2023 Delaware River Watershed Fellowshipat John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Start date: June 5-14, 2023 End date: August 18-25, 2023
The Delaware River Watershed Fellowship is a 12 week, paid summer job opportunity designed to introduce young people from local communities to careers in environmental education. Fellows are hired at one of 23 environmental education centers across the Delaware River Watershed. Fellows participate in training sessions to help prepare them for a summer of helping people connect with nature and informing their local communities about issues affecting the Delaware River, the source of drinking water for 13 million people living in the region.
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, a member of the Alliance for Watershed Education (AWE), is seeking to hire a Fellow from Southwest Philadelphia and surrounding communities to help connect with local community members around protecting the Delaware River and its waterways.
Position Location: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum is located on 1,000 acres of public land in the traditional territories of the Lenni-Lenape. The Visitor Center is located at 8601 Lindbergh Blvd. Philadelphia, PA, 19153. The Fellow will spend much of their time at the refuge and partner sites in Southwest Philadelphia.
Compensation: Fellows are paid $15.50/hr, 35-40 hours a week over the summer.
Duties expected of every AWE Fellow:
- Fellows will participate in a 3 day watershed education training, at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (overnight, June 14-16.) http://www.peec.org/ (Depending on Covid limitations at the time, some or all of this training may take place virtually.)
- Fellows will help their host Center lead programs and activities, whether in-person or virtually, for community members and visitors to their site.
- Fellows will attend virtual webinars as well as in-person meetings with Fellows from other AWE Centers.
- Fellows will be paired with mentors from AWE Centers as well as past Fellowship alumni. Fellows will check in with their mentors twice a month.
- With guidance from their supervisor and mentors, Fellows will focus their efforts on a specific Capstone Project and present their work at the end-of-program Summit event (August 18).
- Fellows will document their progress by completing a short log report every week.
The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Fellow will specifically:
- Lead public engagement programs within the refuge and in partner community sites
- Plan and implement in-person about watershed education
- Coordinate with local litter cleanup groups to promote community action
- Create accessible content for social media
- Assist environmental education and programming, including the refuge summer camps and other youth groups
- Serve as a trail and waterway docent, including using an outreach bike cart
- Assist with trail maintenance, including debris or trash clean up, as well as daily office tasks as needed
Qualifications and Experience:
- Age 18+ by June 5, 2023 start date.
- A background in environmental education is not required.
- Lead public engagement programs within the refuge and in partner community sites
- A positive attitude and good sense of humor, as well as comfort working independently and as a part of a team, when needed.
- Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and juggle multiple, changing priorities; strong time and project management skills needed. Must be self-motivated and willing to work in a flexible, non-structured environment.
- Tuesday to Saturday schedule with occasional evening and weekend hours required
- Able to work in various outdoor conditions, including muddy wetland habitats
- Ability and willingness to work on the water and to learn paddling skills
- Ability and willingness to learn skills to create accessible digital content for social media
- Valid state driver’s license required OR proficient with public transportation.
- JHNWR is dedicated to building a culturally diverse organization and strongly encourages applications from residents of Southwest Philadelphia and/or individuals from underrepresented groups in the environmental field
- Bilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
Essential dates:
- June 5, 2023: Fellow start date at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (Fellows may arrange with their Supervisor to begin any time within the first week of the program.)
- June 14-16: Fellowship Orientation (overnight) at Pocono Environmental Education Center. (Meals, transportation and accommodations provided.)
- August 18: Watershed Fellowship Summit (location to be announced).
- August 25: Last day of Fellowship (Fellows may finish their term of service any time after the August 18 Summit as needed.)
How to apply:
Email a resume and cover letter to: Wingyi Kung Visitor Service Specialist
Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 28, 2023
____________________________________________________________________________
More about John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum is located in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania, in the traditional territories of the Lenni-Lenape. The refuge protects Pennsylvania’s largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh, approximately 200 acres, and more than 700 acres of a variety of other habitats. In addition to protecting habitat for wildlife, JHNWR also provides a variety of free outdoor recreation opportunities for urban visitors, including environmental education, kayaking, biking, hiking, fishing, archery, and wildlife viewing.
More about the Alliance for Watershed Education
Organized in 2016, the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River is a regional initiative of twenty-three partnering environmental education centers, funded and supported by the William Penn Foundation. Each of these centers is located along the Circuit Trail or a major connecting trail, and on waterways throughout the Delaware River Watershed in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
This position is made possible through the support of the William Penn Foundation.