Want to join the Lake Linganore Association Team? Apply today by submitting your resume and cover letter to hr@lakelinganore.org

The Lake Linganore Association (LLA) seeks a self-motivating, enthusiastic environmental scientist to serve as Environmental Specialist for the residential park community which includes hundreds of acres of open space, 4 lakes (including the City of Frederick’s main water source) & ~30 miles of trails. The Environmental Specialist (ES) will lead various existing & new LLA environmental projects (e.g., lakes monitoring, invasives control, erosion mitigation, reforestation, etc.)  and will also provide environmental support / consulting on facility maintenance / improvement projects (e.g. environmental permitting, road & trail maintenance, stormwater management, etc.) led by other LLA staff. LLA seeks a versatile, curious & collaborative professional, eager for responsible charge for wide ranging environmental endeavors.   

Responsible for managing the LLA community’s environmental affairs, the ES is expected to maintain firsthand knowledge of the lakes, trails, woodlands and other open spaces of the community / watershed so that emerging issues can be quickly identified and addressed.   The ES position includes routine surveillance of LLA’s open space, necessitating associated physical stamina (e.g., to walk long distances in wooded and steep areas, and work in extreme heat and cold weather).   As the community’s environmental representative, the ES will be expected to actively engage with residents (in person) during regular inspection patrols and elsewhere (via various social media platforms) to hear concerns, offer timely and accurate answers to residents, provide updates on LLA environmental activities and help educate / inform community residents.   

Duties

Your environmental duties will be diverse and include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Managing specialty testing, analytical and data interpretation expert service contractors in their monitoring of the water quality conditions (e.g., E. Coli & cyanobacteria) of LLA’s four lakes;
• Administering environmental contracts and work orders with specialty environmental contractors including developing annual work scopes, securing & analyzing cost estimates, contracting, monitoring work progress, evaluating invoices and communicating with HOA Accounts Payable;
• Maintaining environmental databases and analytical records for the sampling, daily precipitation, field fluorescence results and lab analyses;
• Interpreting the analyses provided by environmental specialists and translating what it means from a practical perspective in communications to LLA management and the community;
• Running a predictive bacteria model (Virtual Beach) daily during the summer months and communicating the E. Coli prediction to the community daily.  Coordinating annual recalibration of the model with the specialty contractor;
• Coordinating the posting of lake water testing results, advisories, as needed, and related educational material on LLA’s web site, and Friends of the Lake (FoL) community social media sites (e.g., FB);
• Maintaining contacts with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and Department of Natural Resources and coordinating with MDE for cyanobacteria toxin testing when the data suggest it is necessary and appropriate;
• Maintaining contacts with Frederick County on the County’s plans for applying copper sulfate to Lake Linganore.  Communicating copper sulfate application plans to the community;
• Conducting regular physical inspections of the lakes and their shorelines
• Responding appropriately to Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs), fish kills, unusual lake color or water level conditions, invasive aquatic plants or fish or other anomalies.  Providing proactive and responsive messaging to community on these issues via social media & other electronic communications
• Managing and monitoring the effectiveness of in-lake treatments (e.g., in-lake diffuser circulation systems, barley straw applications, peroxide, copper sulfate, etc.), including ensuring that the “applicators” are MD-certified and all appropriate permits have been secured and County / City notifications have been made;
• Leading discussions and presentations within the community on environmental issues
• Managing the periodic removal of trash from the lakes, trails and shoreline using the LLA staff, boat and volunteers as resources
• Preparing relevant environmental articles for the community’s Lake Talk magazine
• Managing the specialty contractor currently conducting studies to appraise the condition of LLA’s lakes & watersheds leading to the development of an Adaptive Lakes and Watershed’s Management Plan
• Implementing the new Adaptive Lakes and Watershed’s Management Plan once it becomes finalized
• Pursuing environmental grants by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) and others to advance LLA’s watershed investigation and lakes restoration goals.  Cultivating partnerships with other organizations (e.g., Center for Watershed Protection) for teaming on grant opportunities;
• Pursuing other kinds of funding sources from county and state programs like the Woodland Incentives Program (WIP) to help offset existing expenses like invasives management;
• Identifying and hiring specialty contractor(s) for and managing the planned for excavation / dredging of the upstream portion of Lake Merle (once drained) and restoration of the swimming beach
• Planning for and managing the future excavation of the upstream portion of Lake Anita Louise 
• Planning and securing specialty contractor(s) for Project Planning for potential construction of a sediment forebay in Linganore Creek between Gas House Pike and Lake Linganore
• Guiding & helping community high school youth and boy scouts on developing and implementing mutually beneficial environmental service projects
• Collaborating, communicating with and utilizing FoL &  other community volunteers to meet environmental goals as well as to encourage community awareness, involvement and environmental ownership;
• Identifying and maintaining a database of erosion problem areas along roads, paths and streambeds, assist LLA with planning for remediating these areas and tracking progress and degree of success
• Managing the maintenance of environmental reforestation easement obligations
• Identifying and maintaining a database of priority woodland area invasives and developing annual budgets for and securing and managing contractors to address priority locations annually.  Tracking progress and degree of success
• Reviewing, finalizing and implementing LLA’s Forest Stewardship Plan currently being drafted under WIP
•  Identifying and maintaining a database of candidate locations for native tree reforestation needs and preparing & submitting reforestation budgets each fiscal year.  Managing the implementation of approved restoration projects
• Assisting HOA facility maintenance staff with environmental components of stormwater management projects as needed
• Assisting HOA facility maintenance staff with contract work scopes for landscaping contractors (e.g., mulching protocols, no mow areas, native species plantings, pesticides / herbicides & applicator licensing) and with monitoring for the correct implementation of the contracts as intended for best environmental practices
• Developing HOA SOPs for best environmental management practices to be incorporated in open area landscaping & maintenance contracts (e.g., mulching, mowing, winter treatment of roads, etc.)
• Monitoring residential lots under development for maintenance of appropriate and required erosion control measures such as straw cover on soil and maintenance of properly constructed silt fences;
• Encouraging and facilitating grass to meadows open space conversions in community open spaces;
• Assisting the HOA with adapting its rules and regulations to be consistent with Maryland’s new “low impact landscapes” regulations (HB 322);
• Assisting HOA with efforts to improve the forest understory (including by deer population control)
• Addressing ATV / other noise pollution complaints
• Managing the maintenance of the Coldstream buffer, pollinator and rain demonstration gardens
• Anticipating & mitigating adverse effects of climate change
• Advancing sustainable land use practices to improve quality of streams, ponds & lakes (optimizing methods used for winter chemical treatment of road surfaces)
• Educating & connecting members to LLA’s open spaces & engendering sustainable practices via social media, including but not limited to, video presentation postings
• Advocating in public County & State forums on zoning, land use, environment & smart development within the Lake Linganore watershed
• Improving landscape architecture / hardscapes (e.g., permeable paving) within the Lake Linganore community open spaces
• Working toward identifying LLA’s carbon footprint, energy consumption & ways to improve

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must possess the Minimum Qualification:

At least 5-7 years’ experience providing the above identified or similar set of services within public parks or similar HOAs featuring lakes, trails, open spaces and other environmental amenities / assets.   Applicable work experience adequately demonstrates applicants critical thinking / analytical skills and capacity to successfully manage staff, situations, and to communicate well with the public and team.  Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social), provided the volunteer work has built critical competencies, knowledge, skills, training and experience needed applicable to this position.  Candidates with supervisory experience are encouraged. 

Education

Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences (e.g., aquatic biology / limnology), landscape architecture, or a similar field.   Those candidates with significant and closely related experience might qualify with a bachelor’s degree that is not directly related.

Apply today!