The Environmental Educator will develop and offer a broad range of environmental programs, service opportunities, and other public events at Grafton Lakes State Park, Cherry Plain State Park, and Bennington Battlefield Historic Site.
Grafton Lakes State Park, along with our sister sites Cherry Plain State Park and Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, serve over 5,000 patrons per year through our education programs. Our audience comes from surrounding rural communities as well as the Capital Region urban/suburban populations in and around Troy, Albany, and Schenectady, NY. The park is located on the Rensselaer Plateau, which contains the fifth largest forest in New York State and is home to moose, river otter, and black bear.
Our park aims to foster new connections with nature as well as deepen those connections for those who already enjoy the outdoors. Given the range of our audience throughout the seasons, educators can learn effective programming techniques for people from ages 3 to 99, with subjects ranging from local ecology to environmental history to playful treasure hunts in the woods. This 10 month position is provided by the Student Conservation Association Hudson Valley Corps.
Duties:
- Assisting in developing and offering environmental education programs to schools and the general public in all seasons.
- Events: For Grafton Lakes State Park - Lead coordination of National Trails Day and other service days, may lead on other large events depending on areas of interest; Cherry Plain State Park – Provide weekend programs for campers; Bennington Battlefield – Assist historic site staff occasionally with history programming and annual Battle Commemoration event.
-Welcome Center Opening: Interns have the opportunity to assist in the opening of our new building, helping us work with the growing audience we anticipate visiting the park. Interns also may play a role in ongoing exhibit curation and graphic design work for exhibits that will be underway throughout the year.
-Program and Community Connections: Work on parks connection to local schools, promoting young people’s awareness of the Rensselaer Plateau. Develop programming and service opportunities for families in all seasons. Support Friends of Grafton Lakes State park and links with local community.
- Participate in all SCA Corps-wide trainings and service projects, as well as project evaluation and reporting. For more information on the SCA: https://www.thesca.org/serve/program/hudson-valley-corps
Qualifications
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Degree in biology, environmental studies, or education
- Comfort working with the public
- Ability to organize tasks and self-motivate
- Knowledge of ecology of northeastern United States is preferred but not required
- Valid driver’s license
- Ability to pass a background check
- Required trainings (such as First Aid and environmental education best practices) will be provided as part of position
TO APPLY: Please email a cover letter, resume, and the contact information for three references to Jane Raffaldi, environmental education assistant at Grafton Lakes State Park at jane.raffaldi@parks.ny.gov.