Would you like to work with Splash? Are you looking for a career uniquely positioned to make a difference in our local communities? How does a day spent in nature connecting with kids and families sound to you?
FIELD GUIDES / NATURALISTS
POSTED 10 OCT 24
Location: Mather, CA
Classification: Seasonal/Temporary
Season Start: December 05, 2024 – training starts in Dec, field trips start in mid-Jan
Season End: April 30, 2025 (with potential to extend into June)
Time Commitment: 25 hours/week
Schedule: Mon – Fri, 8 AM – 1 PM
We deliver in-person field trips for school classes and public groups around the vernal pool grasslands at Mather Field and the Splash Education Center in December/January and public tours in April & May. In preparation, we need to hire enthusiastic, part-time, seasonal guides to help lead these groups in the field and engage them with hands-on science activities.
- Seasonal guides for our vernal pool programs will lead three-hour field trips for groups of 10-12 fourth and fifth grade students, facilitating the students’ discoveries in the vernal pool grassland. The guides will also lead indoor activities at the Splash Center, such as helping students identify aquatic invertebrates at the microscope station, demonstrating the watershed/stormwater quality model, and sharing live animals in our Critterville room.
- We also hope that the seasonal guides for the Field Trips will help lead our 2-hour Vernal Pool Public Walks in spring – Critter Walks in March and Flower Walks in April into early May. Help us highlight the many critters and/or flowers in Mather Field! Hundreds of families and individuals come to explore with us! Guides may also help lead indoor activities at the Splash Center, similar to the field trips.
- With Field Guide support, Splash also delivers extracurricular programming for Nature Bowl teams, Scout groups, homeschool groups, and more…providing watershed-related learning and experiences tailored to the needs of the group.
- A few Seasonal guides will be invited to help guide our Youth Environmental Leadership Camp in June, where we take groups of 15 children who are heading into grades 6-7 on field trips around the area and do hands-on activities at our center. Through this program, we make sure the children are connected with nature, how humans impact the environment, and are exposed to many environmental and other careers.
Essential Qualifications:
- Background and interest in biology / natural history or experience teaching
- A love of nature
- An ability and desire to teach and spend time with children to facilitate learning and sharing
- Outgoing, enthusiasticm and engaging attitude
- Ability to maintain positive learning environment & calmly manage behavioral issues
- Sense of humor
- Ability to work in a team or independently
- Ability to walk up to two miles on uneven, unpaved ground rain/shine
- Commitment to work the entire 2025 field trip season from January 13 – April 30 (with potential for extension)
- Satisfactory completion of a background check
Note: Required training is provided. Don’t worry, we’ll train you on vernal pool specifics!
If interested in helping Splash teach kids about nature and our watershed, please email a cover letter and resumé to meghan.amos@sacsplash.org.
In the body of your cover letter/email, briefly explain why this position appeals to you and highlight what you would bring to Splash in your role as a Field Guide.
Apply by November 30, 2024.