Employment
Now Hiring for the 2024 Summer Season!
Assistant Watershed Educators
The Friends are hiring enthusiastic and professional seasonal watershed educators to assist our Director of Education with summer programming. The Assistant Watershed Educator’s role is to implement Watershed Science education programming in schools, community centers, and on the lakes, ponds, and streams of the Cobbossee Watershed. This will include time at our nature day camps, on our floating classroom for tadpole patrol, and at locations throughout our watershed! Email Tom or Cami with any questions.
Courtesy Boat Inspector Coordinator
The Friends’ Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) program educates boaters on the need to prevent invasive species from being introduced to our local lakes and ponds, and the responsibility of boaters to inspect, clean, drain, and dry their boats before entering and after leaving a body of water. The Friends employ, train, and manage over 30 staff inspectors each year. The Courtesy Boat Inspection Coordinator is responsible for training, managing, and scheduling the inspectors, as well as processing timesheets and checking and entering data electronically. This paid position fulfills program coordinating needs, such as communicating with staff to provide updates, connecting with local lake associations to assess staffing needs, and visiting inspectors in the field to answer questions and provide aid.
Plant Control Coordinator
The Friend’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program utilizes a few manual control methods to manage the three known aquatic invasive species in our watershed, primarily on Cobbossee Lake. Control methods include Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) via pontoon boat, manual hand removal using surface-supplied air, or the installation of benthic barriers. The Plant Control Coordinator works with the Director of Conservation and Conservation Program Manager to use best management practices on infested waterbodies. This coordinator will lead a team of 3 as needed for control efforts. The coordinator can expect to start work in May and end in October schedule permitting.
Plant Survey Coordinator
The Friend’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program utilizes plant surveys to detect invasive species early and methodically, to better coordinate rapid response and management efforts. The Plant Survey Coordinator works with the Director of Conservation to plan surveys of non-infested and infested waterbodies in the Cobbossee Watershed. This coordinator will lead a team of 6 to 8 individuals, assist with training, and maintain a positive attitude and team spirit. The coordinator can expect to start work in May and end in September schedule permitting.
Youth Conservation Corps Coordinator
The Friend’s Slow the Flow program educates waterfront property owners on the need for landscaping practices that slow and divert runoff, reducing the amount of soil, fertilizer, and other nutrient-heavy pollution that finds its way into our lakes, ponds, and streams, causing environmental harm. The Friend’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a group of six to eight high school and college-aged young professionals who work as a team to implement landscaping practices that will reduce this run-off. Typical projects include planting buffers, spreading erosion-control mulch, and armoring the shoreline with rock to reduce erosion. Projects are completed with hand tools and manual labor only.
Seasonal Team Positions
Courtesy Boat Inspector
The Friends are seeking Courtesy Boat Inspectors (CBIs) for the 2024 summer season. Aquatic Invasive Species are organisms that live in the water and are able to take over the habitat due to rapid growth and few natural checks on their expansion. With the greatest chance of new infestations resulting from “hitchhiking” plant fragments carried on boats and trailers, the CBI Program is recognized by the State of Maine as the primary prevention effort against Aquatic Invasive Species.
Youth Conservation Corps
A typical YCC team consists of 6-8 youth members with a program coordinator to oversee the team and manage the engineering, permitting, material procuring, and scheduling of projects. The 2024 program will last 8 weeks, 30 +/- hours per week, starting in June and ending before the start of the high school fall sports season – mid-August. The nature of the work is physical and often challenging, but also fun, valuable and personally rewarding. Weather can affect the work – sometimes it will be hot and buggy, sometimes cold and rainy. As all work is done on the shore of a lake, getting wet is also a likelihood. Work will involve lifting heavy rocks and transporting and placing rock, mulch, and crushed stone in sometimes steep or uneven terrain.
Plant Survey Team
The Friend’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program utilizes plant surveys to detect invasive species early and methodically, to better coordinate rapid response and management efforts. The Plant Survey crew works with the Coordinator and Director of Conservation to survey non-infested and infested waterbodies in the Cobbossee Watershed. This crew of 6 to 8 individuals, uses paddle craft to perform daily surveys weather permitting, and can expect to start work in June and end in August schedule permitting. Some flexibility is available for the right candidates. On-the-job training provided.
Plant Control – Divers
Are you SCUBA certified? This may be the position for you! The Friends are seeking interested individuals to join our plant survey and control teams as a designated diver for removing Aquatic Invasive Species. Divers must prove maturity, attention to detail especially in relation to safety and OSHA standards, and maintain a high level of team spirit and communication. Designated divers should be available for end of May through September. Some work may be available in October.
