Parks California Climate Fellowship

Organization Background

Parks California is a new organization working to ensure that our State Parks thrive. From redwood groves and desert springs to lighthouses and ghost towns, we are working with our partners to make California State parks more climate-resilient and welcoming, accessible, and relevant to all visitors. Managing these assets for nearly 40 million residents and millions more annual visitors takes collective work. Park managers cannot do it alone. Parks California harnesses skills and resources—and California’s renowned ingenuity—to help our state, regional, and local parks thrive and evolve. We coalesce a diverse set of partners to make this vision a reality. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the organization and our programs.

Position Overview

The Parks California Climate Fellow will have the unique opportunity to work with California State Park leadership, scientists, and planners to shape how climate change is considered in future state park planning and stewardship efforts. The Fellow will provide scientific expertise and assistance to the Department’s planning function, Natural Resource Division, Districts, Service Centers, and other Divisions to address technical, analytical, planning and/or regulatory work specific to climate adaptation/mitigation strategies.
The Fellow’s primary project will be to provide coordination assistance for a multidisciplinary working group within California State Parks to develop statewide guidelines for integrating climate planning into State Parks planning documents. Assistance may include providing scientific expertise on issues pertaining to climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, vulnerability assessments, climate projections and impacts, scenario planning, and other environmental and resource management topics. The Fellow will also assist District staff in preparing a preliminary climate adaptation strategy based on existing information for Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Climate Fellowship Responsibilities

Technical Assistance (50%)
• Researches and summarizes current planning guidance relevant to addressing the impacts of climate change in State Parks and from other land management agencies.
• Assists in development of statewide State Parks-specific, scientific decision-support tools related to climate change impacts and adaptation planning.
• Works with Santa Cruz District staff to prepare climate adaptation strategy for Big Basin, including compiling and summarizing relevant studies, identifying data gaps, working with District staff to identify adaptation strategies, meeting with a staff working group, and drafting the strategy document.
• Evaluates and recommends datasets and climate projections assembled regionally and by state/ federal partners to inform climate planning.

Program Coordination (30%)
• Provides coordination assistance to cross-functional State Parks working group to collaboratively develop materials for draft Park Planning documents, including narratives, maps, and other written or visual materials.
• Provides scientific expertise in resource management issues to assist the Department’s planning function with the preparation of climate planning guidance documents.
• Organizes and participates in relevant meetings related to climate change impacts and planning, emerging scientific and management issues, and adaptation strategies.

Program Administration (20%)
• Organizes and assists in training to Department staff on emerging and relevant climate change impact management issues, science, and best practices, including updates at annual trainings.
• Prepares, reviews, and edits written scientific reports, environmental documents, guidance documents, spreadsheets, and resource maps.
• Researches and drafts responses to related correspondence.

Desired Experience and Competencies

• B.A./B.S. with focus in environmental science, natural resource management, planning, landscape architecture, or closely related field. Advanced degree a plus, but not required.
• Working knowledge of climate change science and policy, with a focus on California ecosystems, principles of climate change, sustainability, adaptation, equity, and resiliency.
• Working knowledge of public land natural resources management, planning, and permitting, including such issues as invasive species, wildlife, and rare species management, forest stewardship and wildfire planning, ecosystem monitoring, and climate adaptation planning.
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to articulate climate science in an accessible manner and effectively engage, interact, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams
• Excellent organizational skills and an ability to work concurrently on multiple projects and manage deadlines independently.
• The ability to develop clear and concise reports and recommendations
• Ability and willingness to travel periodically and flexibility to work some evenings
• Ability to work on diverse teams or with a diverse range of people
• A passion for California State Parks
• Proficient in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel and virtual communication and productivity tools.

Compensation and Location

Full-time, one-year limited-term basis. A salary range of $55,000 – $60,000, including a comprehensive benefits package, will be offered based on experience.
This position is Sacramento-based. The position will require both remote and in-person work out of the California State Park Sacramento office, and occasional travel to the Santa Cruz District. The Fellow will
work through a matrixed management framework under the general direction of the Natural Resource Division Chief, Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Recreational Services, and Parks California.

To Apply

Interested candidates should apply via email by sending a cover letter describing their qualifications that match the position criteria and what they will bring to the role, along with a resume, to resume@parkscalifornia.org with the subject line “Parks California, Climate Fellow”

Timeline

Application review will begin April 22, 2022. Applications submitted after April 22 will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Additional Information

More information on Parks California can be found at https://parksca.adamlondon.com/.

Parks California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that our overall effectiveness is enhanced when equity and inclusiveness are practiced and protected throughout our organizational governance, culture, and staffing. We are committed to leadership in and serving as a catalyst for promoting equity and inclusion in parks communities.