Water Quality Resource Conservationist

The Soil and Water Conservation Commission has an exciting opportunity for a Water Quality Resource Conservationist to join our team in North Idaho. The incumbent supports the agency’s mission to facilitate coordinated non-regulatory, voluntary, and locally led conservation by federal, state, and local governments and other partners to conserve, sustain, improve, and enhance soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources.

Regular travel required.

Description: The incumbent will provide technical assistance on water quality plan development and implementation with Conservation Districts, assist the Commission by providing comprehensive conservation programs and services, and perform related work. This position may occasionally involve walking over rough and steep terrain throughout an eight-hour period.

• Water quality planning. Typical responsibilities: develops resource inventories for agricultural water quality planning areas; defines the types of resource concerns in a project area; determines available conservation programs for the project area and defines necessary management systems and structural and management component practices; determines other sources of pollution which are not agricultural and estimates their severity and long-term impact on the resource; identifies corrective measures; determines the economic and technical feasibility of improving water quality; determines plan implementation cost for cost-sharing, administration, technical assistance, and monitoring; locates potential sources of funds to resolve water quality problems; develops implementation plans and progress-monitoring processes; develops reports and ensures involved agencies are kept informed of planning progress and related problems.

• Plan implementation. Typical responsibilities: provides on-site technical assistance to owner/operator participants in implementing water quality plans and cost-sharing contracts; reviews participant's status of plan and contract, recommends needed plan revisions and contract modifications; encourages participants to apply recommended management practices; makes site selection, performs layout work, checks completed practices to determine  specifications are met, completes field sheets, and recommends acceptability of completed practices for certification of cost-sharing payment.

• Communication. Typical responsibilities: meets with farmers to encourage development of individual water quality/soil conservation plans and to implement selected practices; meets with farmer groups, soil conservation districts, and local, state, and federal agencies to discuss water quality problems and to explain project goals; meets with the public to explain projects progress and problems encountered; develops news articles on projects and progress updates.

• Good knowledge of:
  • Agriculture, natural resource conservation practices and resource plan development and implementation;
  • agronomy, biology, range, silviculture, animal management, fisheries, and/or soils;
  • soil and water conservation principles.  
• Experience:
  • Developing and making public presentations;
  • Developing technical reports and correspondence.
• Valid driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience:
  • Using Microsoft Excel or equivalent to perform complex functions;
  • Working with sensitive or restricted data and protecting confidentiality.

Salary : $20 - $22