Summer Resident Pollinator Ecologist

Appalachian Headwaters

Summer Resident Pollinator Ecologist

Description: The Headwaters Resident Scholar and Artist Program supports our community science education programs. This year we are seeking to hire a pollinator ecologist to live and teach in West Virginia during the summer of 2023. The position includes housing and a stipend of $35,000. The stipend will support 10-11 weeks of on-site work based in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, during the summer and limited off-site coordination work during the preceding academic year. The Resident Ecologist would help develop a public education program focused on native pollinators and climate change. This is the first year for the residency, and we intend to expand the program to include additional positions, including scientists, artists, and others in the future.

Eligibility: University faculty members or other PhD scientists working in a field of study relevant to pollinators (e.g., ecology, natural resources, plant and soil science, biology, wildlife, etc.) are welcome to apply. Proposed projects must engage with Appalachian ecology. Proposals must be related to pollinators (broadly defined).

Background: Appalachian Headwaters is a nonprofit based in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Headwaters is focused on environmental education and restoration of native ecosystems and has restored thousands of acres mined land. This residency is focused on environmental education and community science, particularly programs related to pollinators and climate change.

The Resident Ecologist will lead programs in a seven-county region and will be based in our new educational facility in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. The property includes native meadows, forests, riparian areas, a, cultivated native pollinator gardens, and hiking trails. A large environmental education building with a teaching laboratory and large hall seating 170 people is currently under construction at the site. This site also includes a large greenhouse, a shade house, two residences, and several outbuildings. We have a landscaping team who can help with plantings or other field work set up.

Our facilities also include Camp Waldo -- a summer camp, education and conference center in Summers County, WV. This site includes cabin space for over 150 people, a dining hall, Greenbrier River access, multiple indoor and outdoor classroom spaces, and several recreational fields. It also includes a greenhouse, apiaries, and hiking trails.

Headwaters has year-round staff to support this program, including recruiting community members, arranging local contacts, attending in-person meetings with community science participants, grounds maintenance, community science support, and writing grants to expand the project over the long term.

As part of this work, the Resident Ecologist will also work closely with 4-8 college and high school interns this year. We intend to expand our programs in the future to include 20-30 internships, a day camp, broad citizen science, regular environmental education programs. In future years we also intend to expend the summer residency program to include multiple residents.

Housing on site in Greenbrier County will be provided in a recently renovated historic home is sufficient to accommodate a large family. It has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a new kitchen. Headwaters also sponsors an environmental summer camp (Camp Waldo) each June for children ages 8-14; the Resident Pollinator Ecologist’s children, if any, would be welcome to attend.

Application: To apply, submit a cover letter and CV to kasquith@appheadwaters.org. Please also send a description of your ideas for the educational program you would develop and lead during the residency. Programing should focus on environmental education and community science related to pollinators, local ecosystems, and climate change. We are especially interested in projects that could begin a long-term partnership with the Resident Ecologist. Please contact us with questions.

We are available to work with applicants to help develop project description. Appalachian Headwaters staff would also be happy to discuss our programs and needs before application or even to read and comment on draft proposals. Please contact Kate Asquith at kasquith@appheadwaters.org.