INTERPRETIVE RANGER I AND II
Department: Community Impact
Reports To: VP of Community Engagement
Who we are and what we do:
The Lancaster Conservancy is a 501(c)3 private, non-profit land trust accredited by the Land Trust Alliance. The Conservancy has been successfully preserving and stewarding natural lands in Lancaster & York Counties for over 50 years, culminating in a portfolio of 8,000+ acres across 50+ nature preserves. Recently, the Conservancy has significantly increased its pace in preserving the remnants of interior forest and other natural landscapes within the Susquehanna Riverlands and Pennsylvania Highlands bioregions of Lancaster and York Counties. The Conservancy’s greatest success is its proven ability to connect individually preserved parcels into broad conservation areas; it has done so through strategic land acquisitions, stewarding existing forest, and restoring degraded ecosystems.
Position Description:
The Lancaster Conservancy is seeking outgoing individuals who are self-motivated, enjoy interacting with visitors, have a passion for the outdoors, and enjoy being outside to fill the role of Interpretive Rangers. The Interpretive Rangers serve as seasonal part-time employees that provide coverage during our peak visitation season for our most popular nature preserves within the River Hills of southern Lancaster County over weekends, including holidays, which runs from April 1, 2023 – October 23th, 2023. The Interpretive Rangers work directly under the supervision of the Vice President of Community Engagement.
Interpretive Rangers are primarily responsible for patrolling popular nature preserves, proactively engaging visitors by offering helpful information (e.g. providing maps, brochures…etc), cleaning up litter, and reducing misuse of the preserves by reminding visitors of Leave No Trace Principles and the Conservancy’s rules and regulations.
The Interpretive Rangers will make themselves available to the public primarily at parking areas, trailheads and along trails, which will require occasional hiking through varied terrain. The Interpretive Ranger position will be based in southern Lancaster County and will cover the following nature preserves: Ferncliff, Fishing Creek South, Holtwood, Kellys Run, Pinnacle Scenic Overlook, Tucquan Glen & Pyfer, House Rock, Reed Run, and Shenks Ferry. Additional preserves may be added throughout the season as needed.
Primary Duties:
- Providing a Lancaster Conservancy presence on highly visited preserves while wearing assigned uniforms and driving a company vehicle when on duty.
- Patrolling nature preserve parking areas, trailheads and hiking trails while engaging with visitors and neighbors.
- Enforcing rules and regulations and documenting incidents and issues.
- Stocking, Interpreting, and distributing visitor maps and related materials.
- Litter cleanup.
- Completing daily patrol logs.
Additional Responsibilities:
- Report potential hazards and issues (e.g. fallen trees, illegal dumping…) to the Stewardship Manager.
- Collect field and visitor data using Lancaster Conservancy provided field technology.
- Communicate with police and first responders when necessary.
- Present interpretive programs to preserve visitors.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Candidates must have a valid PA driver’s license, reliable vehicle, and cell phone. A company vehicle will be provided. A uniform will be provided.
- Must have excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills; experience working directly with the public is strongly preferred.
- Possess strong conservation ethics and passion for the Lancaster Conservancy’s mission.
- Must be available to work 8-hour shifts on Saturdays and Sundays, including holidays (additional holiday pay will be provided for federally recognized holidays).
- Must be able to work the full schedule and complete the season (requested days or weekends off may be negotiated).
- Must have familiarity with the above-referenced nature preserves.
- Comfort, knowledge, and ability to work outdoors for long periods of time, even in adverse conditions.
- Ability to perform tasks according to instructions and to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Experience reading and interpreting maps.
- Familiarity with land trusts, parks and recreation, or public lands management.
- Must provide proof of compliance with PA child abuse background checks and criminal background checks. (The Conservancy may assist in obtaining these).
- Must be able to occasionally move up to 40 pounds, traverse uneven ground up to 3 miles, and work outdoors in exposed conditions.
- CPR and First Aid Certifications are strongly desired.
This is a seasonal, hourly, non-exempt position with competitive pay. The position schedule is structured so that one of the two Rangers is on duty every other weekend over a period of 28 weeks. Each Ranger will work an average of 16 hours per week for a total of up to 226 horus.The Lancaster Conservancy headquartered in Lancaster City, PA, but job responsibilities are primarily concentrated in Martic, Conestoga and Drumore Townships.
Interested, qualified applications should send a cover letter and resume to Keith Williams, VP of Community Engagement, at kwilliams@lancasterconservancy.org by January 31, 2023 at 5:00PM. Please list your last name and Interpretive Ranger as the email’s subject line (i.e. LastnameInterpretiveRanger).
Lancaster Conservancy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.