Oregon Stewardship Assistant

Overview

The Western Oregon Stewardship Assistant is an entry-level, seasonal position starting March 16th, 2026 and ending November 27th, 2026. The stewardship assistant will spend time in three Oregon geographies and will work with TNC stewardship staff to perform operations, maintenance, and monitoring of several important conservation sites in Oregon. The steward ship assistant will conduct general preserve stewardship duties, while also supporting priority projects for each site and developing their conservation and stewardship skills.

This position is open until it is filled; it is recommended to apply early.

This position will work under the supervision of an experienced steward performing field tasks such as fence and infrastructure maintenance, invasive plant monitoring and control (including herbicide use), vegetation monitoring, wildlife surveys, prescribed fire preparation, prescribed fire implementation, trail work, and data collection. The stewardship assistant will also assist with site, equipment, and facilities maintenance and repair. They will maintain and preserve records using a computer or mobile devices.

The stewardship assistant will work in the field and office alongside TNC staff, partners, and volunteers, including youth volunteers, while also working independently y may interact with visitors from the public hiking on trails and enforce preserve use guidelines. This position will work in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances which require considerable physical exertion.

Housing is provided free of charge, though the value of housing will be included as non-cash taxable income in Eugene. Limited overnight travel to TNC Oregon preserves is expected and will be based on planned field activities of TNC Stewardship staff.

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures.

Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #inside

TNC.

Columbia Basin Program – From March 16th to June 14th, 2026, the Western Oregon Stewardship Assistant performs and participates in preserve operations, maintenance, and monitoring primarily at the Boardman Conservation Area (BCA) near Boardman, Oregon. The BCA is a 23,000-acre grassland and shrub-steppe property managed by TNC to provide habitat for sensitive species. The primary objective at the BCA is to protect and improve native plant communities and their associated wildlife species.

The stewardship assistant will conduct stewardship duties, including but not limited to infrastructure maintenance, vegetation monitoring, invasive plant treatment, and wildlife surveys at the BCA as well as other preserves in north-central Oregon, which will require some overnight travel. The position requires living in shared housing, provided free of charge by TNC in Ione, Oregon, a small rural community.

Oregon Coast Preserves – From June 15th to August 16th, 2026, the stewardship assistant will be based on the Oregon Coast. The primary duties will occur in the field at the Kilchis Estuary Preserve, a Sitka spruce swamp restoration site near Tillamook, Oregon. While stationed in this region, occasional work will occur at the Cascade Head Preserve, a coastal prairie ecosystem supporting native and rare species near Lincoln City, Oregon.

Access to work sites on that Preserve involves a moderately strenuous 4-mile round trip hike with 600 ft of elevation gain at a minimum. Projects will include vegetation monitoring, trail work, brush cutting, and invasive species treatments. Accommodations are offered free of charge at a federal partner’s shared housing facility.

Willamette Valley Preserves – From August 17th,…