Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
City of Palo Alto, Valley Water
San Jose Conservation Corps + Charter School (2.5%)
8-hour days: 95%
10-hour days: 5%
In the field: 70%
In the office: 30%
Education & Outreach: 20%
Volunteer Management: 20%
Post-Restoration Monitoring/Maintenance: 10%
Native Planting: 10%
Invasive Plant Removal: 15%
H2O Monitoring: 0%
Habitat Surveys: 5%
Water Conservation Projects: 5%
Storm Water Mitigation: 0%
Data Entry: 5%
Commuting To/From Field Sites: 5%
Grassroots Ecology’s mission “to engage and educate the public to restore local ecosystems” drives our goals of community-based habitat restoration across each site. CMs will spend the majority of their time in the field, conducting hands-on restoration and stewardship of land and watersheds. Restoration field activities will include invasive plant removal, native plant revegetation, tree planting, willow staking, seeding, watering, restoration site monitoring and maintenance. Corpsmembers will also spend significant time leading volunteers in conducting all of the aforementioned tasks. Additionally, Corpsmembers will be responsible for planning and leading a weekly volunteer and educational program for youth. Office tasks may include tracking and reporting on project metrics, entering, and analyzing data, writing and presenting reports, planning for educational activities, creating curriculum or outreach materials, recruiting volunteers, or other projects as needed to assist their Project Lead. Corpsmembers will also spend about one day per week working in our Native Plant Nursery. Tasks here will include upsizing, propagation, and seed collection.
CMs placed at Grassroots Ecology will have one primary Mentor and one secondary Mentor that they will work with closely throughout their service term. CMs will spend most of their time on habitat restoration and environmental education projects, which will be supervised by the primary Mentor. The primary Mentor will onboard them to the organization, conduct regular team and individual check ins, complete job performance evaluations, and oversee the day-to-day work and responsibilities of the CMs. The secondary Mentor will supervise the CMs in native plant nursery projects, which will occur regularly but less frequently than their main assignments.
The Bay Area provides a truly special balance between the excitement of urban cities and the solace of abundant open spaces. Working on environmental projects here ensures CMs will have an opportunity to interact with a diverse array of people, ecosystems, and partnering organizations. Project sites span from urban creeks to city parks, to large open spaces in the Santa Cruz Mountains, so there is always an opportunity to study restoration from a new perspective.
The focus on plants and people makes Grassroots Ecology unique. CMs can work with and learn from the experienced botanists, ecologists, and plant enthusiast staff members. Grassroots Ecology has all-staff events at least monthly to develop team members’ ecological knowledge and skills in specific areas relevant to our work (e.g. native plant identification, invasive plant management strategies, tools and safety, vegetation mapping, youth education, etc.) By the end of their term, CMs will be equipped with the plant identification knowledge they need to succeed in a career in vegetation management.
Moreover, as a small grassroots nonprofit, Grassroots Ecology is committed to building a culture of empathy, creativity, and collaboration. Several days are dedicated each month to gather to work on a combined project together or learn from one another in a more formal setting. Grassroots Ecology has also invested in developing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) competency both within the organization and for its programs and community. CMs don’t just learn from Grassroots Ecology ––Grassroots Ecology learns from them and the ideas and fresh perspective they bring to the organization. From day one, CMs become leaders in their community, and Grassroots Ecology invests significant time and intention to help them develop the skills and confidence that CMs need to thrive in this role.
Desire and ability to connect with community members from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences