Land Stewardship Assistant

The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) are seeking a Land Stewardship Assistant to help live out a commitment to care for Earth by restoring native ecosystems on the FSPA grounds, maintaining and improving the greenhouse and gardens, engaging the community in educational programs, and generally supporting FSPA ministries related to integral ecology.

Service Time: September 1, 2026 – August 14, 2027 (1,700-hour Ameri Corps Term, 50 weeks, 35 hours per week)

Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, with occasional evening, weekend and holiday hours required for events and programs. Hours will vary weekly but generally will not exceed 70 hours over a two-week period.

Benefits: Living stipend for the entire term totals $23,000 ($460 per week). The housing allowance for the entire term is $6,250 ($125 per week). An Ameri Corps Education Award of approximately $7,300 will be issued upon successful completion of service.

Health insurance is available via Wis Corps for individuals in 1,700-hour positions who are not already covered.

Requirements
: COVID-19 vaccine and Tuberculosis (TB) test are required.

OVERVIEW
:
The goal of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) is to provide young environmental leaders with the opportunity to gain relevant professional experience that serves the environment and the community by supporting healthy urban and rural ecosystems. The FSPA Integral Ecology Team stewards 200 acres of land with a greenhouse, garden, and orchard on St. Joseph Ridge, just outside La Crosse, that serves as an education model for conservation and regenerative land practices.

FSPA puts strong Franciscan core values into everyday practice by engaging sisters, staff and others affiliated with their community in shared, sustained action that encapsulates their vision and provides an educational model for the public. The organization is also committed to working collaboratively with others to help them understand the intersection of a healthy planet and healthy people.

SERVICE

DESCRIPTION:

The Land Stewardship Assistant will help live out the commitment to care for Earth by helping restore native ecosystems on the FSPA grounds, maintaining and improving the greenhouse and gardens, engaging the community in educational programs, and generally supporting FSPA ministries related to integral ecology.

• Learn and educate to help build a strong resilient community.
• Maintain, improve, and develop partnerships with local and regional community partners.
• Increase environmental awareness, support land justice, and support FSPA at community outreach events.
• Assist in the development and teaching of FSPA ecological education programs for youth and adults including lesson planning, activity development, and lesson assessment and improvements.
• At least once during the service term, present to the local community and/or within FSPA to share what was learned through service with FSPA and how it benefitted people and nature.
• Identify and develop resources related to habitat management and land access in the Driftless region.

• Assist FSPA land projects in the woodlands, prairies, garden, greenhouse, orchard, and tillable farmlands.
• Assist with habitat management and restoration of native prairie, forest, oak savanna, and natural waterways, including prairie and tree plantings, water diversion strategies, and brush pile burning.
• Assist with identification and removal of invasive species, timber stand improvement, and brush removal.
• Assist with garden preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, field clean up, mulching, mowing, row covers and seasonal maintenance.
• Assist with designing, improving, and updating kiosks, signs, and brochures as related to the FSPA land.
• Learn, develop and implement regenerative land management initiatives for the FSPA land.

• Assist with creating or curating simple “how-to” videos and instruction guides, including but not limited to natural landscape restoration, leave no trace principles and pollinator habitat support etc.
• Create and distribute flyers, brochures and signage for events and outreach in partnership with FSPA staff.
• T…