Host: WA State Department of Natural Resources
Region: Washington
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation (e.g., sea level rise planning, environmental justice, climate migration planning), Ecosystem / Habitat Conservation / Biodiversity Protection, Aquatic Lands Management and Policy
Skills Needed: Project Management, Research, Data Collection, Technical Writing,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid – This fellow’s time will be split between in-office work in Olympia, WA, field work in WRP watersheds, and working remotely from home. The anticipated split is approximately 25% on site, 25% field, and 50% remote. Travel around the Puget Sound region will be required, with the Seattle metro area the ideal central location for the fellow to reside.

Service Needs & Plans

This project will support implementation of the Washington Department of Natural Resources Watershed Resilience Action Plan (WRAP) in the Snohomish Basin of Puget Sound. WRAP is the agencies flagship effort to promote salmon recovery, watershed health, and climate resilience from “trees to seas.” This fellow will support the development and implementation of habitat restoration projects that benefit salmon and watershed resilience. Projects may include invasive species control, riparian and in stream restoration, habitat assessments, and monitoring of biotic and abiotic conditions. The fellow will also participate in strategic planning for the broader Watershed Resilience Program, potentially including developing a pipeline or projects, scoping and preparing grant applications, tracking metrics, and internal and external reporting and communications. Work will take place throughout the central Puget Sound region.

This fellow will also work with DNR’s Aquatics science team to provide additional capacity to advance climate resilience planning related to sea level rise and aquatic habitats managed by DNR. The main project for this part of the work will be updating and finalizing a draft climate impacts report from 2014 that assessed the potential impacts of sea level rise and other climate change stressors to leaseholds on the State Owned Aquatic Lands (SOAL) managed by DNR. This project will require researching current anticipated climate impacts and reporting on how these stressors may impact aquatic leases, and what steps could be taken to mitigate these impacts. This work will be based at Washington State’s Natural Resources Building in Olympia.

Project Description

Project 1: Supporting development and implementation of Watershed Resilience Program projects and programs.

Washington is in the heart of salmon country, and throughout the state a multitude of partners are hard at work to recover our struggling salmon runs. As the natural resource and state lands manager the Department of Natural Resources has a responsibility to engage in the regional salmon recovery effort by supporting watershed health and resilience.

Through our Watershed Resilience Program (WRP), DNR seeks to accelerate the pace of progress towards salmon recovery, watershed health, and climate resilience in priority watersheds. The work of the WRP team builds upon existing efforts across DNR, while leveraging and deploying new resources. We work to better coordinate existing DNR programs, find opportunities to increase support for partners, and identify where the agency can be additive to the existing salmon recovery landscape. Five goals guide this work and drive action toward outcomes that can be measured in short- and long-terms:

1. Protect and clean up aquatic habitat.
2. Restore, conserve and connect forests and riparian habitat.
3. Revitalize urban forests and streams.
4. Engage and invest in communities.
5. Reduce and combat climate impacts.

The WRP operates across three Puget Sound watersheds: the Snohomish, Puyallup, and Nisqually and at a landscape-scale, from trees to seas, to plan and implement projects that accelerate salmon recovery and watershed health and resilience. This fellow will work across the WRP landscape to provide additional capacity to support habitat restoration and climate resilience projects where needed, potentially including controlling invasive species, restoring riparian habitats, conducting habitat assessments, and collecting scientific data to inform project development. This will be an exciting and diverse body of work that will allow them to build a skillset to tackle the most important challenges facing our watersheds.

Project 2: Incorporating sea level rise planning in DNR’s aquatic leases.

This fellow will also be work with DNR’s Aquatics Policy team to finalize and update a draft report on the potential impacts of climate change on DNR’s aquatic leasing program.

The implications of climate change represent potential risks to –and in some cases potential opportunities for—DNR’s Aquatics Lands operations. The purpose of this assessment is to identify major climate change risks and opportunities to help inform management of aquatic lands into the future. Climate change has the potential to alter many of the conditions and assumptions upon which management of state-owned aquatic lands is currently based. This assessment is intended to help DNR achieve its goals and mission in the face of a changing environment.

To assess climate related risks to DNR’s aquatic lands mission, responsibilities, and operations, beginning in 2014 DNR staff worked with selected members of the Expert Council on Climate and Environmental Change convened by Commissioner Goldmark. The team compiled and vetted the Aquatics Division’s responsibilities and activities and drew from the scientific literature and Expert Council members to compile an initial draft assessment of climate change effects on aquatic systems. In the ten years since this initial draft assessment was completed, there has been substantial progress in statewide understanding of the climate change stressors that are acting, and will continue to act, on Washington’s resources.

To update the assessment and account for this new information, the fellow will (1) conduct a literature review to update the resources that informed the original assessment, (2) update the risk matrices in the original assessment based on the literature review, (3) convene a working group internal to DNR Aquatic Resources to assess and refine the drafted updated risk matrices, and (4) draft a series of communication pieces on the results of the assessment.

Desired Skills

Ideally this fellow would be self-driven and able to be successful in a hybrid work environment with a significant amount of time working remotely. It would be beneficial to have some experience with field data collection, GIS, and climate science. Technical writing will also be a useful skill, as well as research experience and at least some familiarity with freshwater and marine aquatic systems. Knowledge of Pacific salmon life cycles and ecology would be a great head start on the work as well. Given that they will work at the intersection of science and policy, some environmental policy studies would also help set them up for success.

Organization & Workplace Highlights

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is dedicated to sustainable management and protection of the state’s natural resources. Our agency fosters a workplace culture emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and respect for our environment. We prioritize a supportive and inclusive environment where every employee is valued. Our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is demonstrated through various initiatives, including ongoing training, policy reviews, and active efforts to create a workplace where all employees can thrive. Serving with DNR not only allows you to contribute to these important initiatives but also offers numerous professional development opportunities. These projects enhance project management and problem-solving skills and provide valuable experience in resource management and policy implementation, paving the way for your career growth and success.

Community Highlights

DNR serves diverse communities across Washington State, from coastal regions to inland forests. As a state agency, DNR serves Washington citizens across the state, with regional offices concentrated in larger urban areas. These areas are known for their natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant communities. Washington State is an interesting place to live and work, offering a mix of urban and rural experiences, thriving art scenes, and numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, fishing, and exploring natural parks. This diverse environment offers one a chance to immerse oneself in varied cultural experiences and contribute meaningfully to conserving and managing natural resources.

This Fellow is based in the Puget Sound, a region of incredibly natural beauty and thriving, culturally-rich, and interesting human communities . This fellow will be a part of a robust, regional effort to restore and recover this special coastal habitat, and will support DNR’s work to steward over 6 million acres of state-owned lands on behalf of the people of Washington. Salmon are at the cultural center of indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and we are honored to work alongside our tribal co-managers to restore health and build resilience in the watersheds of Puget Sound. Alongside all this natural beauty are human communities with great food, art, and industry – lots to learn and explore while doing good work for the lands and peoples of the Salish Sea. The Snohomish Watershed is the second largest river drainage in Puget Sound, encompassing over 1,800 square miles in King and Snohomish Counties. Through this work you will be able to explore the beautiful landscape from the headwaters to marine waters, and be a part of a robust, collaborative, and fun salmon recovery community.