The Nature Conservancy is hiring a Kansas Healthy Streams Initiative Manager, who will establish The Nature Conservancy as a major partner for stream conservation in Kansas.
This position defines conservation priorities, long-term conservation strategies, and builds strategic, scientific, and technical capacity in the field. S/he develops key partnerships with public and private organizations to identify and resolve technical issues and widely communicate solutions and best practices. S/he develops innovative scientific methods, analyses, tools and frameworks to address natural system needs, develops community support for local conservation efforts, and negotiates complex and innovative solutions with government agencies and landowners to conserve and protect natural communities.
With support and direction from the Director of Conservation and State Director, the Healthy Streams Manager is responsible for implementing and managing the David T. Beals III Healthy Streams for Kansas Initiative, with the following primary goals:
- Long-term, large-scale protection of remaining healthy streams, headwaters, and springs in identified priority areas.
- Restoration and protection of top-priority degraded streams in identified priority areas.
- Increased awareness and understanding among Kansans, inspiring action for stream conservation.
- Improved water quality and security for Kansas communities, industry, and agriculture.
The Healthy Streams Manager works to develop durable partnerships and cooperation with public and private entities to achieve the goals of the initiative and establish The Nature Conservancy as the leading partner in stream conservation in Kansas.
This position works with staff and partners to develop on-the-ground projects to protect and restore streams within The Nature Conservancy’s priority areas in Kansas. Initial activities will include (not limited to) the following strategy sets:
- Promote healthy rangelands and healthy streams. A major program thrust will focus on promoting and deploying scientifically-supported rangeland management practices that support healthy streams by providing technical assistance, field training and information to landowners, private grazing organizations, and state and federal agencies. The programs will also develop sites on Conservancy, state, and federal properties, as well as private lands, which demonstrate healthy watershed practices.
- Build upon The Nature Conservancy’s freshwater initiatives to enhance stream water quality, ecosystem health, and human use opportunities, through strategies that benefit cities and build support in urban areas. Implement the first private water fund project in Kansas.
- Protect and restore identified critical streams. Protection and restoration efforts will be concentrated on priority stream reaches, particularly where The Nature Conservancy and its partners already have land conservation initiatives in place. Protection efforts will include delivering conservation easements to protect drainages of targeted priority streams.
- Provide science-based information and input to managers, to guide The Nature Conservancy’s engagement related to water policy initiatives, to ensure that water quality and quantity for natural resources – including stream health – is fully protected by government agencies and supported through state laws and regulations.
- Inspire awareness and understanding of Kansas stream resources. Increased public awareness and appreciation for the importance of Kansas streams are essential elements of program success. This will be achieved in part by inspiring and equipping university students for careers in stream conservation. Participants in the fellowship program will be selected through a widely promoted competitive application process.