Summary:

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seeks an individual with experience managing youth volunteers to lead four to six high-school students (Connections Crew) in river stewardship work in July and August 2025. The Connections Crew starts work on July 7 and works 20 hrs/week through August 15. This position will start prior to the Connections Crew to allow for training and fieldwork planning and will continue for at least one week after the Connections Crew completes their experience to assist with reporting and other wrap-up activities. With support from HVA’s Restoration Coordinator and Watershed Conservation Director, the Crew Leader will ensure the safety and well-being of the Connections Crew, coordinate Connections Crew logistics, and lead the day-to-day work required to install and maintain stream restoration projects in the Still River Watershed. The Crew Leader will also use stream restoration projects to develop and deliver environmental education to Connections Crew members, and support Connections Crew outreach to the community about their work.

Position description:

The Crew Leader will be responsible for supervising a crew of four to six high-school students as they work on and learn from watershed restoration projects in the Still River watershed, which encompasses the City of Danbury and neighboring towns. As a capstone to this summer program, the Crew Leader will help each Connections Crew Member design and present a poster to the community about their experience.

Watershed restoration projects the Connections Crew will work on may include:

• Raingarden installation and maintenance
• Invasive plant management
• Riparian buffer planting and maintenance
• Water quality sampling and stream health data collection
• Public land maintenance, including but not limited to trail upkeep and trash clean-up

About the Still River Watershed Connections (“Watershed Connections”) program:

Watershed Connections brings local high-school students to Still River restoration projects identified in the Still River Watershed Management Plan. Through this experience, students learn about stream restoration practices and environmental career opportunities, acquire widely applicable job skills, and develop an understanding of and sense of stewardship for their hometown river. HVA delivers this program in partnership with Danbury Youth Services (DYS), who are the direct employers of Connections Crew members and provide additional job skills training for program participants.

Duties:

With support from HVA staff, the Crew Leader is responsible for the following:

• Ensuring the personal safety of Connections Crew members
• Modeling and supporting good work habits (personal safety, teamwork, effort, punctuality, completion of timesheets and other paperwork)
• Coordinating Connections Crew member transportation to project sites
• Ensuring all necessary tools and supplies are available for planned activities
• Using restoration projects and time in the field to teach about the Still River and its watershed, and general concepts of watershed management
• Planning indoor activities for the Connections Crew on days with inclement weather
• Communicating regularly with HVA and DYS staff
• Providing guidance to students as they interact with the public through their daily tasks and their end-of-season poster presentations
• Representing HVA in a professional manner during interactions with parents/guardians, partners, and the public

Required experience/qualifications:

• Experience leading groups of teenagers, ideally in outdoor settings
• Experience working outdoors on environmental restoration, trail maintenance, community gardening, or related field experience
• Excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution, communication, and organizational skills
• Valid driver license and access to a reliable vehicle
• Ability to cover Connections Crew each day they work - including one hour before and one hour after their workday - with the exception of illness or emergencies.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience facilitating environmental education activities
• Familiarity with public outreach using social media and print media
• Spanish and/or Portuguese fluency
• First Aid/CPR training (HVA can help qualified applicants obtain this training)

Position structure:

The Connections Crew starts work on July 7 and works 20 hrs/week through August 15. We anticipate the Connections Crew working from 8:00AM – 1:30PM, Monday – Thursday. This position will start prior to the Connections Crew to allow for training and fieldwork planning and will continue for at least one week after the Connections Crew completes their experience to assist with reporting and other wrap-up activities. The Crew Leader must be available each day the Connections Crew is working (barring illness or emergency), including one hour before and at least one hour after their workday. This position is funded as a full-time 8-week position (40 hours/week), for a total of 320 hours, from approximately June 26th – August 22nd. Aside from the Crew Leader’s obligations noted above, there is some flexibility in scheduling Crew Leader hours, which will be discussed during the hiring process.

The Crew Leader will be directly supervised by HVA’s Restoration Coordinator. The Crew Leader will spend the majority of their time in the Greater Danbury Area with most work sites located in Danbury, Brookfield, New Milford, and Bethel, CT. However, the Crew Leader will have workspace and access to a computer at HVA’s office in Cornwall Bridge, CT. Crew Leader should expect to spend approximately 75% of their time in the field or working remotely, and 25% of their time at the Cornwall Bridge office.

Compensation:

• $20/hour for a maximum of 320 hours
• Work-related travel using a personal vehicle will be compensated based on federal mileage rate ($.70/mile).

Who we are:

HVA is the only conservation organization dedicated to the entire tri-state Housatonic Watershed, from the Berkshires to Long Island Sound. Our work protects forests, restores streams, helps ecosystems and communities in the Watershed adapt to changing conditions, and promotes sustainable use of our outstanding natural resources by residents and visitors. Collaboration with partner agencies and organizations, community leaders, and citizens concerned about their local environment is essential to the success of everything we do.

Learn more about HVA at hvatoday.org.

HVA is an equal opportunity employer. If you have the drive, interest, and skills to succeed in this position, tell us about how you can help, and we will consider your application. HVA provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons and administers personnel policies and practices in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws.