River Restoration & Community Science Apprentice

Position Description

The River Restoration & Community Science Apprentice will be part of the team working primarily on WMG’s River Run Network community engagement efforts that fulfill WMG’s strategic goals, including our 50-year goal of restoring flow and ecological function to Tucson’s rivers and creeks, as well as our long-term efforts to steward watershed health and hydro-local water supplies. WMG’s community engagement work primarily encompasses the urban and rural areas within the greater Tucson area. 

The Apprentice will focus primarily on supporting the invasive species removal work within the Tucson basin. The Apprentice will also co-facilitate and co-lead community clean-up and invasive species removal events in other parts of watershed, including planning, scheduling, implementing, cleaning up after, and supporting grant reporting for events. The Apprentice will also support the Flow365 Monitoring Program by providing outreach and education to the community, supporting volunteer training efforts, creating and implementing an ecosystem health survey, and planning for shallow groundwater areas around our rivers. 

WMG’s restoration efforts work to engage limited-income, BIPOC, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities, and we seek an apprentice who is part of and/or able to effectively engage with these populations.

The Apprentice will participate in weekly onboarding and development activities with a cohort of other apprentices, interns, and docents. Training often occurs on Friday afternoons, 3-5pm.

Job Requirements

• Interest in and support of WMG’s mission
• Ability to engage with diverse communities and build relationships built on trust and understanding
• Ability to work independently
• Strong communication and writing skills
• Promptness and sound organizational skills
• Experience with natural resources-based field work
• Proficient in Google Docs, Microsoft Office Suite, and social media
• Cell phone that can be used to make and receive work calls
• Ability to work evening and weekend hours as needed and work outside in physically demanding environments for field days

Routine Duties & Responsibilities

• Assist with River Run Network invasive species removal and reforestation effort in the Tanque Verde Creek and beyond
  • Co-facilitate community events across Tucson’s creeks and rivers to steward our creeks, utilizing inclusive, hands-on workshop techniques
  • Document project efforts and conduct monitoring
  • Support outreach efforts for these events through email, social media, educational videos, print materials, and in-person outreach
  • Outreach to community groups about this effort to inform and educate about river restoration and recruit groups to volunteer
  • Aid in grant reporting, including gathering metric data and developing qualitative content about the work being done
• Co-develop and co-manage the Flow365 Community Science Program
  • Attend quarterly training sessions for community members to assist with their learning
  • Adopt 1-2 Flow365 Monitoring sites to collect flow data weekly
  • Support writing the annual report on data collected by volunteers in the program
  • Create and implement a plan for an ecosystem health survey
  • Support outreach efforts for this program through through email, social media, educational videos, print materials, and in-person outreach
• Collaborate with the River Run Network Team to support and plan major WMG events
  • Participate in event planning and preparation, volunteer engagement, and event marketing
  • Conduct in-person education, including designing and leading educational activities with people of all ages

Preferred Experience

• ArcGIS Online (i.e Survey123) experience
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work experience or training
• Bilingual speaker and writer, fluent in English and Spanish