Conservation Analyst

The Preserve Manager – Santa Barbara County (Preserve Manager) will be responsible for co-managing two preserves in Santa Barbara County that have been permanently protected for conservation purposes. The larger of those preserves – Gaviota Tarplant Ranch Preserve – is a 2,731-acre preserve located south of Lompoc, CA that includes annual and perennial grassland, coastal oak woodland, coastal scrub, riparian, and wetlands. The second preserve – Harris Farm Preserve – is a 34-acre property that lies within a larger privately-owned farm along the Gaviota coast. The species that command the stewardship focus on both of these preserves is the State and Federally Endangered Gaviota tarplant. CNLM is gradually assuming full perpetual management and monitoring responsibilities for both preserves. The Preserve Manager will focus on rangeland management across both preserves, using conservation grazing as a key management tool to steward Gaviota tarplant populations and maintain suitable habitat conditions. The position also entails conducting short- and long-term monitoring of plant community change, trends, grazing impacts; precipitation; soil erosion hazards; and correlate other rangeland resource activities and uses. Some experience in rangeland management and use of grazing to achieve conservation objectives is required.

The Preserve Manager will work closely with other CNLM staff (including a second Santa Barbara County Preserve Manager), grazing operators, landowners, botanists, contractors and other partners.

The Preserve Manager will focus on the stewardship of Gaviota tarplant populations and habitat conditions and contribute to applied research and adaptive management in support of this species. The Preserve Manager will be involved in overall management of the Preserve, and preparing budgets, plans, and reports; however, the areas of emphasis for the rangeland management focus specifically includes:
• Implement a grazing management plan to support Gaviota tarplant habitat.
• Manage grazing as a vegetation management tool to implement the goals of the management plan.
• Conduct effective communications and relationships with grazing operators and monitor grazing effects (e.g., RDM surveys).
• Determine and implement, as appropriate, other vegetation management tools such as pesticide application, mowing, mechanical removal or prescribed burns.
• Collaborate with partners to promote the protection, conservation, and expansion of Gaviota tarplant on the preserves.

The Preserve Manager will be involved with technical advisory committees composed of researchers, regulatory personnel, and other collaborators, which will provide input towards management. The Preserve Manager will provide resource management in accordance with the conservation values and regulatory requirements of the Preserve, CNLM’s stewardship standards and practices (which also reflect and exceed Land Trust Alliance standards), and the preserve-specific management plan. Other activities will include revising management plans; preparing annual budgets, work plans, and reports; analyzing data as needed; and active engagement of contractors needed for specialized services.

In addition to the management of the Preserve, the Preserve Manager will contribute to CNLM’s expertise and documentation of ‘best management practices’ for managing rare and protected plant and animal species particularly with respect to ‘conservation-directed grazing’. Grazing is a stewardship approach practiced on several other CNLM preserves, and the Preserve Manager will join the team of other staff towards acquiring and sharing experience in this discipline. They will participate in internal and external stewardship and conservation science events and, as needed, participate in the acquisition of new preserves.

ABOUT CNLM
The Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, created in 1990, whose mission is the perpetual stewardship of natural and created conservation lands, sensitive species, and their resident ecosystems. Conservation stewardship activities are practiced on preserves in California, Oregon, and Washington. CNLM currently has a preserve portfolio of over 100 preserves that combined represent more than 75,000 acres of high conservation value.

Central to CNLM’s mission and fundamental to its success are the principles of rigorous cost estimation for managing conservation areas in perpetuity and application of appropriate scientific information for conservation and restoration. CNLM staff developed the iconic “PAR” software and made it available (now through subscription to the app) to the conservation community to assist with determination of perpetual stewardship costs.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The Preserve Manager will focus on rangeland management for the stewardship of Gaviota tarplant populations and habitat conditions. The responsibilities described below are expected.
• Provide stewardship for the Gaviota Tarplant Ranch Preserve including planning, management, enhancement, monitoring, reporting, budgeting, and other activities
• Manage (adaptively) a grazing program that involves planning and implementation through monitoring and relationship maintenance with landowners, grazing operators, and others
• Monitor occurrences and populations of native, listed, and exotic species of plants and animals
• Determine ecosystem health, diversity, trend, successional stage, site potential, desired plant community grazing capacity of the vegetation and any special problems connected with the Preserve
• Conduct short- and long-term monitoring of plant community change, trends, grazing impacts; precipitation; soil erosion hazards; and correlate other rangeland resource activities and uses
• Identify any additional (beyond provided budget and work plan) important activities, develop plans, and participate in efforts to acquire additional resources
• Work collaboratively, productively, and professionally with other CNLM staff, natural resources agencies, consultants, advisory committees, and other conservation organizations
• Review monitoring protocols, analyze and interpret the results of monitoring activities, and incorporate this information into management activities and plans
• Carry out specific preserve management activities such as vegetation management, maintaining and repairing fences and posting signs, patrolling, and preparing scopes of work and contracts for specific services if required for appropriate stewardship and as allowed by preserve budgets
• Conduct stewardship activities that could include occasional restoration or enhancement activities and integrated pest management including chemical control of exotics if needed and/or mechanical control
• Develop and maintain a permanent record of preserve activities, decisions taken, and preserve conditions
• Participate in planning and community meetings as a representative of CNLM
• Prepare and implement annual work plans, budgets, and reports
• Participate in acquiring new CNLM preserves which includes conducting PAR (Property Analysis Record) analyses on new properties and conducting associated field surveys and due diligence as needed
• Fulfill other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS
• Master of Science (or Arts) degree (strongly preferred) in Range Ecology or Management, Natural Resource Management, Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Soil Science, Botany, or related field; or compelling evidence of equivalent experience and self-education that would result in understanding of core principles and ability to use rangeland science, statistical, preserve design, ecological, and genetic principles in preserve stewardship and decision-making • Some experience in rangeland management and use of grazing to achieve conservation objectives is required
• Relevant experience in land stewardship, including application of various management tools, biological monitoring, restoration, and property protection
• Knowledge—identification, life history characteristics, management—of southern California native plants and experience in management of annual grassland, coastal scrub, and oak woodland habitats is desirable
• Excellent communication skills; ability to write professional stewardship-related plans, reports, and other documents (without dependence on AI)
• Demonstrated effectiveness in working collaboratively and professionally with colleagues, committees, grazing operators, landowners, and the public
• Proven self-starter, able to work efficiently and effectively with minimal supervision, and able to appropriately use initiative to meet habitat management goals
• Able to structure time effectively and meet deadlines
• Able to prepare and manage annual Preserve budgets and implement scheduled work plans
• Working knowledge of GIS and GPS technologies and associated software and of Windows operating systems and PC applications such as Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with statistical analyses software
• Understanding of basic statistical principles for designing monitoring protocols, simple field trials, and analyzing resulting data is highly desirable
• Some familiarity with federal, state, and local environmental legislation and codes such as the California and Federal Endangered Species Acts and ability to work with appropriate discretion in a context involving listed species and regulatory requirements
• Possession and maintenance of a valid driver’s license and safe driving record
• Ability to operate from a home office, to provide a safe location for a CNLM vehicle if one is provided, and to make efficient use of the limited funds available for transportation in traveling to/from the Preserve and conducting other work-related responsibilities.

More information regarding CNLM, working conditions, and this position are available on our website.  CNLM is an Equal Opportunity employer.