● Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with landowners of properties protected with conservation easements
● Assist landowners in interpreting their rights permitted by their conservation easement
● Evaluate and document landowner requests to exercise reserved rights on protected properties
● Work with the Natural Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS) staff and landowners to help facilitate Conservation Plans and Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) Plans on existing and potential conservation easement farms
● Facilitate the transfer of ownership for properties protected by conservation easements by providing information to selling landowners, realtors, attorneys, appraisers, and potential buyers

New Land Protection Projects

● Work with Land Protection and Stewardship staff to review and assess new land protection projects
● Prepare baseline documentation reports for new conservation easement properties

Fee Land/Preserve Stewardship

● Monitor each preserve within your portfolio annually by site visit and/or using satellite imagery
● Maintain detailed monitoring reports and records for your portfolio of projects using a combination of software (e.g., Salesforce, ArcGIS Pro, Lens imagery)
● Under the supervision of the Stewardship Director, draft, negotiate and administer licenses (e.g., grazing, hunting) and oversee contracts on preserves in your portfolio of projects
● Prepare land management plans for new preserves and occasionally update existing plans
● Implement/coordinate management on lands owned by SAHC according to an SAHC land management plan
● Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with neighbors, licensees, contractors and other relevant partners
● Recruit and supervise volunteers for workdays
● Coordinate and oversee contractors, manage grants and contracts

Organizational Support

● Co-supervise and mentor AmeriCorps members, interns or volunteers and participate in annual hiring of AmeriCorps members
● Prepare and present presentations to SAHC’s Board of Trustees and relevant committees
● Follow SAHC’s stewardship policies and procedures, as well as the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards & Practices and accreditation requirements
● Participate in Land Trust Alliance accreditation renewal as necessary
● Research and implement new methods and technologies to improve efficiency for SAHC’s stewardship program
● Assist with stewardship grant proposals and administration of existing grants
● Prepare articles for newsletters to promote stewardship activities
● Conduct outreach and education activities, such as virtual webinars, newsletter articles, social media posts, public presentations, etc.
● Occasional and/or evening work may be necessary
● Support coordination of member/donor events as needed