Amanda Jorgenson
California Native Plant Society
Sacramento, CA

POSITION TITLE: Conservation Advocate, Southern California

SUMMARY:
The Conservation Advocate will work to assist CNPS volunteer staff defending native vegetation and natural habitats in Southern California.

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION:
CNPS is a state-wide, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to preserve them in their natural habitat through scientific activities, education, and conservation. CNPS seeks to ensure that good science is used in conservation planning and resource management. For the last 30 years, CNPS has been providing conservation planners and resource managers with reliable and standard sources of scientific information, namely the Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants and the Manual of California Vegetation.

CNPS is a grass-roots organization. It has 33 chapters staffed with volunteers who promote our mission on the local level. CNPS volunteers are engaged in various conservation activities, including advocacy, natural habitat stewardship, and plant science research. In Southern California, for example, CNPS volunteers have been actively involved in plant conservation and land management issues both in private and public lands, as well as in the development of Habitat Conservation Plans and Natural Communities Conservation Plans.

CNPS feels that a critical review of proposed development projects and advocacy based on the best available science is strategic to the protection of Southern California’s unique and significant plant resources on private and public lands. Increasing development pressures in Southern California, however, are threatening critical native plant communities and natural habitats. The large size and complexity of development proposals throughout Southern California have increased the need for CNPS advocacy beyond the capacity of our volunteers. For more information on CNPS visit www.cnps.org


PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represent the interests of the native flora to planning agencies, including reviewing and commenting on planning documents such as Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and Habitat Conservation Plans and speaking at public meetings.
• Review the rare plant and plant communities in the project areas to effectively address issues in EIRs.
• Write and/or help the local chapters write cogent, science-based comments on the proposed actions, to put CNPS’s weight behind measures to assure adequate mitigation and protection of the hundreds of rare plants and plant communities/habitats and to assure that plant conservation is adequately addressed under the law.
• Build public involvement and support by coordinating and strategizing with other local environmental groups and like-minded organizations, to focus on and support science-based plant conservation among all their other concerns.
• Speak at public meetings and mobilize CNPS members to also speak at the meetings and to submit comments on EIRs.
• Meet with Southern California CNPS chapters’ conservation chairs and interested members on the progress of the campaign and next steps.

last updated August 25, 2008

Taber Allison
Massachusetts Audubon Society
Lincoln, MA

The Massachusetts Audubon Society is the largest and one of the oldest conservation organizations in New England. The Conservation Science Division at Mass Audubon has an immediate opening for a multi-year term position that will have lead responsibility for creating and promoting a series of handbooks providing detailed guidance on integrating climate change adaptation into ecological management. Handbooks will be aimed at land trusts, towns, and interested private landowners. In southern New England, the majority of wildlife habitat is owned by private land trusts, towns, or private landowners, and in Massachusetts, these ownership patterns account for more than 60% of the permanently protected land. Each manual will synthesize the growing body of data describing predicted impacts of climate change in the northeast, and will provide detailed guidance for decision-making and implementation of activities that protect conservation values and build resilience in the face of rapid climate change.

The individual will have the opportunity to work with an experienced staff with the expertise necessary to assist in accomplishing these objectives. Mass Audubon protects and manages more than 33,000 acres in 70+ parcels ranging from 4 to more than 2,000 acres, and we have considerable experience in actively managing and restoring wildlife habitat. We have produced a series \"Conserving Grassland Birds\" (www.massaudubon.org/Birds_and_Birding/grassland) that provide detailed recommendations for managing grasslands; the series provides a model for our proposed climate change adaptation handbooks. Mass Audubon staff also actively restore grasslands and salt marshes on our properties, actively control and eliminate infestations of invasive species, and conduct active heathland and grassland restoration using MOWING, fire, and grazing. We have developed an invasive species handbook that has been distributed to more than 200 land trusts, and we are completing a comprehensive biodiversity inventory of our sanctuary system that provides a baseline for monitoring change. Mass Audubon extends its land management expertise beyond its borders through the popular Ecological Extension Service that has provided expert consultation to towns, land trust, and state agencies for nearly ten years.

last updated August 11, 2008

Adrian Ayson
Center for Whole Communities
Fayston, VT

Program Director
Whole Measures

How is it that those who care about people, and those who care about the land have ended up divided from one another? Imagine what we could achieve if movements for environmental and social change worked together? Imagine what you could achieve if you were part of a thriving organization that is leading a new movement for change – building healthy, whole communities by reweaving the connections among people, land and community.

Center for Whole Communities (www.wholecommunities.org) was created from within the conservation movement to serve as a bridge and a safe harbor where diverse groups can visualize problems in the context of larger systems. Center for Whole Communities works to shift the motivating question of environmentalism away from “How much can we protect, for how much money?” to a question that inspires, leader by leader, a new approach: “What is a whole community and how do we get there together?”

We are seeking a Switzer fellow for a Leadership Exchange position to manage the continuing growth and development of the Whole Measures Program. Whole Measures is the environmental movement\'s first values-based, community-oriented guide on why and for whom land is conserved. As a planning and evaluation tool for organizational and community change, Whole Measures provides a framework for dialogue and evaluation that inspires and even demands, a bigger-picture, whole-thinking approach in which those who care about people and the land can productively engage with each other and with all others in a community. Whole Measures is helping groups address root problems instead of symptoms and foster deeper collaborations with groups very different from themselves. See www.wholemeasures.org.

JOB DESCRIPTION:
This position will primarily coordinate the Whole Measures Program and will be based at the Center for Whole Communities, in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. The position includes: collaborating with organizations around the country to help them adopt Whole Measures and incorporate it into their work; communicating widely with diverse organizations that are interested in adopting Whole Measures as their method of measuring mission success; presenting Whole Measures to groups that attend retreats at the Center for Whole Communities through the summer and fall and at conferences around the country; and assisting with fundraising for the Whole Measures program (including grant writing and foundation reporting).

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have equally strong commitments to the environmental movement as well to social justice. He/she will have a working knowledge of the concerns held by the environmental justice, food security, community development and social change movements. The ideal candidate will work effectively in a team while having the initiative to work independently. He/she will use strong written and verbal communication skills and personal experience to become a forceful advocate for Whole Measures and the unique mission of Center for Whole Communities.

Please contact Adrian Ayson at Center for Whole Communities (adrian@wholecommunities.org or 802-496-5690) if you are interested in applying for the position.

last updated August 11, 2008

Oliver Barton
Common Ground
New Haven, CT

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND: Common Ground is a center for environmental learning and leadership in New Haven, Connecticut. On our 20-acre site at the base of West Rock Ridge, a diverse community of children, young people, and adults cultivate habits of healthy living and sustainable environmental practice. More specifically, Common Ground is:
-An environmental education center, offering programs that connect people of all ages with the natural world while helping them develop habits of sustainable living.
-Connecticut\'s only charter high school focused on the environment, preparing students for both success in college and environmental leadership.
-An urban demonstration farm, modeling practices of sustainable agriculture and contributing to a healthy food system for New Haven residents.
-A 20-acre laboratory for environmental research, sustainable living, the study of natural and human history, and community-building.

Common Ground High School, one of the nation\'s first charter high schools with an environmental focus, integrates environmental learning and leadership into all aspects of student learning. The high school uses three sites as laboratories for learning: our research farm, the forested West Rock Ridge State Park, and the City of New Haven. While students come from a variety of educational experiences, 90% go on to college. A consistent focus on academic success within an applied environmental context has helped the number of students earning proficient scores on state tests double over the last year.

LEADERSHIP GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Common Ground seeks a Switzer Fellow interested in playing a leadership role in Common Ground High School\'s efforts to promote environmental learning and leadership. A Fellow would take on several closely connected efforts: (1) supporting classroom teachers as they integrate environmental themes into their academic classes, (2) building the school\'s nascent Environmental Honors program, and (3) organizing and leading environmental programs outside the school day, including environmental advocacy, science, and entrepreneurship projects. These efforts will involve direct interaction with high school students and teachers, big-picture strategic planning and management, and partnership-building work with community organizations and educational institutions. We are seeking an individual comfortable and experienced in this range of roles. This position offers an opportunity to bring Common Ground\'s work around environmental learning and leadership to a new level at a critical and exciting time in the organization\'s development. The hiring timeline and length of the position are flexible, though we are seeking to move this agenda as soon as possible and continue to grow our work in this area over the coming years.

last updated August 11, 2008

Doug Parker
Audubon Vermont
Huntington, VT

Audubon Vermont (AV), part of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest and largest conservation organizations in the U.S., has an entrepreneurial opportunity to work with landowners, foresters and a range of other partners to initiate habitat management programs for priority species. AV successfully piloted this program last year and it is being received with a great deal of enthusiasm from landowners - 20,000 acres are already enrolled. The focus of this program is to help Vermont’s landowners become more sustainable in their management practices and to introduce them to a broader set of conservation practices. The new position would be in charge of a large geographic area of the state, building and running a program that works closely with partners and landowners to implement forest management practices.

Because the vast majority of habitat in Vermont, and across New England, is privately owned - 85% of Vermont is privately owned - the key to having a widespread impact on habitat is to engage private landowners. Fortunately, many landowners are very interested in improving their management for wildlife and for birds, in particular. This program is aimed at making their management more sustainable, using practical approaches developed with foresters. The program stresses habitat needs for priority bird species but its goals go beyond birds. It is aimed at fostering the adoption by landowners of an array of sustainable conservation practices. Pilot efforts have been very successful - the positive experiences of participating landowners have led a number of them to engage their neighbors as well, so that AV is now working with groups of landowners in some communities.

To have a real impact, we must engage many more landowners in habitat management efforts. The ultimate goal is to enroll hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Vermont and, with partners, to pursue similar programs in other northern forest states and Canada.

The person in this new position would be able to lead this effort in a key area of the state, implement a model that has already been successfully piloted, call for support upon existing Audubon staff experienced in this work, and work with a wide range of partners, many of which are already involved in this program.

last updated August 11, 2008

Anne Rabe
Center for Health, Environment & Justice
Castleton, NY

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that provides organizing and technical assistance to grassroots community organizations nationwide. The center was founded in 1981 by Lois Gibbs, who together with her neighbors won the relocation of more than 900 families from their neighborhood after it was contaminated by chemicals leaking from the Love Canal landfill in Niagara Falls, NY. CHEJ\'s mission is to build healthy communities, with social justice, economic well-being, and democratic governance. We believe this can happen when individuals from communities have the power to play an integral role in promoting human health and environmental integrity. Our role is to provide the tools to build strong, healthy communities where people can live, work, learn, play and pray. CHEJ\'s overarching objective is to shift the terms of the debate from the acceptance of risk to the prevention of harm and achieve fundamental practice and policy shifts that reflect this shift.

CHEJ\'s BE SAFE Initiative is working to empower the grassroots movement for long-term systemic change that transforms the way we approach environmental regulation and decision making at all levels of government in this country. This systemic change is rooted in a paradigm shift from risk/benefit and cost/benefit decision-making that asks, \"what level of harm is acceptable?\" to a precautionary approach which asks, \"how much harm can we prevent?\" Through this shift we will create a society that demands the safest products and practices to protect human health and the environment, and leave for our children and our children\'s children a safer, healthier world in which to live, learn, work, play and pray. CHEJ\'s PVC Consumer Campaign is made up of and led by grassroots community, regional, statewide, and national environmental health and justice organizations from around the United States. The PVC Consumer campaign is focused on preventing harm by shifting decision makers from producing, using and disposing of PVC consumer products and packaging and substituting it with safe materials. Through the campaign we are supporting communities hardest hit by environmental injustices from the PVC industry and lifecycle, shifting the market away from poisonous chemicals in consumer products, and supporting model policy efforts to reform chemicals policy. Since the campaign was founded, we have worked with and convinced Microsoft, Johnson and Johnson, Wal-Mart, and Crabtree & Evelyn to phase out their use of PVC in packaging. We are leveraging these victories to build momentum for further commitments to safe products.

Fellows could do the following activities.
* Coordinate a national campaign project or state campaign project in FL, NY and NC to pass precautionary policies on a range of environmental health issues, or to phase out PVC in products.
* As project coordinator, research and write fact sheets, reports, letters, media, and other campaign materials.
* As project coordinator, organize campaign events such as press conferences, coalition meetings, conference calls, meetings with policymakers or companies, and/or national days of action.
* As project coordinator, research and develop a governmental or corporate policy (or policies) related to green purchasing, brownfields, PVC products and packaging or other precautionary-based environmental health issues.

last updated August 06, 2008

Valerie Cassity
Sequoia ForestKeeper
Kernville, CA

Project: Sequoia Regeneration Analysis (one year project)

Sequoia ForestKeeper is seeking an individual who has recently earned their Ph.D. or Masters Degree to conduct a thorough analysis on the effects of various US Forest Service management techniques on sequoia regeneration. This type of study is a new initiative for the organization. We will provide three undergraduate student interns throughout the summer of 2008 to assist with on-the-ground research, GIS mapping software, and a computer dedicated to this purpose. The selected Fellow will use GIS mapping and data analysis to exhibit how logging, prescribed fire, and other management techniques affect forest health, watershed health, and sequoia regeneration, and how managed forest areas differ from virgin forests in this regard. The selected Fellow must be willing to present their findings to scientists, lawmakers, and the general public, and to tailor presentations to affect maximum understanding of the audience.

We have already collected important data on several square miles of the forest, and are ready to have that data put into GIS format so that the various management strategies used by the Forest Service can be scientifically analyzed to determine which management technique creates the healthiest forest. GIS software will be used to store photographic, geographic, and biologic data, which can then accurately display patterns and irregularities in forest health. This information can be shared with agencies and organizations nation-wide, and could have a significant impact on the way forests and parks are cared for in the future.

The ideal candidate for this position will have earned a Ph.D. or Masters Degree in Ecology, Forestry, or other life science related to the forest, and will have extensive GIS knowledge and capabilities, as well as strong communication skills. This person must also be willing to direct the interns in research assignments in a clear and concise manner, and work with the SFK attorney to create a summary of the research that can be used in future litigation.

About Sequoia ForestKeeper: Based in Kernville, California, Sequoia ForestKeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the ecosystems of the southern Sierra Nevada – including both Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument – through monitoring, enforcement, education, and litigation. By acting as the eyes, ears, and voice of the forest, SFK seeks to improve land management practices; to promote land stewardship, to enforce existing laws and regulations, to implement public awareness programs, and to offer assistance to local land management agencies.

last updated August 05, 2008

Steven Rothert
American Rivers, California
Nevada City, CA

Tired of living in a city? Thinking about buying some land and moving to the country? Want to know your neighbors and have a real sense of community? Love rivers, big trees, mountains, and seasons? Wondering how you can have a great job and live a sane life? Read on!

American Rivers (www.americanrivers.org) is a national river conservation organization that stands up for healthy rivers so our communities can thrive. Through national advocacy, innovative solutions and our growing network of strategic partners, we protect and promote our rivers as valuable assets that are vital to our health, safety and quality of life. Founded in 1973, American Rivers has more than 65,000 members and supporters nationwide, with offices in Washington, DC and the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, California and Northwest regions.

The California Field Office of American Rivers is seeking a Switzer Fellow to join two other Switzer Fellows (Steve Rothert and Elizabeth Soderstrom) and our staff to help lead an exciting portfolio of river conservation and management projects. This is an amazing position that allows you to live in a lovely, progressive, rural community in the heart of the Sierra Nevada while working for a national river organization promoting innovative river conservation and management approaches throughout the State of California.

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative thinker (aren’t all Switzer fellows?) who works well in a fast-paced setting, but knows how to take long and healthy vacations and has a sense of humor.

American Rivers/California is interested in having a dialogue with you regarding your interests and skills and seeing where you would fit best within out range of projects which include:
--Climate Change in the FERC-Relicensing Process
--Climate-Change and River Management
--Establishing a Sierra Water Trust to Meet In-Stream Flow Needs
--Floodplain Restoration
--Mountain Meadow Restoration
--Dam-Removal and Fish Passage
--Promoting Spirit in the Watershed Movement
--The Bay-Delta Conservation Plan

If interested, please contact:

Steve Rothert
409 Spring Street
Nevada City, CA 95959
530 478 5672
srothert@americanrivers.org

last updated August 05, 2008

Sean Cosgrove
Conservation Law Foundation
Boston, MA

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), New England's leading environmental advocacy organization, works to craft effective, long-term solutions to environmental challenges in the fields of ocean conservation, climate change, clean water, healthy forests, sustainable communities, and environmental justice. Through innovative science, community-based partnerships and legal advocacy, CLF is working to protect habitat for ocean wildlife and to advance comprehensive management to build a sustainable future for coastal communities in New England.

CLF seeks a Switzer Fellow to serve in a key role to help reach the primary goal of CLF’s Ocean Conservation Program—to protect the ocean’s most valuable underwater habitat in a network of marine protected areas in the Gulf of Maine. The Community Outreach Associate position requires considerable travel within New England to identify and engage various community leaders, stakeholders, and constituency groups in order to build active public support for the protection of vulnerable ocean habitat. Tasks will include, but are not limited to, grassroots outreach, coalition building, research and development of outreach materials, and communication with the media and the public. The Community Outreach Associate will represent CLF at public meetings, hearings and forums addressing resource conservation, fisheries and ocean policy. In addition, the ideal candidate should be willing and able to design creative, collaborative techniques to work with diverse New England communities. Working closely with the Gulf of Maine Campaign Director, the Community Outreach Associate will have the opportunity to work in a broad range of forums, including administrative rulemaking, federal and state legislative policy, the media, and the New England Fisheries Management Council. The Community Outreach Associate will be based in one of CLF's coastal state offices, and will work collaboratively with staff in all of CLF's regional offices. The Community Outreach Associate will report to the Director of the Ocean Conservation Program and the Gulf of Maine Campaign Director, and should be dedicated to carrying out the strategies and tactics necessary to achieve the Ocean Program goals.

The ideal candidate will hold a minimum of a Masters Degree in Environmental Science, Political Science, Communications or a similar field, and will have no less than four years experience in public interest environmental advocacy or public policy. This is not an entry-level organizer position. Candidates with a familiarity of New England fisheries and marine issues are preferred. Excellent analytic capabilities, exemplary oral and written communication skills, political awareness, a commitment to environmental advocacy, and the ability to work both independently and in team settings are a must. All candidates should have the ability to understand and explain the science behind environmental problems, work in a goal-oriented campaign style, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. A valid driver’s license, satisfactory driving record and proof of automobile insurance is required. CLF seeks an advocate who is tenacious yet flexible, determined yet good natured, with the highest personal and professional integrity, and is able to work with businesses as well as community activists. CLF is committed to strengthening the diversity of our advocacy efforts and people of color who are interested in exploring a career in public interest environmental advocacy are strongly encouraged to apply.

last updated July 29, 2008

Berenise Herrera
Latino Issues Forum
San Francisco, CA

Latino Issues Forum (LIF) is a non-profit public policy and advocacy institute dedicated to advancing new and innovative public policy solutions for a better, more equitable and prosperous society. LIF was founded in 1987 by group of distinguished Latino social justice leaders who wanted to fill a void in research and advocacy on issues impacting Latinos. During its 20-year history, LIF has taken on a myriad of issues. Today our approach towards successfully moving forward public policy solutions that address the Latino community’s needs in three primary ways: to research and frame key issues; to develop fair and equitable public policies and practices; and to advocate for policies that promote the well-being of all Latinos in California. We believe that improving the lives of Latinos requires a comprehensive and holistic approach. To that end LIF’s core issues include education, health care, sustainable communities and the environment, and technology and telecommunications.

LIF is seeking a Switzer Fellow to work jointly with our environment and health programs to conduct research and develop a policy agenda that seeks to improve the quality of life for Latinos in California by promoting solutions towards better community health. The Latino community has the least access to health care insurance and most often the communities surrounding Latinos disproportionately expose them to environmental toxins in the areas that they live, work and play. As a result, many Latino children and adults are being diagnosed with diseases that could have been preventable. Currently, the ways in which our communities are being developed do not take into consideration the these health care needs, such as providing safe, open space for recreational activities, accessible and affordable transportation to and from health care facilities, access to culturally and linguistically competent health providers, or resources to eliminate community blight. Furthermore, the Latino community is the largest growing ethnic group in California, expected to be a majority of the state’s population in 25 years. The decisions we make today will impact the health of our communities tomorrow.

The Switzer Fellow will work with LIF staff on the following assignments:
• Conduct research on projected demographic changes in California’s counties,
• Conduct a community evaluation and needs assessment of areas with the largest projected growth in California among Latinos,
• Research community health models and best practices
• Develop statewide and regional policy agendas
• Identify potential community development strategies and advocacy partners.

last updated April 01, 2008

Michael Pasoff
As You Sow
San Francisco, CA

As You Sow, one of the nation\'s leading practitioners of shareholder advocacy wants to create a social enterprise to empower non-profit institutional investors and socially-minded individuals to use their stock ownership as a means to influence the social and environmental policies of corporations. As a non-profit social change organization, AYS consults in the for-profit and non-profit sectors to strengthen corporate social responsibility. For over a decade we have been utilizing the power of share ownership in publicly traded companies to encourage more progressive labor and environmental policies.

For several years AYS has been offering educational materials for foundations and non-profits to promote voting one’s proxies. We are interested in two new business ideas: 1) expanding our services to fee-based consulting for foundations that want to set up and execute their own proxy voting guidelines; AND/OR 2) develop a pay-as-you-go web based platform to help individual shareholders decide how to vote their proxies in a socially responsible manner. The ultimate goals are to produce a sustainable revenue stream for the organization, increase the quantity of empowered and active shareholders, and have more influence in encouraging corporations to adopt stronger socially responsible practices.

Our project with a Switzer Fellow would entail:
1) An analysis of the competitive landscape for the two product offerings mentioned above and how As You Sow’s unique skill set in these areas can be applied effectively.
2) An analysis of which project should be implemented first from an operational and financial perspective.
3) A business plan for one or both projects that would include:
• Market segments likely to be interested in the services
• Preferred method of delivering the product and recommended price points
• Recommendations for the most efficient and successful way to expand into this market
• Estimates of start up costs using a combination of for-profit and non-profit models

last updated March 04, 2008