NATURAL RESOURCES PLANNER III Conservation Easement Planner

State of Maryland; Maryland; On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Maryland’s Maryland Environmental Trust is seeking a Conservation Easement Planner to solicit donations of conservation easements, negotiate and finalize agreements, and engage with landowners across the state. Responsibilities include outreach, environmental planning, and collaboration with local partners.

The role involves field work, travel and cross-agency coordination to achieve Maryland’s land conservation goals. A strong background in natural resources planning is essential.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental science or natural resources planning, management or development.
• Three years of experience in natural resources planning or applied environmental science.
• Substitution options: related degrees or military/alternative experience may satisfy requirements.

Responsibilities

• Actively conserve land by outreach to landowners and negotiating conservation easement acquisitions.
• Draft and complete conservation easement agreements and amendments.
• Coordinate with land trusts, county staff and state agencies on land protection projects.
• Represent MET regionally through presentations, conferences and meetings.

Skills

Outreach to landowners

Negotiation

Documentation drafting

Education

Bachelor's degree in environmental science or natural resources planning

Tools

MDLANDREC

FINDER

SDAT Real Property Database

PLATS.NET

ArcGIS

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Adobe

Job description

Introduction

This is a position specific recruitment for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Environmental Trust. This recruitment will be used to fill current vacancies for the position and may be used to fill future vacancies in the same classification/function. Future vacancies may also be filled via other recruitments. The resulting eligible list will be maintained for one year.

GRADE

STD0016

LOCATION OF POSITION

100 Community Place, Crownsville, MD 21032

Main Purpose of Job

Conservation Easement Planner: The main purposes of this job are to (1) proactively solicit the donation of conservation easements to the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) from citizens throughout the State of Maryland; (2) negotiate, draft and complete conservation easement agreements and amendments; (3) engage in land conservation planning; (4) work with local land trust staff and other conservation partners to further MET priorities; (5) provide stewardship services to landowners in the assigned region; (6) monitor conservation easements for compliance of the terms of the easement; (7) represent MET through presentations at conferences, seminars and meetings; and (8) join with the Department of Natural Resources and other State land conservation and planning agencies in achieving Maryland’s land conservation goals (ie/BayStat, Managing for Results).

POSITION DUTIES

The Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Environmental Trust ("MET") accepts conservation easements to protect Maryland’s most treasured landscapes and natural resources. Currently MET holds more than 1,300 conservation easements on over 140,000 acres of significant environmental, scenic, agricultural, historic and cultural land in Maryland. MET, located in Crownsville, Maryland, is currently accepting applications for a Natural Resource Planner III to serve as a Conservation Easement Planner. The primary purpose of the Conservation Easement Planner position is to actively conserve land by conducting outreach to landowners, soliciting, negotiating, drafting and completing conservation easement acquisitions. Duties involve conservation planning; assessing/evaluating conservation attributes of land; preparing baseline documentation; corresponding and working with landowners, local land trusts, conservation not-for-profit organizations, County staff, the Office of the Attorney General and staff of other state agencies to complete conservation easement acquisitions. The position will represent MET regionally and statewide through presentations, conferences, seminars and meetings and will collaborate with other State land conservation programs such as Rural Legacy, Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, Forest Legacy and Program Open Space. The position may be assigned to work in one or more regions of the State.

Please note, this position requires field work which could result in exposure to hot and cold weather, rain, snow, biting insects, poison ivy and sun exposure.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in an environmental science or natural resources planning, management or development.

Experience: Three years of experience in natural resources planning or applied environmental science.

Notes

• Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in urban or regional planning, engineering, physical geography, or the physical, chemical, biological sciences and one year of experience in natural resources planning or applied environmental science for the required education.
• Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in natural resources planning, management, administration, development, environmental, urban or regional planning; resources economics or development; environmental system management; water or land resources planning and management; environmental landscape architecture; or the physical, biological, chemical or environmental sciences for up to three years of the required experience.
• Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in the general natural resources management and biological sciences classifications or general natural resources management and biological sciences specialty codes in the general natural resources management and biological sciences field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience and education.

Desired Or Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with landowners to permanently conserve their real property.
• Experience conducting outreach to landowners to get them interested in conserving their property.
• Experience writing, drafting and negotiating permanent land conservation easements.
• Experience conducting real property records research (deed/mortgage/plat/title).
• Knowledge of federal or state land preservation tax benefits or other programs/tools related to land acquisition and conservation.
• Proficiency using land records databases such as MDLANDREC, FINDER, SDAT Real Property Database, PLATS.NET, or similar resources for data research, management, and presentation.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Adobe.
• Experience working with Geographic Information System applications such as ArcGIS (6 months - 1 year).
• Experience with natural resource or land conservation project management (1 year – 2 years).

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

Candidates with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. We thank our Veterans for their service to our country, and encourage them to apply. As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity.