Seasonal Environmental Outreach Specialist

About our Organization: Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society) is the oldest independent environmental organization in the Washington, DC region. A pioneer in linking conservation activities with environmental education, Nature Forward seeks to create a larger and more diverse community of people who treasure the natural world and work to preserve it. We inspire residents of the greater Washington, DC, region to appreciate, understand, and protect their natural environment through outdoor experiences, education, and advocacy.   

Position Description: Nature Forward’s Conservation Program seeks 1-3 Seasonal Environmental Outreach Specialists to support our outreach projects around the Washington, DC region. A typical week might include joining a virtual planning meeting for an event the following month, stopping by our Woodend Nature Sanctuary headquarters in Chevy Chase to pick up event supplies, updating the inventory list, attending a training on how to lead nature walks, calling partners in other organizations to confirm details for this weekend’s event, drafting a flyer in Canva and making copies, distributing flyers across the community including food distribution events, texting and calling community members and volunteers to be sure they know where and when to come, making a grocery run, arriving at the event with the supplies, setting up tables and activities, helping run the event, and then packing up and cleaning the gear and delivering it back to Woodend. On any given week you might be helping lead a water quality monitoring/macroinvertebrate identification event in Prince George’s County, helping with a nature walk in Fairfax County, planting trees in Washington, DC, or going on a boat ride on the Anacostia River. You will get to know the region and its communities. 

Work locations. We are currently managing or will soon be starting engagement projects with community partners in: 

• Washington, DC (Primarily in Wards 4, 7, and 8) 

• Fairfax County, VA (Route 1 corridor area south of Alexandria/Hybla Valley/Gum Springs area) 

• Montgomery County, MD (Long Branch, in Silver Spring/ NE of Takoma Park) 

• Prince George’s County, MD (Riverdale Park, Edmonston, and Langley Park) 

• Others to be defined. 

Learn more about the sites and communities of many of our outreach projects at https://natureforward.org/programs/community-outreach/. These programs seek to reach BIPOC community members who have historically been excluded from access to nature, even close to home. 

Time commitment:  

• Variable; 10 - 20 hours per week depending on the number and duration of events.  

• Events are most often held on either weekday afternoons or weekends during the day. 

Qualifications/Requirements: 

• At least two years of experience in environmental studies, environmental education, ecology, biology, or a related field. 

• Experience teaching, facilitating, or leading groups 

• Ability to work independently 

• Excellent verbal and strong written (including electronic) communication skills 

• Fluent in conversational Spanish is a plus (but not required) 

Physical Requirements 

• Ability to hike moderate distances over uneven terrain carrying a load of 20 pounds. 

• Ability to balance on slippery rocks and scale down steep embankments.  

• Ability to lift bins of lesson materials up to 40 lbs. 

• Ability to drive and access to a car that can transport large bins of lesson materials 

• Ability to speak, hear and use a personal computer for standard business communications 

Compensation: $15-22/hr. As a seasonal/temporary employee, benefits include workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, free Nature Forward membership, and discounts to the Nature Forward shop and on our programs. 

To apply: Send resume & short cover letter in English or Spanish to conserve@natureforward.org.  

Nature Forward does not discriminate in hiring or contracting on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Nature Forward is committed to modeling inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility as best practices for the region’s environmental community in our Strategic Plan. People of color and those from economically disadvantaged communities are particularly encouraged to apply.