Leaders Program Fellowship Aldo Leopold Foundation

Leadership in conservation is a critical piece to solving the ongoing and emerging environmental issues of today. The Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Future Leaders Program (FLP) is designed to provide early-career professionals with a college degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience an opportunity to enter the field of conservation. The program helps participants gain skills and grow in conservation leadership, applied science and natural history, strategic planning, engagement and communication, land ethics, and sociology.

Future Leaders Program Fellowships specialize in two program areas, Communications or Land Stewardship, though each receives exposure to other program areas and organization-wide efforts. Fellows also have the opportunity to interact with both a diverse range of conservation professionals and the Leopold community, including Leopold family members.

All applicants must commit full-time to the entire 12-month program, be eligible to work in the United States at the time they apply and have a valid driver’s license.

Communications Fellows support an array of on-site programs, outreach initiatives, and communications efforts, creating opportunities for audiences to learn about Aldo Leopold, the foundation, and our work to advance a land ethic and land health locally and globally.

The Communications Fellows work side by side with experienced staff members to build a wide array of skills needed to contribute to and conduct programs through firsthand experience in visitor services, program marketing, and program delivery. Leopold Fellows will also gain experience in mission-based communications to a variety of strategic audiences both in-person and across digital platforms. Visitation and programming vary throughout the year, allowing for both periods of high visitor interaction and times of behind-the-scenes work in the office.

• Work day-to-day aside passionate education, communications, and development professionals on activities directly in service to the foundation’s mission and success.
• Attend professional development training focusing on conservation leadership and land ethics. These training courses will constitute approximately 20% of the total fellowship hours.
• Lead and complete an independent project that addresses a critical need of the foundation’s strategic planning initiatives. Projects are selected from a pre-determined list.
• Lead interpretive tours of the Leopold Shack and the Leopold Center for conservation professionals, students and adult groups. Lead crane congregation tours in November and early December.
• Staff the Leopold Center information desk on average two days per week. Tasks include answering phone inquiries about foundation programs and services, orienting visitors to visitation options, selling tour tickets and gift shop merchandise, managing mail and patron donations, etc.
• Assist with social media content creation. Write news articles and blog posts for the foundation’s website.
• Assist fundraising and development initiatives such as appeals and donor engagement
• As needed, support the design of program and event flyers and contribute to larger interpretive graphic design projects.
• Help promote, organize, and staff public programs, events, workshops, and meeting rental groups.
• Participate in monthly field days to gain experience in and contribute to land stewardship efforts such as invasive species management, prescribed fire, and prairie planting.
• Become familiar with the life and work of Aldo Leopold and his family while exploring your own connection to and understanding of land ethics.
• Become familiar with the work of all Aldo Leopold Foundation staff and how each staff role contributes to the mission of the organization.
• Other tasks as assigned.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation seeks applicants who are early-career professionals with a college degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience in fields including — but not limited to — environmental…