Jobs and Internships

Position Description

Organizational Overview: 

40 years ago, a group of caring neighbors bound by a ferocious love for the magic of Jackson Hole founded the Jackson Hole Alliance for Responsible Planning. We’ve worked as a watchdog to defend Jackson Hole from many things you don’t see today, from oil/gas wells in Cache Creek to a dam that would have flooded Oxbow Bend, and much more. Now, as the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, we believe our valley still needs a local organization with deep roots to address bad ideas that don’t align with our community’s values. And we believe that if we are to succeed in protecting the wildlife, wild places, and community character of Jackson Hole, we must do more than respond to threats: we must empower the whole community to proactively create a better future.

That’s why we work to make Jackson Hole a national model of a strong community living in balance with nature. This is a future for Jackson Hole where abundant populations of wildlife have the freedom to roam across the landscape, through our neighborhoods, and safely cross our roads; where we live in walkable neighborhoods with accessible transportation choices and affordable homes, surrounded by protected open space, working agricultural lands, and connected wildlife habitat; and where we respect wildlife when we recreate on protected, wild, well-managed public lands.

Project Overview:  Safe Wildlife Crossings for Jackson Hole

Every year, more than 500 animals are hit and killed on Teton County roads. Because of growing traffic congestion, our roads act like physical barriers that prevent wildlife movement and migration along important corridors. Wildlife-vehicle collisions pose a threat to wildlife and human safety. Furthermore, wildlife is a core value for our community and is a critical component to our tourism-based economy. We can protect wildlife, our families, and our way of life by building a system of wildlife crossings as outlined as a community goal in our Comprehensive Plan and envisioned through the Wildlife Crossings Master Plan.

Following a community-driven, grassroots-powered effort, representatives in Teton County and the Town of Jackson decided upon a Specific Purpose Excise Tax (SPET) measure which would begin funding some of the sites outlined in the Teton County Wildlife Crossings Master Plan. With the SPET measure on the November ballot, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and its partners are dedicated towards securing the measure with a majority of votes needed for it to succeed.

The Safe Wildlife Crossings Canvassers are the final step in our work to secure the $10M Wildlife Crossings SPETmeasure on the November 2019 ballot. The Canvassers will help the team at large secure the measure by contacting voters at their doors and by phone.

The Alliance will create a network of existing and new volunteers, interns, staff, and partners to comprise the Safe Wildlife Crossings campaign. The Canvassers will be integral to the campaign between July and November 6, 2019. The members of the canvassing effort will work together to ensure voter engagement and turnout.

Position Opportunity: Safe Wildlife Crossings Canvasser

The Alliance will hire up to five part-time canvassers to tackle the door-to-door and phone banking outreach element, and host public events when relevant.

Major Responsibilities: 

• Direct voter contact with the Safe Wildlife Crossings campaign (80%)
• Conduct outreach via door-to-door canvassing
• Conduct outreach via phone banks
• Table at community events
• Support and train volunteers (10%)
• Attend, lead, and host canvasser training events
• Teach volunteers how to canvass through use of MiniVan or Van Virtual Phone Bank
• Other duties as assigned (10%)

Requirements:  

• Commitment to conservation advocacy and a better future for Jackson Hole
• Strong commitment to participatory democracy and enfranchisement
• Understanding of active listening
• Creativity and ability to make conservation and voter outreach fun
• Strong social & oral communication skills
• Must be patient with others who do not share the same viewpoints
• Ability to use technology including Office, and Google Docs
• Ability to work independently—and as a dependable team player
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Open mind and flexible attitude to take on responsibilities as assigned

Compensation: $15/hour

Duration of position:  Average of 10 hours per week through November 6. Schedule is flexible and requires work on some evenings and weekends.

Start Date:  Flexible with goal of August 9

Start Date: November 6, 2019

To Apply:  Send a cover letter and resume to ryan@jhalliance.org. No phone calls please. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through August 9, at 5:00pm MST. View a pdf of the position description here.