Job Opportunities

Kittatinny Ridge Hawk Counter

3 positions – Full or Part time, Fall 2025

The Kittatinny Ridge is the largest Important Bird Area in Pennsylvania and has recently been designated a State Conservation Landscape.  As the site of the oldest raptor sanctuary in the world, The Ridge hosts one of the most concentrated raptor migration corridors in eastern North America.  In 2025, four experienced hawk counters are desired for four separate autumn migration count sites along the Kittatinny Ridge to supplement volunteer efforts. Position involves counting hawks in variety of weather on a rocky mountaintop, in remote locations, alone or with a small group of observers.

Dates: August 20 - November 30, 8 am to 5 pm or 8:30-4:30 pm
Salary: 20$/hour for up to 40 hours and one to five days per week. One person needed on weekend days only.  Housing for one or two people possible.
Location: Kittatinny Ridge, southeastern Pennsylvania, sites from Danielsville west to Carlisle
Supervisor: Laurie Goodrich
 

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Collect data on migrating diurnal raptors and weather hourly on standard data forms.
• Collect data on some non-raptor migrants if feasible.
• Welcome visitors to the lookout.
• Count total visitors each day and enter in google spreadsheet weekly
• Enter hourly data in hawkcount.org each day.
• Coordinate with other volunteers or counters to ensure data entry for other days occurs.
• Join bi-weekly counter zoom or report back to update Project Supervisor.
• Ensure all hourly count data is entered on hawkcount.org either in hourly format each evening OR is entered daily with hourly entry at end of season.
• Write a final report on the migration and education efforts and proofread all data entry on the data in HawkCount.org to ensure data is correct before December 10, 2023. Report should include hawk migration count highlights, comparisons to averages, totals on visitors, people attending programs and a summary of educational outreach efforts.
   

Required Qualifications:

• Experience in conducting hawk migration counts and in identification of diurnal hawks in flight.
• Proficiency in Eastern North America bird identification in the field by sight.
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills.
• Positive attitude and excitement for bird migration.
• Ability to work independently or with minimal supervision.
• Must have valid driver's license and use of a personal vehicle.
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with volunteers.
• Experience with social media and infographics development.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Word, Excel.
• Experience or proficiency in use of eBird.

Position will be outside in variable weather conditions, cold and hot. Rocky terrain with up to one mile hike needed to site.
 

To Apply:

Applications are due 05/1/2025. Applicants must submit a cover letter describing their qualifications and addressing the Required and Preferred Qualifications listed above and a resume or curriculum vitae. Additionally, applicants must provide contact information for two references who can comment on the applicant’s qualifications relevant to this position (including phone numbers and email addresses).

Send application materials to [email protected] with subject line “Kittatinny Ridge Hawk Counter”.

Education and Raptor Care Specialist

Position Summary

The Educator and Raptor Care Specialist is a year-round full-time position that reports directly to the Director of Education. This position requires advanced knowledge and the consistent exercise of discretion and independent judgment, including a solid understanding of the scope of raptor conservation science and education activities at Hawk Mountain and raptor husbandry skills. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are a must. The position combines education across a wide variety of ages and environmental education-based topics with a background in raptor husbandry, care and handling. The ideal candidate will have experience teaching in both indoor and outdoor classroom settings, and an awareness of our local-to-global programs and raptor conservation mission. 

Salary - $34,000-$37,000 per year, depending on experience 
 

Competencies and Attributes

Educator: A skilled educator from classroom to field inspiring education excellence. Communication: Highly effective communicator to include verbal, written, and multimedia, and social media. 
Flexibility: Demonstrated professionalism and ability to seize opportunities while respecting organizational goals as well as its chain of command. 
Motivation: A self-starter with a genuine passion for raptor conservation science and natural history while promoting the work of Hawk Mountain to all audiences. 
Curricula: Understands how to write lesson plans, curricula, and pedagogy.
Solution-oriented: Projects a positive attitude and helps to solve problems.
Teamwork: Integrates science with education. 
Naturalist: Demonstrated ability as a field naturalist that shares a high level of enthusiasm for natural history with patrons, staff and volunteers. 
Attendance: Regular and predictable attendance

Qualifications and Experience

• A charismatic teacher with strong verbal presentation skills that has taught to a variety of ages with excellent group management and safety skills to ensure a fun and safe visitor experience.
• Organized and proficient with administrative tasks related to creating education lesson plans and content, program registration, and coordination.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including scientific writing, general interest articles, film editing, and social media posts.
• Experience teaching environmental topics, outdoors skills, wildlife viewing, adventure education, or eco-tourism experiences.
• Experience working with ambassador animals or birds of prey including general husbandry, care and maintenance of enclosures, and live raptor programs is preferred.
• Wilderness First Aid and CPR or higher a plus.
• A strong understanding of Hawk Mountain and its raptor conservation mission and programs. 
• Highly organized and flexible and grasps the goals of Hawk Mountain’s education program. 
• This position requires a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction, specifically, a Bachelor’s degree with experience and interest in conservation science, research and education. 
• International degrees and candidates welcome. 
  

Primary Duties/Essential Functions

• Responsible for ongoing programming responsibilities both on and off site, from the reservation process to evaluation.
• Prepare curricula, training materials, and lesson plans. 
• Manage, teach, mentor, recruit and/or encourage trainees, volunteers, and others on how to do education programming to Hawk Mountains rigorous education standards. 
• Manage part-time staff, volunteers, trainees, and interns. 
• Prepare and distribute educational materials and/or lesson plans that help to spread awareness of our ongoing conservation science research, land stewardship practices, and action-focused conservation education program. 
• Share Hawk Mountain education resources as appropriate at the direction of the conservation science and education directors at key education conferences and as funding allow. 
• Develop partnerships to augment Hawk Mountain education programs. 
• Setup and break down of classrooms and other teaching spaces and organization of teaching materials physically and virtually. Ability to lift 50 lbs. 
  Responsible to be a primary teacher of various programmatic areas as outlined in the education plan. 
• Set high standards for raptor care and husbandry and ensure the raptor and animal ambassador program is utilized to engage our various audiences and integrated into our leadership trainee program. 
• Disseminate raptor care information among staff and trainees to ensure program continuity. 
• Must be able to hike two (2) miles over rocky terrain and work weekends and occasional nights. 
• Other duties as assigned. 

Benefits (for those who qualify):

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 
• Disability income protection 
• Life Insurance 
• Paid time off 
• 403(b) Pension plan with employer match 
• Membership to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary 
• Discount in the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary bookstore 
  

To Apply:

Send resume and cover letter to Director of Education Megan Roselli at [email protected]. Please do not call to inquire. Candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Seasonal Sanctuary Steward/Invasive Species Specialist 

This Stewardship position is chiefly responsible for conducting invasive species control on the Sanctuary utilizing manual, mechanical, and chemical methods. Other principal responsibilities will be utilizing GPS to aid in mapping invasive species, conducting restoration efforts through seeding and planting, and a variety of media production to share and educate public. Other duties when required include but are not limited to: Facilities and trail maintenance, responding to medical and weather emergencies, minimal custodial duties, and anything else that is deemed a priority throughout season.

Compensation: $15.00 (hourly wage) - (Up to 40 hours a week) 

Schedule: Mid-May to Mid-August — Position starts May 19

There are currently four positions available which, along with full-time staff, will serve as a team prioritizing control of invasive species and native habitat restoration. 

Position Breakdown:    
65% - Conducting removal and eradication of invasive species 
20% - Time conducting restoration efforts utilizing native sources 
10% - Advanced training opportunities
5% - Miscellaneous duties 
 

Qualifications: 

• Must be 18 years of age or older and possess a valid driver’s license
• Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and written
• Must be able to perform the physical labor required for all aspects of the position including the ability to carry a 50 lb. backpack in adverse conditions for 5 miles and be able to perform various job responsibilities in inclement weather.
• Must be able to work and collaborate in a team environment
• Must possess skills to effectively interact and educate the public on Sanctuary mission
• Must possess the ability to perform in an environment of changing workloads and priorities
• Preferred degree tract or degree in Environmental Science, Resource Management, Parks and Recreation, or related field
• Preferred experience with invasive species control such as pulling, mowing, cutting, or spraying
• Preferred experience in conducting restoration utilizing native species
• Preferred first aid/CPR certifications or at minimum willingness to assist in response to medical emergencies.   
  
• Preferred proficiency in the operation of hand and power tools, mowers, string trimmers, hand saws, and 4X4 trucks and tractors
• A willingness to perform Best Management Practices (BMP) related to invasive species control and become certified as a PA pesticide Technician
  
• Basic knowledge of Northeast flora and fauna is a plus.
• Experience in media collection is a plus.
• Experience with GPS/GIS is a plus.

Conservation Field Skills Acquired through this position:

• Central Appalachian Native and Invasive plant identification
• BMP in plant management with a focus in invasive species control
• Certification as a PA Pesticide Technician
• Rigging and Mechanical advantage
• Risk tree and Blowdown Removal
• Wildland Travel and Navigation
• Firearm Safety and Handling
• American Kestrel Nestbox Ecology and Management
• Broad-winged Hawk Nesting Ecology
• Introduction to Songbird Banding Utilizing Mist Nets
• Forest Resource Overview, Now and for the Future
• Basic woodshop Tool Use for assigned projects
• CPR and First Aid Certification
   

To Apply: 

Seasonal Research Technicians for Pennsylvania Bird Atlas

DEADLINE: April 18, 2025, but applications will be reviewed upon receipt

The Pennsylvania Bird Atlas (https://ebird.org/atlaspa) is hiring a team of point count technicians to conduct surveys throughout Pennsylvania during the summer of 2025.

DATES: May 19 – mid July 2025
 

Compensation

• $20/hr
• A combination of state park campsites and hotel accommodations will be provided or reimbursed for a total of 5 nights/week.
• Mileage reimbursement on personal vehicles will be provided. Vehicle rental may be provided in lieu of use of a personal vehicle if necessary.
• Technicians are responsible for providing their own food, binoculars, smartphone, camping equipment, and vehicle (if possible).
  
  

Responsibilities
The field season will begin with a mandatory orientation session at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (Orwigsburg, PA) during the week of May 19, 2025. The remainder of the season, technicians will conduct avian point count surveys at assigned roadside locations, record distances and behavior codes of individual birds, and enter data into a database. Surveys will occur in all habitat types across the entire state of Pennsylvania. The work schedule will require flexibility in the event of inclement weather but will be no more than 40 hours/week.
 

Qualifications

• Ability to identify birds of Pennsylvania by sight and sound. Preference will be given to applicants with previous point count experience and eBird experience. Prior birding experience need not be through a paid position.
• Valid driver’s license and safe driving history.
• Must be willing to work early mornings and long hours in a variety of conditions including hot weather and buggy conditions.
• Must be comfortable camping independently in public campgrounds.
• Must be comfortable working independently and be able to follow all Atlas protocols.
• Must be comfortable navigating by GPS and driving long hours.
• Must be self-motivated and have good communication skills.
  
  

To Apply:

Send an email with “Lastname-technician” as both the subject line and the name of your attached application. The application should include a single document (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) containing a cover letter and resume. Please include names and contact information for 2-3 references, including at least 2 that can attest to your birding skills. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt.

CONTACT: Amber Wiewel ([email protected])