Naturalist and Environmental Educator

Join the Great Basin Institute (GBI) as a key team member at the Galena Creek Visitor Center (GCVC), serving the Reno/Tahoe community and tourists globally. This role focuses on providing STEM education and outdoor experiences for local youth. Responsibilities include planning and teaching environmental science programs, managing educational camps and field trips, and overseeing visitor center operations.

Schedule:

The schedule for this position is variable, contingent on camp activities and programming needs. Typical day and overnight camps operate Monday through Friday, requiring a minimum of 9 hours of service per day. Additionally, members are expected to serve at the Galena Creek Visitor Center 1 to 3 days per week, which may include weekends. During the overnight summer camp sessions, a minimum of two nights per week will be spent with campers.

Description of Duties

• Program Development and Instruction: Assist with planning and teaching at the Great Basin Institute, focusing on the Galena Environmental Science Education Programs. These theme-based activities highlight the unique ecology of the Galena Creek Park and Sierra Nevada region.
• Program Implementation: Support the execution of various programs including camps, school field trips (Field Studies), and public events to ensure their success and safety. This encompasses day and overnight camps, public fundraising events, outreach events, and extended field studies. Required; implementation of at least 2hrs of Fire Ecology Lessons once a week.
• Camps and Field Studies: Manage Spring, Summer, and Winter Exploration Camps, along with 3-hour standard and 6-hour extended field trips. Day camps operate Monday through Friday with 9-hour days, and overnight camps also run Monday to Friday, with campers staying at WeChMe Lodge.
• Facilities Management: Oversee and maintain the facilities at Galena Creek Park used during camps and field studies. Responsibilities include staying overnight at Camp WeChMe Lodge with summer camp counselors for at least two nights per week.
• Educational Programming: Assist with all aspects of the Summer Exploration Camp for children ages 8-17, including curriculum planning, marketing, scheduling, conducting activities, and evaluating program effectiveness. Engage in extensive communication with parents/guardians, campers, community partners, and staff.
• Training and Support: Provide training and support to counselors and volunteers, ensuring they are adequately prepared and offering additional training as needed.
• Administrative Tasks: Manage the registration and logistics for all educational programs, maintaining essential data for reporting purposes. Utilize survey tools and interviews to collect feedback and improve future programming.
• Driving Responsibilities: Operate various company vehicles, including automatic 4-wheel drive trucks and potentially an 11-passenger van or a 5-passenger hybrid. Driver's training is provided, and a driver's license is required.
• Safety and Customer Service: Lead in maintaining safety standards and high-quality camp experiences. Assist with staffing the GCVC information desk up to three days a week, which may include weekends, providing customer service and maintaining the facility in coordination with the Education Coordinator and Program Manager.

Site Location

Location:

Members will serve in the Galena Creek Recreation Area, based out of the Galena Creek Visitor Center located at 18250 Mt Rose Hwy, Reno, NV 89511.

Location:

This position includes a mix of outdoor and indoor activities. The majority of camp activities will be conducted outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. High desert, forest, river, wetland, mountain, and rangeland ecosystems can all be found within the recreation area. Curriculum planning, fundraising, scheduling, and other related support activities will be conducted indoors in an office setting

Vulnerable Populations:

This position involves ongoing interaction with vulnerable population (children) and at-risk youth.

Staff Duplication:

These positions do not duplicate work of previous or existing employees or volunteers, supplant the hiring of workers, or include service or duties that have been performed or were performed by a current employee, an employee who recently resigned or was discharged, an employee subject to a reduction in work force, or an employee who is on leave.

Supervisors: Members at this location will be supervised by

• Gabe Zurn, GCVS Program Manager (gzurn@gbinstitute.org)
• Ashley Morales, GCVS Education Coordinator (ashmorales@gbinstitute.org)

Qualifications

• Required; High School Diploma/equivalent or GED
  • Preferred; Associates Degree, or a Bachelors Degree in education, communication, or a natural or Earth science;
• Valid Drivers License
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, particularly in customer service;
• Strong leadership skills;
• Experience working with K-12 age group either through volunteer work or through degree worth;
• Enthusiasm and commitment to youth outdoor education;
• Self-motivated, able to work in harsh and rapidly changing environments; work in all types of weather conditions, and otherwise maintain good physical condition;
• Comfortable working a varied schedule where some days are longer than 8-hours and some are shorter, keeping in mind overnight camps are a 24-hour on-call situation with the kids;
• Able to hike up to 3 miles in a single day;

Eligibility:

Meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: (1) U.S. citizenship, or U.S. national or legal resident alien status, (2) at least 18 years of age (3) High School Diploma or GED certificate (4) eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limit of four in a lifetime, or equivalent of two full-time terms of service), and (5) pass National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) and federal criminal background checks.

Training:

Training includes but is not limited to First Aid/AED and CPR Training, Mandated Reporter Training, Team building and Conflict Resolution, Program Planning and Development, Customer/Visitor Services and Community Relations, Drivers Training

Term of Service

Schedule:

The schedule for this position is variable and will depend on the frequency and timing of camp activities. Typical day and overnight camps run Monday through Friday and will require a minimum of 9 hours of service per day. Members will also serve in the Galena Creek Visitor Center 1 to 3 days per week, with the possibility of serving on weekends. A minimum of two nights per week will be spent with the campers during overnight summer camp..

Dates: Two service windows are available for this position

March 17th, 2025 to November 3rd, 2025

May 19th, 2025 to January 6th, 2026

Term: This is a three-quarter time term of service, and requires a minimum of 1200 service hours to be performed.

Benefits

Living Allowance:

$575 bi-weekly with housing fully provided

Segal Education Award:

Upon successful completion of service, members will earn an education award of $5,176.50.

Insurance:

Health, Dental, Vision insurance, and $25,000 Life/AD&D policy paid 100% by GBI. Eligible to enroll first day of month following first day of service

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Eligibility:

AmeriCorps Volunteers qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Student Loan Forbearance:

Qualified student loans may be placed in deferment or forbearance for the duration of the term. Upon successful completion of the term, all or a portion of the interest accrued on qualified loans in forbearance may be paid by the National Service Trust in addition to the education award.

Interest Accrual Repayment:

As an AmeriCorps alum, you are eligible to have the National Service Trust pay all or a portion of the interest that accumulated on your qualified student loan(s) during your term of service. These payments are made in addition to the Education Award, and are not deducted from your Education Award balance. To be eligible to have accrued interest paid: The loan must have been placed in forbearance for the service period, and you must have successfully completed a term of service and received an Education Award.

Evaluations:

Members will receive an end of term performance evaluation, and mid-term evaluation if serving on a reduced half time term of service or higher. Members must submit a weekly member service log (timesheet) in OnCorps for review by their Host Site Supervisor. Members are also expected to provide or contribute to a weekly or quarterly report of work accomplishments and service provided. The frequency of these reports will depend on the members' service activities and the report contents will be discussed in the member's orientation to the program.

Briefly describe how the Member's activities strategically address a community need:

Fire Mitigation.

The National Wildfire Hazard/Risk Model rates 74% of Nevada communities as "extreme," "very high" or ''high" fire risk. Approximately 14,000 homes are located in vegetation types capable of supporting fire behavior that will destroy homes and threaten lives in the WUI. Home construction in the WUI is increasing, while the size and intensity of wildfires is also increasing, resulting in record numbers of homes being threatened and destroyed annually. Ongoing human

environmental conflicts, such as the destruction of homes by wildfire, habitat fragmentation, and the introduction of exotic species, all can be related, in part, to the growing presence of humans along Nevadas wildland boundaries.

By providing weekly Fire Ecology lessons to community members, corps members will equip community members with the skills and knowledge to safely recreate in forested areas, protect their homes from the threat of wildfires, and prevent them from accidentally sparking a wildfire.

Briefly describe how the AmeriCorps program adds value to the placement site/community:

Our underfunded government agencies struggle to provide successful conservation intervention programs to address these compelling environmental and constituency consensus challenges. The steady, and at times overwhelming, increased demand for NCC services attests to our successes, while underscoring the ongoing need for a Corps program in Nevada to aid in the recovery of species. Our program's focus is now largely centered on demonstrating successful conservation actions, thereby supporting and building stakeholder consensus, and fostering an environment in which agencies, private industry, and the general public may agree upon viable strategies that reconcile the competing demands of environmental stewardship and economic development.

The Great Basin Institute (GBI):

Founded in 1998 at the University of Nevada, the Great Basin Institute is a leading interdisciplinary field studies organization, fostering environmental research, education, and service throughout the West. GBI specializes in applied research to support science-based management of public lands and is fervently committed to the promotion of scientific understanding through its field studies, conservation efforts, and public outreach. GBI is home to numerous influential programs, including the Nevada Conservation Corps, International Conservation Volunteer Exchange, Research Associate Program, Cultural Resource Program, Basin & Range Forestry, NEPA Services, Ecological Monitoring Program, and oversees visitor centers at Taylor Creek, Galena Creek, and the Tallac Historic Site, thereby expanding its reach and impact in safeguarding the region's natural and cultural heritage.

Disclaimer: Although the Company has attempted to accurately and thoroughly describe this position, the Company reserves the right to change the same, including to change, add to or subtract from the duties outlined, within the sole discretion of the Company, at any time, with or without advance notice