Delaware River Watershed Fellowship

The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. We work throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state, regional, national, and international programs, nature centers, and chapters have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. As a sentinel species, we recognize that the fate of birds is inextricably tied to the fate of us all.

Audubon has more than 700 staff working across the United States and seven countries in 17 state and regional offices, 41 nature centers, and 23 wildlife sanctuaries. Together as one Audubon, we aspire to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier bird populations and reversing current trends in biodiversity loss.

Audubon is committed to a culture of workplace excellence, where our talented and diverse staff are deeply engaged, with a strong sense of belonging. The birds Audubon pledges to protect differ in color, size, behavior, geographical preference, and countless other ways. By honoring and celebrating the equally remarkable diversity of the human species, Audubon will bring new creativity, effectiveness, and leadership to our work throughout the hemisphere.

The John James Audubon Center, a member of the Alliance for Watershed Education (AWE), is seeking to hire a Fellow from the Norristown area to help connect with local community members on the subject of protecting the Delaware River and its waterways.

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.

The John James Audubon Center (JJAC) is located at 1201 Pawlings Road, Audubon, PA 19403. The Fellow will spend much of their time interacting with the section of the Perkiomen Creek found on JJAC property, and parts of the Schuylkill River that run through Norristown.

Duties expected of every AWE Fellow:

• Fellows must participate in a 3-day watershed education training, at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (overnight, June 15-17.) Pocono Environment Education Center (PEEC)
  • Depending on current Covid limitations 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 a mentor from across the Alliance for Watershed Education. Fellows will check in with their mentors approximately twice a month for a 1-hour call.
• With guidance from their supervisor and mentor, Fellows will focus their efforts on a specific capstone project and present their work at the End-of-Program Summit event (August 19).
• Fellows will document their progress by completing a short log report every week.

Plese submit a cover letter with your resume. Application Deadline: Friday, April 30, 2022

More about the John James Audubon Center:

Audubon Mid-Atlantic’s mission - like that of its parent organization, the National Audubon Society - is to protect the places that people and birds need today and tomorrow, through science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Where birds thrive, people prosper.

Audubon’s work in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania and Maryland, focuses on restoring critical forest and coastal habitats, protecting fresh watersheds, building climate-resilient neighborhoods, and increasing the number of environmental supporters through school-based and public conservation education and community engagement work. Our three Centers, the John James Audubon Center in Montgomery County, PA, The Discovery Center in Philadelphia, PA, and Patterson Park in Baltimore, MD, are where much of this work comes to life.

The John James Audubon Center is committed to engaging diverse audiences in community-based efforts to protect and restore habitat, particularly along streams and rivers, and offering outreach programs designed to encourage people to become better stewards and advocates for their waterways and climate. This work increases the quantity and quality of native habitat for the benefit of birds, especially migratory species, as well as human communities.

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.

• Work with supervisor to develop a capstone project that benefits the Norristown community and deepens connections and engagement with JJAC and the Perkiomen Creek with an eye towards expanding watershed protection. Capstone project should also include opportunities to engage new and diverse audiences, including underrepresented groups.
• Assist with leading environmental education and programming at JJAC and in the community.
• Assist with public events at JJAC.
• Monitor and document JJAC Museum guest experience, gathering data through surveys and interviews.
• Assist in communication with Audubon’s constituents via targeted emails and social media.
• Greet visitors to the John James Audubon Center Museum and along onsite pathways.
• Assist with site maintenance, including debris or trash clean up, as well as office tasks as needed.

• Must be age 18 or older before start date ~June 6, 2022.
• A background in environmental education is not required.
• Appreciation of the natural world and commitment to engaging diverse audiences in conservation.
• Strong time and project management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Comfort working independently and as part of a team.
• A positive attitude and willingness to greet visitors and start conversations with strangers.
• Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Occasional evening and weekend hours required.
• Valid state driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle required OR proficient with public transportation.
• Candidates from Norristown are preferred.
• Fluency in Spanish is also preferred.

Essential dates:

• June 6-15, 2022: Fellow start date at the John James Audubon Center (Fellows may arrange with their Supervisor to begin any time within the first week of the program, but must begin in time for the required 3-day orientation training).
• June 15-17: Required Watershed Stewardship Training (overnight) at Pocono Environmental Education Center. (Meals, transportation and accommodations provided. Depending on current Covid limitations, some or all of this training may take place virtually).
• August 19: Watershed Fellowship Summit (location to be announced).
• August 26: Last day of Fellowship (Fellows may finish their term of service any time after the August 19 Summit as needed).

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Accommodations@audubon.org. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

All new hires must be fully vaccinated prior to their start of employment unless they are pre-qualified by HR for exemption.