Summary

The Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) seeks an emotionally intelligent individual who is concerned with environmental justice to lead a crew of five high-school students on river restoration work, facilitate project-based environmental education and assist with career education, and co-organize outreach events during the 2024 summer. The Crew Leader will be responsible for three programmatic goals: (1) Implementation of the Still River Watershed Management Plan; (2) Environmental education and professional development for the young Crew Members; and (3) Public outreach about management of the Still River watershed.

Position description

The Crew Leader will be responsible for teaching watershed science and supervising a crew of five highschool students as they work on and learn from river restoration projects in the Danbury, CT area. As a capstone to this summer program, the Crew Leader will help each Crew Member design and execute a presentation to the community about their educational and/or restorative accomplishment(s) during the season. Specific watershed restoration projects may include, but are not limited to:

• raingarden plantings/maintenance,
• invasive plant management,
• riparian buffer plantings,
• water quality sampling and stream health data collection,
• trail maintenance.

The Crew Leader will also assist the HVA program team with the installation and maintenance of 3-4 raingardens as well as with outreach on stormwater pollution mitigation that highlights raingardens.

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

Connections is a program for workforce development through restoration of the Still River watershed in the Danbury, CT area. The program emerged from an ongoing watershed planning effort to restore water quality in the Still River and its tributaries. It provides urban high-school students with opportunities to personally connect with (1) their home Still River as a tributary to the Housatonic River; (2) professional aspirations and networks; and (3) conservation practitioners by working on projects that improve water quality and habitat in the watershed. In the process, participants gain exposure to emerging job skills and environmental careers that will ultimately mobilize them as water protectors in their communities.

Duties

• Ensure the personal safety of Crew Members both psychologically and physically
• Model and reinforce positive work etiquette and approve Crew Members’ timesheets
• Nurture team cohesion as well as model and promote teamwork
• Resolve any conflicts equitably and proactively
• Plan and execute daily activities through various tasks such as transportation of fieldwork supplies and guidance for Crew Members to complete restoration goals
• Design and deliver environmental education lesson plans both in-field and remotely if needed
• Communicate field work and crew progress with program partners
• Track program effectiveness through data collection and management
• Provide guidance to students as they interact with the public through their daily tasks and their seasonal capstone presentations
• Represent Connections program in contacts with participant guardians and public in the field
• Create and submit public outreach materials to HVA supervisor and Communications team

Required experience/qualifications

• Experience leading groups of teenagers: outdoor leadership programs, trail maintenance crew, restorative juvenile justice, science education, camp experience etc.
• Scientific background in environmental studies, biology, aquatic science, hydrology, ecology, natural resource management or similar field
• Experience working outdoors on environmental restoration, trail maintenance, community gardening, urban farming or related field experience
• Enthusiasm and motivation for teaching and learning as well as for ethnic and/or racial equity
• Excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution, communication and organizational skills
• Applicant must have access to a reliable vehicle and valid driver’s license

Desired qualifications

• Experience facilitating environmental education activities on a daily and/or weekly basis
• Familiarity with using Facebook and Instagram as well as developing outreach materials
• Spanish and/or Portuguese fluency is a plus
• Wilderness First Aid/CPR training (HVA can help qualified applicants obtain this training)

Position structure

This is a full-time 8-week position (40 hours/week) from mid-June to mid-August. Position start and end dates can be flexible for the right candidate! Approximately 70% of the work will involve leading and prepping for the Connections program. The remaining 30% will include outreach, project-based education, and community events focused on green infrastructure, native landscaping or stormwater runoff. The Crew Leader will be directly supervised by HVA’s Connecticut Watershed Manager. This job is based in urban Danbury, CT with the bulk of fieldwork supplies located at the HVA office in rural Cornwall Bridge, CT.

Compensation

• $20/hour for 8 weeks
• Work-related travel using personal vehicles will be compensated based on mileage
• Housing is not provided, but if necessary HVA will assist a successful applicant with finding lodging in the Danbury area or near the HVA CT office

To apply

Send a cover letter describing interest and qualifications, resume, and contact information for two job references—if accessible, in a single PDF file with your full name and “Connections Crew Leader” in the title—to Michael S. Jastremski (HVA Watershed Conservation Director) at mjastremski@hvatoday.org and Rodrigo G. Pinto (HVA Connecticut Watershed Manager) at rpinto@hvatoday.org. Position open until filled.

Who we are

HVA leads conservation action in communities across the tristate Housatonic watershed in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. We restore and protect the Housatonic River and its tributaries, protect strategically important lands, and take action to help ecosystems and communities adapt to climate change across the watershed and beyond. We do this directly or in collaborations with partner agencies and organizations, community and business leaders, and concerned citizens working for a clean and healthy natural environment. Our overarching goal is to achieve a climate-ready Housatonic Watershed by 2040. In addition to our advocacy, issue response and education programs, two major campaigns toward our 2040 goal are underway: Clean, Cold and Connected, aimed at restoring and protecting local streams and the waters they flow to, including Long Island Sound; and Follow the Forest, aimed at protecting a continuous forest corridor through the Housatonic watershed to connect the Appalachian Highlands of eastern New York with the forests of western Massachusetts and Vermont through to Canada.

HVA is committed to being fully representative of the watershed’s people and diverse communities in all our work and across our organization. We strive to make our conservation actions equitable and inclusive by enabling participation by all and increasing our understanding of and responsiveness to environmental inequity. Our team is committed to continuously improving equitable representation across our organization and in our work towards a healthy watershed. 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 eligible persons and administers personnel policies and practices in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws. We do not discriminate or abide discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, legal history, genetic information, mental disability or physical disability. Our commitment to equal opportunity is a guiding principle in all of our employment practices and policies.