Environmental Education Steward (Animal Husbandry)

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.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
1. SCA Focus Area: Animal Care and Aquarium Husbandry (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.
- 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Administrative assistance (10%)
Members will help Director, Education Coordinator, and Outreach Coordinator on various Nature Center tasks and projects as needed.
SERVICE CONDITIONS
Environmental Educators serve both outdoors and indoors – hiking trails, guiding tours, and providing educational programming. Educators may also assist with Nature Center building maintenance and outdoor gardening as needed.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. To apply, please visit: www.thesca.org/position/environmental-education-steward-po-00736131/. If you have any questions, feel free to email MACNatureCenter@parks.ny.gov or speak with the Nature Center Director at (315) 482-2479.