Public Lands Fellow 2026-2028

About the The Wyss Fellows Program

The Wyss Fellows Program provides campaign experience and training for individuals who have the potential to become future conservation leaders. Fellows work at sponsoring organizations on a variety of projects and campaigns determined by the sponsoring organization during their two-year fellowship. Fellows must focus their work on land conservation issues in the United States.

Wyss Fellowships are ideal for talented and committed individuals just completing their education and looking to launch a career in land conservation, or for those looking to make a career change. Fellows gain experience in all aspects of conservation advocacy, including policy development, grassroots and grasstops organizing, coalition-building, research and writing, media and communications, and fundraising.

Fellows also participate in annual week-long training programs, where they have the chance to meet and learn about other Wyss Fellows' work.

General Position Summary:

The two-year Public Lands Fellowship will provide policy development, organizing, and communications support to the federal programs team at Oregon Wild. Under the supervision of the Associate Director of Federal Programs, the Fellow will work to support various federal programs, including Oregon Wild's proactive public lands work aimed at setting a vision for policy change in 2029. This will entail working closely with the Oregon Wild leadership team and partners from across the country to develop and implement a new vision for public lands management in the United States.

The fellow will also work with Oregon Wild's team of experienced public lands, legal, and communications staff to support the organization's biggest defense campaigns, including work to safeguard the Roadless Rule, the Northwest Forest Plan, Western Oregon BLM forests (WOPR), and the Blue Mountain Forest Plan. Together, these campaigns represent over 10 million acres of Oregon's public lands under threat.

The ideal candidate for this role is passionate about Oregon Wild's mission and will have a strong ability to work both collaboratively in a team and individually to support the organization's public lands campaigns. This position is intended for future leaders, so the ideal candidate will be early in their conservation career with up to two years of experience in the conservation field.

This is a full-time position at 40 hours per week, and is hybrid in-office/remote work, based at Oregon Wild's Portland or Bend office, with a preference for Portland. Minimum time on site at the Portland or Bend office is required. Some travel, including at least one trip to Washington DC, and/ or evening or weekend work may be required.

Position Responsibilities

Grassroots Organizing (30%)

• Develop grassroots organizing toolkits, action alerts, and other educational materials around advocacy opportunities.
• Organize rallies, hikes, webcasts, and other events and activities as needed to increase awareness of threats to public lands.
• Recruit and coordinate speakers at Congressional town hall events, county commission meetings, and other forums, and provide speakers fact sheets and background to support pro-conservation testimony.
• Collaborate with communications, development, and program staff to support organizational goals and public engagement efforts.

Advocacy & Communications (30%)

• Utilize traditional and social media in support of public lands protection, and to raise awareness of threats to the areas. This may include:
• Drafting opinion pieces and letters to the editor for newspapers and online publications, and working with Oregon Wild activists and coalition partners to secure publication
• Generating content to support online activism and social media engagement through email action alerts, blog posts, and the Oregon Wild social media channels (in coordination with the Oregon Wild communications team)
• Organizing rallies, press events, field tours, and other activities to generate public interest and media coverage of campaigns
• Speak with reporters as needed

Policy Development, Research, and Writing (20%)

• In coordination with other Oregon Wild staff, identify, track and respond to policies that threaten the health and integrity of public lands.
• Draft Congressional letters, fact sheets, reports, and other materials as needed.
• Work with Oregon Wild and partners to develop new and innovative policy solutions for Oregon's public lands.
• Travel to Washington DC to meet with congressional offices to advocate for Oregon's public lands.

Coalition development (20%)

• Represent Oregon Wild in coalitions with other conservation, environmental justice, and recreation organizations at the local, state, and national level in coordination with relevant staff.
• Support coalition organizing efforts, such as production of coalition policy, communications, and organizing materials.

Qualifications

• Applicants must have a demonstrated personal commitment to conservation and a desire to pursue a long term career in the conservation field
• Bachelor's or graduate degree combined with up to 2 years of experience working or volunteering on conservation, natural resources, or other environmental issues
• Ability to work with a diverse array of stakeholders, including conservation partners, federal land management agencies, business owners, and local community leaders - and the ability to deal with conflict
• Excellent communications skills with an emphasis on persuasive writing
• Ability to organize grassroots events, community meetings, and presentations
• Experience in public outreach
• Valid driver's license and flexibility to travel, including overnight trips

Salary and Benefits:

This is a full-time position, based in either Portland or Bend (with a preference for Portland). This position includes a salary range of $60,000- $65,000 annually. Benefits include monthly phone and technology reimbursement; fully paid medical, dental, vision, alternative care, and life insurance; optional Health FSA and Dependent Care FSA; optional disability insurance; 403(b) retirement plan option with organizational match; and generous vacation and other paid time off including 11 paid holidays, two weeks of administrative leave time and an initial two weeks of vacation that increases with tenure, and sabbatical eligibility after five years. This position will report to the Associate Director of Federal Programs. Attendance at Tuesday morning all staff meetings is required. Some evening and weekend hours may be required. Oregon Wild has a hybrid work schedule, with the opportunity to work remotely.

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume consolidated into a single PDF or Word document to fellow@oregonwild.org. Review of completed applications will begin on October 16th, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.