Now hiring: Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch Intern

The Clark Fork Coalition is seeking a full-time, seasonal ranch intern to work on the 2,300-acre Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch in Montana’s Deer Lodge Valley. The intern will assist with all aspects of running a conservation-minded cattle ranch and conduct outreach related to the imminent Superfund cleanup of the Clark Fork River. View full job description.

Now Hiring: Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch Intern

Full-time:  40 hours/week

Position Opening: June 1 - September 1, 2013

Salary:  $1,200/month, plus housing and utilities

JOB SUMMARY:  The Ranch Intern will work on the 2,300-acre Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch, in Montana’s Deer Lodge Valley, assisting with all aspects of running a conservation-minded cattle ranch and conducting outreach related to the imminent Superfund Cleanup of the Clark Fork River.

Download the job description and application instructions as PDF

Specific Duties & Responsibilities:     
Help prepare and execute the ranch’s summer grazing plan by building temporary electric fence, monitoring livestock and range condition, and moving cattle.
Assist with farming operations—specifically flood irrigation and haying.     
Build and maintain permanent fence.     
Monitor and herd cattle to improve range and riparian conditions on the ranch’s Forest Service grazing allotment.     
Basic care of ranch horses.     
Participate in ranch tours and volunteer workdays.     
Work closely with neighbors and other ranchers in the Deer Lodge Valley.     
Move cattle on the ranch’s grazing allotment, a vast tract of land including the Continental Divide.     
Assist in the sales of Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch grassfed and finished beef.     Assist DEQ and EPA staff with Superfund activities on and around the Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch.     
Assist CFC staff on high-priority projects and events requiring “all hands on deck.”      

Desired Qualifications:     
Background in environmental science, range management, sustainable agriculture, or other related field.     
Openness to new ideas and non-traditional forms of ranching.     
Strong communication skills and outgoing personality.     
Ability to think independently and solve problems.     
Ability to organize and complete projects.     
Access to a vehicle.     
Access to a computer.     
Eagerness to learn.     
Common Sense.     
Gumption.     

Desired Work-Related Skills & Abilities:
Ability to safely ride horseback through rough terrain.
Livestock experience.
Ability to safely operate an ATV.
Ability to hike several miles in a day.     
Ability to lift at least 50 pounds.     
Willingness to work long hours and do rigorous physical work.     
Willingness to live in a rural area with limited services.

EXPERIENCE GAINED THROUGH THIS POSITION:     
Grazing management of upland and riparian areas.     
Involvement with the Superfund cleanup process.     
Use of cattle as a tool to enhance range conditions and wildlife habitat.     
Horsemanship and livestock handling.     
Use of temporary electric fence and other innovative ranching techniques.      
Involvement with collaborative, landscape-scale partnerships.     
Firsthand understanding of traditional and alternative agricultural practices.                           

ABOUT THE CLARK FORK COALITION (www.clarkfork.org):  Founded in 1985, the Coalition is a nonprofit river conservation group, based in Missoula, Montana.  We are dedicated to protecting and restoring the Clark Fork River basin, a 22,000 square-mile area draining the waterways of western Montana and northern Idaho.  Our work is conducted by a staff of eight, and our methods are science-based and results-oriented, with an emphasis on public education through energetic outreach at the community level.

ABOUT THE DRY COTTONWOOD CREEK RANCH:  In June 2005, with the help of two conservation partners, the Coalition purchased a 2,300-acre ranch in the heart of the Deer Lodge valley’s Superfund site.  It’s one of the largest and most polluted ranches in the valley. We have invited the EPA to take the ranch through the most ambitious cleanup possible.  By augmenting the cleanup with agricultural practices that complement the EPA’s remediation work, we are offering the Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch as a learning site for exploring first-hand the challenges and opportunities that cleanup will bring to the valley’s ranchers.     TO APPLY:  Please email a resume, cover letter, and 3 references to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by April 5, 2013

Download the job description and application instructions as PDF