Steward (Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area)

Job Details

Located in Lewiston, Maine, Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college. We are proud to offer a highly personalized education that centers on deep and sustained interactions among students, faculty, and community. We are engaging the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Title: Steward (Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area)

Position Purpose:

Stewards serve as on-site representatives of Bates College. Steward tasks include greeting and informing visitors, maintaining records, monitoring entrance and parking lot, walking trail and beach, checking for damage, rule violations, and communicating with the BMMCA Director. Stewards work full-time (40- hours per week) mid-May through mid-October. Stewards are expected to work weekends and holidays.

Job Duties:

General Responsibilities:

• Maintain communication with Bates contact(s), and advise immediately of any problems, repairs, or other conditions that need attention.
• Wear Bates-identified clothing (supplied) when on duty, to enable visitors to recognize and locate as resource or authority.
• Familiarize self with history, ecology, mission, regulations, neighbors, issues and people of the Conservation Area in order to inform visitors and interact effectively with the various constituents.
• Actively greet visitors, seek information, encourage conversation, as a pro-active communications ambassador for Bates.
• Encourage visitors to abide by rules and regulations. The stewards are not expected to enforce regulations, but to inform and explain. They may, however, call on the support of law enforcement authorities if necessary.
• When working alone, remain in the parking lot area and monitor use.
• When working with another steward, alternate booth and trail duty.
• Maintain list of emergency numbers in Gatehouse.

Booth/Parking Lot Duty:

• Maintain log of vehicles and visitors.
• Greet visitors, explain mission and regulations when appropriate.
• Observe potential rule violations (such as dogs in car, kites or beach umbrellas being unloaded), and intervene.
• Summon assistance by telephone if necessary.
• Monitor lot area, manage parking when crowded, pick up trash.
• Talk with visitors as they leave, ask about unusual experiences and observations, and record in log.
• Record name, address, and contact information for any visiting field trip or organizational group. Consolidate group data on log sheet for reporting.

Trail Duty:

• Walk from booth to top of Morse Mountain, then to Seawall Beach. Alternate walking east and west on beach with other steward so that each shore is walked at least once during the day. Walk to the Small Point end on the west, and to Cherry Tree Head on the east. Walk back, again including the top of Morse Mountain.
• Talk with visitors, point out sights and projects of interest.
• Check for rule violations, damage or vandalism, unauthorized campsites, and other potential threats to the research area, its flora and fauna, structures, or atmosphere.
• Pick up light trash, inform lead steward of heavy trash, downed trees or similar major problems.
• Pick up untagged lobster traps in cart when easily accessible; disassemble traps and assure that they are taken to land fill by caretaker.
• Maintain stake-and-twine fencing, brochure supplies, other features as needed.
• Work with Plover/Tern recovery program to maintain and monitor nesting areas.
• Upon return to booth, record anything unusual or interesting in the log.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

High school diploma or equivalent experience required.

Experience

• Experience with public relations, and a proven ability to relate to the public diplomatically and effectively, with firmness when necessary, is required.
• Previous experience as a guard, ranger, docent, monitor, counselor or similar position preferred.
• Experience in successfully dealing with emergencies and/or stressful public relations situations desired.

Skills and Knowledge

• Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
• Ability to interact and communicate with the public cordially, tactfully, and effectively.
• Sound judgment, common sense, ability to make decisions independently when necessary and to seek help when available.