www.blackcanyonlandtrust.org

 

Position Announcement

 

Organization:  Black Canyon Land Trust, Inc.

Title:  Land Protection Specialist

Location:  Montrose, Colorado

Employment:  Full-Time, exempt

 

About the Black Canyon Land Trust:

The Black Canyon Land Trust (BCLT) is a small non-profit land trust located in Montrose, Colorado.  The land trust has a successful track record of having conserved over 36,000 acres over the past 15 years. BCLT serves a four-county area including Delta, Montrose, Ouray and Gunnison counties. Our program area includes beautiful mountain backdrops, working farms and ranches, and extensive public lands with recreational opportunities. BCLT’s land conservation program focuses primarily on conservation easements, most of which are attained through voluntary donation from private landowners. We recently completed a conservation planning effort to guide the strategic direction of our conservation work, and actively participate with the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts and other state-wide conservation efforts.

 

About the Position:

The Land Protection Specialist position is responsible for conducting many of the land trust’s conservation easement transactions from start to finish, and for managing procedures and systems to coordinate project applications and transaction tracking. The LPS also supervises the Monitoring Program and Land Steward. As part of stewardship management responsibilities, the LPS coordinates and participates in responses to many easement enforcement issues.

The Land Protection Specialist has extensive contact with landowners in diverse and sometimes rural communities, requiring the ability to cultivate conservation projects and negotiate appropriate terms meeting standards of BCLT and of the national Land Trust Alliance. In addition, the LPS conducts conservation planning, GIS analysis, and other activities related to the Land Conservation program. Successful candidates will need to demonstrate both considerable technical skills and human relations abilities.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Conduct real estate acquisition transactions, primarily conservation easements, from start to finish
    • Includes project development, conservation values analysis, drafting of conservation easement and other legal documents, review of due diligence documents (appraisal, baseline, and more), and closings
  • Conduct conservation planning and GIS analysis
  • Manage programs, processes, and systems to steward easement holdings in perpetuity
    • Includes supervising Monitoring Program and Land Steward; coordinating and helping to address easement enforcement issues such as notices of construction, exercise of reserved rights, and potential violations
  • Other duties to advance the Land Conservation program and assist the Executive Director in policy and procedure development
  • Occasional other duties to support the land trust, including outreach and events

 

Qualifications and Requirements:

  • Undergraduate degree in natural resources, land use planning, law, business, real estate or other related field; master’s degree preferred; or equivalent combination of training and experience
  • Familiarity with legal, contractual and real estate documents and terms
  • Geographical Information System (GIS) skills.
  • Valid Colorado Driver’s License
  • Ability to conduct field work in remote locations and rugged terrain as necessary
  • Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented with the ability to prioritize and multi-task
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and telephone demeanor (ability to communicate professionally and effectively)
  • Ability to work well in a team with other staff, and with diverse communities and landowners
  • Excellent business writing skills – letters, reports, grant proposals
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
  • Positive and flexible attitude
  • Willingness to work occasional evening or weekend hours, and extended hours during certain periods of the year
  • Commitment to land conservation and the mission of the Black Canyon Land Trust

 

To Apply:

Send a hard copy of your resume and cover letter to Black Canyon Land Trust, 1500 East Oak Grove, Suite 201, Montrose, CO 81401, and email a copy to robin@blackcanyonlandtrust.org.  Review of applications will begin August 18, 2008, and may close on or before August 31, 2008.  Salary approximately $38,000 - $43,000, depending on qualifications.