Athol The Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT) was established in 2010 under the leadership of Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust of Athol, Massachusetts. This AmeriCorps program is a collaborative effort of regional conservation organizations seeking to build public support for land conservation, increase regional conservation capacity, strengthen land stewardship, and provide opportunities for youth to connect with nature and engage in service learning. The overall goal of MassLIFT is to accelerate the pace of land protection across the Commonwealth. Our AmeriCorps program focus is Capacity Building. This year 23 AmeriCorps members will serve in the MassLIFT program in one of four positions: Regional Conservation Coordinators, Land Stewardship Coordinators, Community Engagement Coordinators, and Service Learning Coordinators. All members carry out capacity building projects and recruit, train, and/or manage community volunteers. Specific activities vary by host site. Land Stewardship Coordinators produce baseline reports and stewardship plans, provide trainings for municipal boards, and engage community members in volunteer stewardship activities. Community Engagement Coordinators develop outreach programs and resources and engage community groups in conservation education, outdoor recreation, and service activities. Regional Conservation Coordinators assist volunteer municipal commissions, local land trusts, and regional partnerships with landowner outreach, conservation planning, and land protection initiatives. Service Learning Coordinators develop opportunities and resources to help youth learn about nature and assist with nature inventories, water monitoring, community gardens, trail maintenance, invasive species removal, etc. These are full-time AmeriCorps positions requiring 1700 hours of service over 11 months. The 2015-16 MassLIFT program will run from September 8, 2015 - August 5, 2016. Fifteen organizations, located across the state, will host MassLIFT AmeriCorps members this year: Backyard Growers, Buzzards Bay Coalition and Wareham Land Trust, East Quabbin Land Trust, Essex County Greenbelt Association/Town of Ipswich, Groundwork Somerville, Hilltown Land Trust, Kestrel Land Trust, MassConn Regional Conservation Partnership, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust (Mount Grace), North County Land Trust, the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership (with Mount Grace), Sudbury Valley Trustees, and Wildlands Trust. Hilltown Land Trust and Kestrel Land Trust will share the assistance of a Community Engagement Coordinator. Buzzards Bay Coalition and Wareham Land Trust will share the assistance of a Community Engagement Coordinator. Member application specifics, position descriptions, and information about MassLIFT-AmeriCorps and the organizations hosting members can be found on the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust website: masslift.org. (Choose Join MassLIFT) We aim to fill our positions by July 25th. Interviews may begin June 1st. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. MassLIFT AmeriCorps is a grant program contingent on federal funding through the Corporation of National and Community Service. ****************************************************** Short Announcements when space or word counts are strictly limited (182 words, 1377 characters with spaces. 2015 Position Openings with MassLIFT-AmeriCorps The Massachusetts Land Initiative for Tomorrow (MassLIFT) is an AmeriCorps program managed by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. MassLIFT-AmeriCorps is a collaborative effort of regional conservation groups. Our members build organizational capacity to meet critical community needs for land protection, stewardship of protected lands, conservation outreach and education, and service learning that engages young people in conservation. MassLIFT members serve in one of four positions: land stewardship coordinator......