Position Title: Beaver Conservation Manager
Position Status: FTE (40 hours/week), Non-exempt
Location: Hybrid – Remote Work from Home, Carnation Office, and Fieldwork throughout the Lower Snoqualmie Valley
Compensation: Starting at $25/hr
Reports to: Executive Director
Position Announcement: October 19, 2023
Priority Application Date: November 6, 2023
About the Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance (SVPA)
The SVPA is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to protecting and improving the lives, livelihoods, lands, and waters of a Pacific Northwest regional treasure, the Snoqualmie Valley. The Snoqualmie Valley is comprised of over 440,000 acres of forests, farms, rivers, and small towns, all within an hour’s drive of Seattle. As the urban centers expand rapidly, the rural counterpoint, the environmental and economic viability of the Valley are put under great pressure. The SVPA serves as a local voice for balanced, equitable, long-term planning for the Snoqualmie Valley that preserves the viability of its farms, residents, businesses, and ecosystems. Our goal is to find sustainable solutions for land use challenges, agricultural vitality, and floodplain management.
Since forming in 2010, the Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance has become a steadfast, organized, reliable, and respected advocate for protection of these irreplaceable working lands. We have become a very effective force for forging productive relationships between community members, farmers, residents, tribes, and county and state officials. We have found creative solutions to shared challenges and made significant headway on some key issues central to protecting the Valley, especially in the area of flooding impacts, flood monitoring, development impacts, water rights, and working resource land protection and advocacy.
About the Snoqualmie Valley Beaver Management Pilot Program (SVBMPP)
With the support of grant funding from the King County Flood Control District, the SVPA is in the process of developing a new program – the Snoqualmie Valley Beaver Management Pilot Program. This purpose of this program is to mitigate and reduce beaver-caused flooding and drainage issues in the Snoqualmie Valley Agricultural Production District, a highly-modified agricultural landscape with unique considerations and needs. This program will: 1) Provide base beaver population data necessary for effective wildlife management; 2) Deliver technical assistance and beaver-related flood reduction education to agricultural producers; 3) Offer financial assistance in the form of cost-share and free technical guidance and regulatory navigation guidance; 4) Provide on-site management implementation, installation, and maintenance assistance. The overarching goal of the SVBMPP is to reduce flooding caused by beavers on agricultural land and infrastructure, support beaver habitat in coexistence with human activities, enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen the local food economy, and assist in the establishment and longevity of riparian buffer planting to enhance salmon recovery.
SVPA Work Culture
The SVPA is a small team that works in a highly collaborative way with many partners, community members, landowners, and more. We strive to create a fun and safe work environment, both in the field and in the office. Our team is passionate about what we do and we approach our work with each other, our partners, and our community with positive attitudes, open minds, mutual respect, direct communication, and a high level of productivity. The SVPA provides a space for all staff to voice their ideas and provides a degree of flexibility for individuals to explore projects of personal interest, when feasible and relevant, and develop professionally in a variety of ways.
About the Position
As the Beaver Conservation Manager, you will be responsible for the successful development and implementation of the Snoqualmie Valley Beaver Manager Pilot Program, under the supervision of the Executive Director, and with the guidance and collaboration of key partners including the Snoqualmie Valley Watershed Improvement District, Project Kiwi, King County Senior Ecologist, Beavers Northwest, and Tulalip Beaver Project, among others.
Primary duties and responsibilities include:
• Technical Consultation and Assistance: Consult and assist agricultural and other eligible private landowners in the lower Snoqualmie Valley with beaver conflict assessment, management options, and implementation/installation of management strategies and tools. More specifically, the Beaver Conservation Manager will help landowners and land managers to evaluate beaver management options, make decisions about which management tools/strategies are best suited for their site, refer them to additional resources/technical assistance as needed, help them navigate any relevant permitting processes (i.e. Hydraulic Project Approvals), and assist them with access to cost-share, when applicable. Management tools/strategies may include: frequent notching/training landowners, notch exclusion fencing, vegetation protection, pond levelers, relocation, etc.
• Project Management: Manage projects including preparing scopes of work and recommendations, applying for required permits, purchasing and organizing project materials, and ensuring upkeep of equipment and tools.
• Maintenance: Assist and train landowners in maintenance of beaver dams and/or coexistence devices/tools (notching beaver dams, clearing debris on notch exclusion fencing, etc.)
• Research: Assist partners and contractors on base beaver population study and analysis, as needed. Support research efforts in a variety of ways as program needs evolve. This may include ground-truthing, evaluation of management techniques, methodology documentation, science-based identification of suitable relocation sites, and population/habitat modeling using existing tools, etc.
• Outreach and Education: Engage agricultural landowners and the general public about beavers, their role in the ecosystem, restoration potential, flooding challenges and impacts on farmland and infrastructure, etc. Assist with distribution of relevant educational materials and develop resources, as needed. Lead and/or collaborate with partners on public and landowner-facing educational workshops and events. Contribute to social media and website updates.
• Volunteer Management: Assist in the recruitment and management of volunteers to assist with fieldwork projects.
• Administrative Tasks: Track program and project budget and expenses, develop cost-share program applications and evaluation criteria. Assist the Executive Director and Field Scientist with grant management including quarterly expense reports, project tracking, and grant reports.
• Other Duties: Miscellaneous support to the general activities of the SVPA, as assigned.
Preferred Qualifications - An ideal candidate will have experience with the following:
• A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field of study and a minimum of 2 years experience working in natural resource field.
• Project/program management and coordination.
• Familiarity and/or experience with agricultural systems/working resource lands.
• Wading in streams and wetlands.
• Completing field projects as part of a small team.
• Spatial problem solving.
• Aptitude for managing volunteers.
• Public speaking and community engagement.
• Creating and delivering presentations to diverse audiences.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Scientific study design.
• Mapping with geographic information systems (could include ArcGIS, QGIS, or other
• software).
• Working independently to meet project deadlines.
• Writing reports, recording and tracking data in spreadsheets.
• Managing contracts, monitoring, and tracking progress.
• Working with local jurisdictions and tribes.
• Adaptive management and natural resource planning.
• Balancing multiple priorities and deadlines and adapting to changing priorities.
Required Qualifications
• Working knowledge of riparian and wetland ecosystems demonstrated by a degree in a
relevant field of study such as wildlife biology, zoology, ecology, fisheries science, hydrology/hydrogeology, natural resource management, environmental science, or other related degree and a minimum of 1 years’ experience working in natural resources, conservation, environmental science, wildlife management, ecology, or related field. OR equivalent work experience in natural resources, conservation, environmental science, wildlife management, ecology, or related field.
• Ability to work closely and effectively with external partners and collaborate on projects and program deliverables.
• Ability and comfort working outside in inclement weather, navigate uneven terrain, and wade in wetlands/rivers.
• Must possess a valid Washington State Drivers’ License and a clean driving record.
• Must be able to lift, load, and move up to 50 pounds of equipment.
• Experience and comfort with self-starting and self-management.
• Comfort working alone and as part of a small team.
• Comfort using hand tools and equipment (i.e. T-post driver, brush clearing tools, GPS navigation tools, camera traps/trail cameras, fish nets, etc.)
• Ability to work on site in the lower Snoqualmie Valley (ex: Preston, Fall City, Carnation, Duvall) as field projects demand.
• Comfort working with public and private landowners.
• Clean driving record.
• Ability to pass a background test.
• Commitment to advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Target hourly wage is $25/hr at 40 hours a week with opportunity for future growth in this position. The SVPA office is currently located in downtown Carnation. This is a hybrid position allowing for remote work from home, but candidate must be willing to work on site in the Carnation office or in the field throughout the Snoqualmie Valley as needed and assigned by the supervisor.
This position will include sick leave, paid vacation, and paid holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. If the holiday falls on a weekend, you may take the allotted vacation day the Monday or Friday of that week. Paid vacation accrues at the rate of 8 hours per month. Shifting hours to accommodate consecutive days off will be considered. Sick time accumulates at 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. This position does not include healthcare insurance benefits but does include workers compensation. SVPA payroll is processed semi-monthly.
How to Apply:
Please send resume, cover letter, and three professional references to Executive Director, Lauren Silver-Turner, at [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed as received. Priority will be given to applications received by midnight, Sunday, November 5 but applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The target start date is December 11, 2023 but flexibility may be considered, if necessary.