Outdoor Equity Attorney (FT) Job at Western Resource Advocates
Western Resource Advocates (WRA) is hiring a Western Lands Outdoor Equity Attorney (Outdoor Equity Attorney) to join our team. The Outdoor Equity Attorney will be responsible for developing, enacting, and enforcing policies that promote outdoor equity and protect equitable, sustainable outdoor recreational access to public lands and waters in the West. The Outdoor Equity Attorney will work closely with the Western Lands Director to ensure that WRA’s goal to protect 50% of Western lands from development is also ensuring that recreational access to public lands and waters is equitable, sustainable, and not based on personal wealth, or privilege.
ABOUT WESTERN RESOURCE ADVOCATES:
WRA fights climate change and its impacts to sustain the environment, economy, and people of the West. We respect the different needs of diverse people and partner with them to develop a shared vision for progress—one that advances communities while protecting biodiversity.
Our team of policy experts, scientists, economists, and attorneys has a 30-year history of working where decisions are made, sweating the details, creating evidence-based solutions, and holding decision-makers accountable. This on-the-ground work with policymakers and other advocates advances clean energy, protects air, land, water, and wildlife — and sustains the lives and livelihoods of the West.
LOCATION
This position has the option to work remotely in WRA’s seven-state region, from one of WRA’s six offices, or a hybrid of the two. WRA’s region includes AZ, CO, MT, NM, NV, UT, and WY. WRA’s offices are in Boulder, CO; Carson City, NV; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, NM.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES
Develop and Enact Policy
- Develop a policy guaranteeing that recreational access to public lands and waters, where limited, is allocated in an equitable manner that does not give preference to those with wealth or privilege;
- Develop a policy that guarantees recreational access does not degrade the long-term ecological health of public lands and waters;
- Work with WRA’s Western Lands team to ensure adequate funding for outdoor education and recreation programs that assist low-income youth and families in accessing outdoor education and recreation programs;
- Develop policy ensuring that low-income and traditionally underserved communities can participate fully in decision-making forums where land use decisions are made;
- Work directly with conservation community partners, community advocacy organizations, government partners, local communities, and other stakeholders to enact policies that have been developed and that ensure recreational access to public lands and waters and decision-making about conservation is both sustainable, inclusive, and equitable;
- Represent WRA in coalitions of diverse partners to achieve goals to protect 50 percent of western lands from development in each major ecoregion, ensure habitat on those lands is restored, and that recreational access is equitable and sustainable.
Enforce New and Existing Equity Policy
- Develop legal opinions for WRA and coalition partners to uphold equitable and sustainable access and inclusivity in governmental decision-making bodies charged with land conservation;
- Represent WRA and partners in state and federal litigation, as well as state administrative proceedings as necessary to protect equitable and sustainable recreational access to public lands and waters;
- Working as part of a broader team, identify opportunities to advance WRA’s policy goals in various regulatory proceedings and executive actions to secure identified outcomes;
- As necessary, draft motions and briefs, conduct oral arguments, and maintain relationships with other key stakeholders, diverse partners, community advocates, government partners, and other conservation groups.
Program Development and Internal Coordination
- Work with the Western Lands Director and WRA’s development team to raise resources to build greater capacity within WRA to address outdoor equity issues;
- Work with the Western Lands Director and WRA’s Government Affairs and Marketing & Communications teams to develop advocacy and communication strategies to advance WRA’s outdoor equity objectives;
- Assist with grant proposals and reports;
- Occasional travel to meetings and events, generally within the Interior West.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Law degree, and license to practice law in one of WRA’s seven states;
- On-the-ground working knowledge of the West’s diverse communities;
- Superior written and verbal communication skills;
- Demonstrated ability to apply communication skills to collaborate and lead diverse stakeholder coalitions on complex subjects;
- Familiarity, education, or working knowledge of conservation, outdoor recreation, and the west’s diverse communities;
- Knowledge of and strong interest in promoting greater opportunity for low-income and underserved communities to access outdoor recreation;
- Comfort and skill in communicating with a variety of policymakers, constituencies, and audiences;
- Ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with a variety of stakeholders;
- Access to a major airport is required.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer;
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions;
- Travel is required, primarily to other states within WRA’s region.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The salary range is $67,000-$90,000 annually; salary depends on relevant experience and new staff rarely start at the top of the range. WRA’s excellent benefits package includes a 401(k) retirement plan with up to 5% matching and health, dental, vision, and life & disability insurance with 100% of premiums paid by WRA. Annually, staff receives three weeks of paid vacation leave to start, twelve paid sick days, one paid volunteer day, one paid birthday off, and 12 paid holidays, and WRA is closed for Winter Break between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for additional paid time off. After one-year employees are eligible for up to twelve weeks of parental leave with the first six weeks paid, and after five years, staff are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid sabbatical leave. The position is full-time exempt.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: OPEN UNTIL FILLED
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