Black Belt Coordinator

About Alabama Audubon:

Alabama Audubon is a 501(c)(3) staffed chapter of the National Audubon Society with an active membership. Our mission is to promote bird conservation and a greater knowledge of birds, their habitats, and the natural world. We provide services to the state’s birds and public, including field trips, adult courses, support for researchers and educators, scientific research, habitat restoration, and bird stewardship and monitoring.

Black Belt Birding Initiative:

Named for its dark and fertile soil, Alabama’s Black Belt region hosts an impressive array of grassland and wetland bird species, many of which are in decline. This minority-majority agricultural region is also one of the most economically challenged rural regions in the US. Our Black Belt Birding Initiative aims to improve the region’s economy and natural resource conservation by promoting bird-based ecotourism and the adoption of bird-friendly agricultural land use practices. By leveraging our organization’s expert staff and statewide reach, the Initiative aims to build excitement for wildlife tourism and the conservation practices needed to support it.

Position description:

The Black Belt Coordinator is the driving force behind our outreach and conservation activities in the Alabama Black Belt region, with a current emphasis on Hale, Perry, Dallas, and Marengo counties. The Black Belt Coordinator works in close consultation with Alabama Audubon’s senior leadership team to 1) develop and promote bird-related ecotourism and bird-friendly agricultural land use practices in the Black Belt; 2) develop and maintain key partnerships with Black Belt stakeholders, including local volunteers; 3) keep the public and key partners informed about our Black Belt work; 4) develop and implement outreach programs aimed at helping Black Belt communities and tourists steward, learn about, benefit from, and enjoy local bird populations; 5) participate in the planning and implementation of Alabama Audubon’s annual Black Belt Birding Festival; and 6) participate in the planning and implementation of strategies to secure funding for Alabama Audubon’s Black Belt Birding Initiative.

This is an exempt, salaried, twelve-month position funded in part by grants. The starting salary is $42,000-45,000 per year, depending on experience. While prospects for continual funding are strong, continuation of the position after the first year is contingent on the acquisition of additional funding.

For qualifications and information on how to apply, please visit https://alaudubon.org/job-opportunities