New York’s Thousand Islands Region is seeking enthusiastic Environmental Educators for the 2023 season. Apply to be a SCA New York State Parks Corps member today!

About the NYS Parks Corps: Service activities range from providing environmental education and interpretation, to trail restoration, wildlife management, and organizing volunteer events. All 21 Parks Corps members will gather regularly in Central NY for SCA trainings and other professional development opportunities as they arise. (**See Covid caveat above for potential exceptions to 2023 events) Members share housing in groups of 1-4 members per location. NYS Parks Corps members serve under the direction of regional Parks staff to assist in accomplishing the mission of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; to provide safe and enjoyable recreational and interpretive opportunities for all New York State residents and visitors and to be responsible stewards of our valuable natural, historic, and cultural resources.

This position is located in New York’s Thousand Island Region, with housing provided in Wellesley Island State Park.

Purpose of the Position: Wellesley Island State Park is the largest park in the Thousand Islands Region. Serving at Minna Anthony Common Nature Center (MACNC) will be a valuable experience involving exceptional biodiversity, diverse park patrons, seasonal school and public programming, and stewardship projects. Members will serve as essential education staff – leading programming, stewarding the nature center, grounds, and exhibits, and connecting with the larger community. They will be a vital team member that contributes to making MACNC a flagship nature center and a treasured resource for the community.

Community Needs that the Position Serves: As front line staff, members will be greeting and interacting with park patrons daily. Members will be visible park ambassadors – whether at the nature center, out on the trails, or walking through the parking lot – committed to being friendly and welcoming to all. Connecting park patrons to the natural world is the core principle of our programming. Members will be leading public programs, teaching school groups, and facilitating activities at special events. They will be trained to design family-based programming, inclusive and adapted to engage all audiences. Members will serve as stewards of the nature center, and surrounding gardens and trails. They will provide animal care for our aquarium and terrarium interpretive exhibits. Additionally, members will connect with the larger community through social media, off-site programs and events, and collaborative projects with local environmental organizations.

AmeriCorps Member Duties and Responsibilities: 

SCA Focus Area (40%)

Each member will work independently to fulfill specific responsibilities within a focus area. Members are expected to follow direction and touch base often while also being a self-starter, collaborative, and flexible. This will require self-leadership and at many times self-directed learning. Our three focus areas are: Animal Care and Aquarium Husbandry; Gardening and Land Stewardship; Social Media and Communications. See Focus Area descriptions below.

Design and lead programs (30%)

Public Programs: Member will lead and develop programs for the general public. Topics can include natural sciences, ecology, environmental conservation, outdoor recreation, arts and crafts, or historic interpretation. We encourage you to develop programming that merges your own interests with the topics above.
School Programs: Members may lead K-12 field trips and/or virtual field trips. The majority of our classes are K-4. (Pending Covid regulations)
Outdoor Recreation: Members may lead Voyageur Canoe paddling tours, kayaking, snowshoeing, bird watching, or hiking programs. (Pending Covid regulations)
Nature Center tours: Members will connect visitors to the natural and cultural history of the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center.
Pollinator House tours: Members will be able to engage visitors about the importance of native plants and pollinators at our Pollinator House.
Virtual Programs: Members will develop content for social media.
Community Outreach: Members will be scheduled to lead off-site programs in locations around the Thousand Islands region. 
Impromptu Programs: Members will have the discretion to offer pop-up environmental education or roving interpretation at the Nature Center, trails, throughout Wellesley Island State Park, playgrounds, and locally. This can include wildlife viewing, observations of ephemera, guided hikes, tours, art-making, and tabling.

Nature Center Stewardship (20%)

The Nature Center and surrounding trails will be your second home – as a team we all participate in visitor services and daily maintenance/operations of the building and grounds. We are the ones to ensure that the Nature Center and grounds are inviting as well as safe for the public. We strive to create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere by greeting visitors with hospitality and providing knowledgeable interpretative information. Visitor services may include staffing our front desk, answering phones, offering trail suggestion, and providing interpretive tours. This also includes daily cleaning and tidying tasks, resetting exhibits, cleaning and restocking bathrooms, sweeping and mopping floors, washing and de-cobwebbing windows. Groundwork may include hiking trails to report conditions, cutting back hanging limbs, watering and weeding gardens.

Administrative assistance (10%)

Members will help Director, Education Coordinator, and Outreach Coordinator on various Nature Center tasks and projects as needed.

SCA Focus Areas:
Please, be prepared to identify which focus area you are most interested in during your interview.

Animal Care and Aquarium Husbandry- This member will be the primary person responsible for feeding and caring for our live animals and maintaining the vivariums they inhabit. The person who takes this focus area will need to enjoy taking care of animals and be comfortable interacting with turtles, fish, frogs, and a chipmunk. They will need to recognize animal diet needs, provide scheduled feeding, and maintain current and accurate records on animal health and behavior. They will be responsible for routine cleaning of all live-animal vivarium exhibits, Wetland Discovery Room visitor area, and animal room. They will get wet and dirty cleaning filters on a regular basis, climbing into 300-gallon aquariums to clean glass and rocks, and will use a sump pump to drain aquariums. We are in a state of continuous improvement, and this member will help develop and install exhibit enhancements. Knowledge gained in this focus area will enable the member to deliver interpretation to visitors in our Wetland Discovery Room and related wildlife-focused programming.

Gardening and Land Stewardship- This member will be the primary person responsible for caring for our gardens and grounds. We have 7 native plant gardens and a Pollinator House. During the growing season daily tasks will include turning compost, weeding, watering gardens, deadheading flowers, and filling birdbaths. In the colder months they will be responsible for maintaining our bird feeders in conjunction with birdwatching programming. We are in a state of continuous improvement, and this member will help develop a new compost demonstration site on the Nature Center campus. This member should have an interest in gardening, composting, pollinators, and birds. Knowledge gained in this focus area will enable the member to deliver interpretation to visitors at our Pollinator House and related programming topics such as habitat ecology, botany, ornithology, entomology, and sustainability.

Social Media and Design- This member will be the primary person responsible for managing and posting daily content to our Facebook and Instagram pages, photographing all programs, making event flyers, and program publicity. This member will print and replenish flyers at the Nature Center and routinely distribute promotional material throughout the Thousand Islands region. They will also assist with our website and quarterly printed newsletter. We are in a state of continuous improvement, and this member will help develop our online presence by creating educational video content. The person who takes this focus area will need to have an interest in visual communication such as graphic design and photography and be a good writer and storyteller. Strong organizational, research, and team collaboration skills are a plus. This member will serve as photographer-in-residence, documenting Nature Center programming and spending time outside photographing the natural world. Knowledge gained in this focus area will enable the member to deliver interpretation on various naturalist topics and gain skills in virtual education.

Performance Goals for the AmeriCorps Member:
Goal 1: Become proficient in focus area tasks.
Goal 2: Lead and develop environmental education programming. 
Goal 3: Build successful relationships with teammates and community members.

Benefits:
Amount of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award being offered for successful completion of the member’s term of service: $6,495
Amount of living allowance member will receive: $300/week living allowance
Healthcare coverage (if applicable): Eligible for free health insurance
Childcare coverage (if applicable): Eligible for childcare assistance through AmeriCorps
Student loan forbearance and interest payments, (if the member qualifies): Eligible for Federal Student Loan forbearance and interest payment deferment through AmeriCorps for qualifying student loans.

Training Opportunities: All SCA NYS Parks Corps members receive Wilderness First Aid, CPR, Leave No Trace, Mental Health First Aid, and professional development. Environmental Education Stewards receive Certified Interpretive Guide training while Conservation Stewards receive Game of Logging 1 & 2. Optional trainings include NYSOEA, the American Canoe Association Quick Start Your Canoe Training, and other opportunities that arise through the SCA and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.