River Experiences Associate – seasonal, part-time May through September

Job Type: seasonal, part-time, non-exempt, 20-25 hours per week, as scheduled.

Compensation Rate: $17 an hour

Mission

Tualatin Riverkeepers is a community-based organization that protects and restores Oregon’s Tualatin River watershed. We build watershed stewardship through engagement, advocacy, restoration, access, and education.

Position Description

The River Experiences Associate will assist the River Experiences Program Coordinator, working with other staff and volunteers on logistics for the River Experiences events over the summer.

The River Experiences program encompasses many of our river-based events and outings, including canoe and kayak rentals to the public at Cook Park (Tigard) and Rood Bridge Park (Hillsboro), guided paddle trips for small groups, and larger events like Tualatin River Discovery Day and river clean-ups.The River Experiences Associate will assist with the program activities, including the follow key tasks:

• Learn and handle the data management aspects of event registration – setting up registration software, making changes to registrations, and reporting out registration data after events.

• Helping with logistical details of events – reserving sites and facilities; arranging for and delivering food and materials; setting up tents, tables, and signs; organizing participants, volunteers, and other event partners; cleaning up site and supplies at end of events.

Like all Tualatin Riverkeepers staff, the River Experiences Associate serves as a Tualatin Riverkeepers ambassador, helping participants to access, learn about, and love the river through safe and supported water recreation. This position requires a passion for nature, an outgoing and helpful attitude, quick aptitude for learning new skills, comfort in and around the water, familiarity with non-motorized watercraft, and competency with our online reservation system, after training. During busy or chaotic times, the ability to stay calm, track details, and ensure safety is essential.

The River Experiences Associate can expect to work 20-25 hours per week throughout the summer event season (May to September). Most work will be outdoors, on weekdays and weekends. The River Experiences Program Coordinator will determine a work schedule with the River Experiences Associate as events are scheduled.

A pre-hiring background check is required, since some of our participant groups include minors. We are an equal-opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, or in any other way unrelated to the job qualifications.

Minimum Qualifications

Impeccable data entry skills and attention to detail

Experience with payment and event management software, or willingness and aptitude to learn

Cultural sensitivity and competency working with a diverse public

Resourcefulness and problem-solving attitude

No hesitancy initiating and conducting business phone calls and visits

Excellent communication and organization

Timely and reliable attendance

Sense of humor, resiliency, and calmness under pressure

Commitment to the Tualatin Riverkeepers mission (above)

Preferred Qualifications

Ability to speak and understand written and spoken Spanish

Knowledge of river ecology, or willingness to learn

Self-motivation, creativity, and adaptability

To Apply: Email a resume, cover letter addressing your qualifications, and a list of three references to info@tualatinriverkeepers.org. Please put your last name and “River Experiences Associate” in the subject line of the email.

River Rentals Staff – Seasonal Position, late-May through early-September (mostly weekends)

Job Type: seasonal, part-time, non-exempt, 20-30 hours per week, as scheduled

Compensation Rate: $16 to $17/hour, depending on experience

Mission

Tualatin Riverkeepers is a community-based organization that protects and restores Oregon’s Tualatin River watershed. We build watershed stewardship through engagement, advocacy, restoration, access and education.

Position Description

River Rentals Staff will rent canoes and kayaks to the public on a reservation basis. This is a physically demanding position that includes lifting of canoes and kayaks weighing 30 - 90 lbs, and frequent standing and movement in and around the water, throughout the shift. Rentals staff serve as the Tualatin Riverkeepers ambassadors, helping participants to access, learn about, and love the river, through safe and supported water recreation. This position requires competency with our online reservation system, after training. During busy or chaotic times, the ability to stay calm, track details, and ensure safety is essential. Work is outdoors in the summer, and thus occasionally in extreme heat.

Staff will be scheduled for approximately 20-25 hours per week, generally on weekends, at either Cook Park in Tigard or Rood Bridge Park in Hillsboro. Occasional work will be available on holidays or otherwise outside the regular rental hours (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday-Sunday). A pre-hiring background check is required, since some of our participant groups include minors. We are an equal-opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, or in any other way unrelated to the job qualifications.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience paddling canoes / kayaks on relatively flat water, or willing to learn prior to first scheduled shift

Ability to lift and maneuver canoes and kayaks (50 lbs or more) to and from trailers, racks, and docks

Familiarity with paddling (canoe/kayak) gear, including fitting life vests (PFDs)

Enjoy working with a diverse public, with diverse paddling competency

Excellent communication and organization; timely and reliable attendance

Sense of humor, resiliency, and calmness under pressure

Experience with online payments program, or willingness and aptitude to learn

Commitment to the Tualatin Riverkeepers mission (above)

Preferred Qualifications

Ability to speak and understand written and spoken Spanish

Knowledge of river ecology, or willingness to learn

Self-motivation, creativity, adaptability, and resourcefulness

To Apply: Email a resume, cover letter addressing your qualifications, and a list of three references to info@tualatinriverkeepers.org. Please put your last name and “River Experiences Associate” in the subject line of the email.

Legal Intern/Externship (Remote - Unpaid)

Tualatin Riverkeepers (TRK) is a community-based organization that protects and restores the Tualatin River watershed. We build watershed stewardship through engagement, advocacy, restoration, access, and education. TRK has legal internships available full-time or part-time all year round for current law school students (2L and 3L). This is an unpaid internship. Benefits include flexible schedule and working remotely. Interns do not need to live or go to school in Oregon to apply. Students may also use an internship with TRK to receive school credit.

Legal interns are important to helping us achieve our mission of protecting and restoring the Tualatin River watershed by expand our capacity to address more issues within the basin. They also provide an opportunity to bring diverse backgrounds and experiences into our advocacy work and help us to include all the communities within the watershed in our legal advocacy. A legal internship with TRK will provide a wide spectrum of experience that will transfer to future environmental-related work opportunities. Legal interns work under the close direction and supervision of our Riverkeeper & Staff Attorney. Work can include legal research and writing, advocacy and policy work, field investigations, such as paddling on the river and site visits, and stakeholder meetings with government agencies. Interns will have some agency in selecting what projects they work on and TRK strives to provide work opportunities that will allow students to experience what working with a small nonprofit is like. Additionally, students will be invited and encouraged to participate in internal strategy sessions and one-on-one mentoring with our Riverkeeper.

Experience and/or course work in environmental law, environmental justice, water resources, the Clean Water Act, and land use is recommended. Other possible relevant experience could include, but is not limited to, work with agricultural communities and fluency in Spanish. TRK values a diversity of perspectives and works to address environmental racism in our work. We value solutions that are both equitable and sustainable and are looking for students who have backgrounds to help advocate for these solutions and/or those who are interested in helping advocate for these solutions.

Interns in the past have worked on:

• Reviewing and drafting public comments on Clean Water Act 404 Wetland-Fill Permits
• Researching and comparing Municipal Tree Codes in the Tualatin River Watershed
• Reviewing and drafting public comments on an Industrial Pretreatment Ordinance (Clean Water Act)
• Researching what constitutes "pre-determining" under the National Environmental Policy Act
• Reviewing and drafting public comments on proposed changes to Significant Natural Resource Code Sections

Application process: Interested applicants should email a resume, cover letter, legal writing sample, and course list (unofficial) to Victoria Frankeny at victoria@tualatinriverkeepers.org. Please include “Legal Internship Application” in the title of the email.

Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. For Fall Semester intern/externship(s) apply soon for best possible consideration, but no later than June 30th, 2023, by 5:00pm. Note the fall position(s) will close if filled sooner.

Tualatin Riverkeepers is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.