Purpose of Position
Field Site Hosts welcome teachers and students to a Land Trust, preserve, refuge, city park, or backyard that they are devoted to. Have students look for native and invasive species of interest on the property and encourage stewardship of your special place.
Benefits
- Foster stewardship in a place of interest to you
- Gather data to learn more about the native and invasive species living in a place of interest to you
- Motivate and inspire community members young and old to learn about local resources and care for your place
Responsibilities & Tasks
- Coordinate with a local environmental association or teacher who is already involved with Vital Signs to organize a field visit to your site of interest
- Engage in conversation with the association leader or teacher and the site director to plan the date, time, content, and context for the visit and Vital Signs investigation
- Discuss how you can assist with the visit and Vital Signs investigation
Optional Responsibilities & Tasks
- Prepare an overview, history, and orientation to the site
- Prepare a story, present an overview, or lead a discussion about the importance of looking for and reporting whether you find or don't find native and invasive species at the site
- Discuss with the group the potential negative effects of invasive species introductions to this ecosystem
- Share your passion, and tell the group why you care about this site
- Depending on the results of your investigation, take action with the group to protect the site!
Necessary Qualifications
- Desire to share and learn
- Connection to a public land, state park, city park, reserve, or backyard through your work, civic involvement, or other affinity
- Willingness to facilitate communication among association leaders, teachers, and the organization that stewards your site of interest
Training & Support
There is no formal training required. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with Vial Signs by exploring the website. It may also be helpful to collect data and add it to the database prior to assisting an investigation. Please see the Investigator position description for more information. Feel free to contact us or post to a discussion forum with your questions.
Time Commitment
Your time commitment will vary, and is completely within your control. For some hosts, 2 10-minute phone conversations and a 1-hour field visit may be the total time necessary. Other hosts may choose to increase their level of participation by hosting multiple field visits with more than one group or teacher, or by developing materials, presentations, or discussions to enhance a visit. Site visits are most likely to take place during the growing season (spring, summer, early fall).
