JOB OPPORTUNITY

Position: Climate Change Resiliency Intern
Organization: Watersheds Canada
Location: Perth/Eastern Ontario, Ontario

Pay: $18.00/hr
Length of contract: TDB on funding, anticipated 8-month contract with start date of July 2, 2024
Position location: in-person across Eastern Ontario, travel required. Work office is located in Perth.

POSITION PURPOSE:

The Climate Change Resiliency Intern will contribute to the on-the-ground habitat restoration teams at Watersheds Canada, with a focus on nature-based programs that help combat the effects of climate change on Canada’s freshwater areas. The Intern will raise awareness of equitable water stewardship principles and deliver climate change solutions to protect the health of lakes, rivers, wetlands, and shorelines.

Climate change is a growing concern for waterfront property owners, municipalities, and waterfront associations, and is especially impacting the health of riparian zones. The long-term trends anticipated with climate change include temperature increases and changing precipitation patterns which can negatively impact water quality, habitat availability, populations of native species, and resiliency of shoreland environments.

By focusing on nature-based solutions and creating, enhancing, and restoring climate change resilient shorelands across Central-Eastern Ontario, the Intern will directly help:

• create vital wildlife habitat and recover fish populations (ex: walleye, brook trout, bass);
• increase tree cover and shade (cooling the land) and evapotranspiration rates;
• reduce sedimentation, erosion, overland runoff, and algal bloom occurrences;
• protect local water quality;
• increase awareness about issues threatening freshwater health; and create resources to engage various stakeholders on the actionable steps they can take to protect their community and drive local positive change for threatened freshwater areas.

Working with partners, organizations, and individuals, the Intern will help deliver terrestrial and aquatic environment habitat restoration programs (Natural Edge, Fish Habitats). This position will include field work, conservation and ecology enhancement assessments, education resource creation, outreach, and completing shoreline naturalizations and restorations using native plants.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services by planting native plants.
• Utilize clean technology to create innovative climate resiliency property plans and resources to help individuals and groups protect shoreline health in the wake of experienced and anticipated climate change impacts.
• Facilitate community knowledge sharing and create science-supported documents to integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into community planning.
• Increase fish populations by recovering habitat threatened by climate change pressures, thus ensuring communities can maintain historic harvesting.
• Improve education and individual knowledge capacity on nature-based solutions to reduce freshwater health impacts and increase adaptation to climate change impacts.
• Protect local freshwater quality and terrestrial ecosystem health by increasing its resiliency to the impacts of climate change (nature-based solutions focus).
• Compile existing progressive and defensible land use planning policies that achieve sustainable development around lakes, with a discussion of their supporting science.
• Conduct research into sustainable development practices based on earth sciences (water resources, geology, and the interaction between land and water).

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Education: Graduate of a degree or diploma program, with preference given to those with a specialization in Natural Resources Management, Environmental Studies/Science, or Biology.

Experience: None required, however preference will be given to those with some experience in the conservation and/or non-profit sector(s).

Knowledge and Skills: Watersheds Canada recognizes that all candidates may not have all of these knowledge and skills. We encourage applicants who possess many of the following to still submit their application for consideration.

• Ability to identify both native and invasive flora and fauna species
• Excellent judgment and decision-making
• Comfortable with public speaking and engagement of the public
• Excellent English written and oral communication; bilingualism (French) an asset
• Proven multi-tasking skills in a fast-paced environment, completing projects on time
• Computer skills with proficiency in MS Office Suite, ArcGIS, Google Suite, and Adobe
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment
• Proven high level of motivation and initiative
• Previous fieldwork experience is a strong asset
• Comfortable working on and around water
• High attention to detail for recording field data and generating reports, planting plans
• Ability to complete repetitive projects within tight deadlines and with limited supervision

Other Requirements:

Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle. Providing a clean driver's abstract is a condition of employment. This position will involve travel across Central-Eastern Ontario.

• Some weekend and evening work is required.
• First-aid/CPR.
• Able to work outside in all weather conditions, as well as in-person at the Perth office. Remote work options will be available for part of this contract.
• Some physical work, therefore ability to carry up to 50lbs is an asset.

Internship Funding Requirements:

• must be between 15 and 30 years old at the start of the internship;
• must be legally entitled to work in Canada;
• must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have been granted refugee status;
• must not be in receipt of Employment Insurance during their internship;
• cannot be currently enrolled in school; and
• must be a graduate of degree or diploma programs from universities, colleges, post-secondary schools of technology, post-secondary institutes and CEGEP (Québec).
• Cannot be: employees of the hiring employer prior to the start of their internship (does not apply to previous coop students or summer students, although this must be clearly indicated by the employer)

How to Apply:

Applicants should submit a resume and cover letter as ONE PDF document to: info@watersheds.ca Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position has been filled. We encourage you to apply early.

Please put "Climate Change Resiliency Intern" as your email subject line. Please no phone calls. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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