SECAS is hiring up to three new Blueprint user support staff in the Southeast region! You can apply via USAJobs. The posting closes on 12/29.

• Federal employees: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/627184400
• Open to anyone: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/627220300

Below you’ll find additional background information to give you a sense of what user support does. You can also check out this 3-part blog series from Louise Vaughn for a more in-depth look (March 2021: “Ask me Anything”, April 2021: We’re here to help”, and May 2021: “Breaking down barriers to conservation action”).

Contact Rua at rua_mordecai@fws.gov with any questions, and feel free to share this announcement with your colleagues!

Background on User Support

The Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) is a regional conservation initiative spanning the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean that involves State and Federal agencies and nonprofit organizations. The primary product of SECAS is the Southeast Conservation Blueprint, a landscape conservation design that identifies areas of high conservation value and guides conservation action. User Support staff serve as a resource to partners interested in using the Blueprint by engaging in the following activities:

Element 1: Southeast Blueprint User Support

• Respond to requests to help Blueprint users bring in new resources (e.g. strengthening grant proposals) and implement conservation actions in areas likely to further the Service’s mission
• Produce GIS maps, written narratives, and infographics supporting Southeast Blueprint users
• Participate in working groups and partnerships where the Blueprint can support the alignment of multiple priorities
• Connect partners to other Service datasets and tools to strategically target conservation action
• Track and document use cases to enable reporting on metrics demonstrating the value of SECAS

Element 2: Southeast Blueprint Promotion

• Effectively communicate the value of the Blueprint to a wide range of potential users
• Proactively identify opportunities to educate potential users about the Blueprint

Element 3: Strategic Thinking

• Proactively identify and pursue opportunities that will advance the SECAS goal and FWS mission

In addition to working closely with partners to help them understand and implement the Blueprint, User Support staff elicit feedback about how to improve the Blueprint to better meet user needs, integrating that feedback into future Blueprint revisions. Improving the Blueprint to better reflect areas where the Service’s priorities for conservation align with the priorities of state agencies and other external partners (e.g., local municipalities, groups advocating for balanced stewardship and use of public lands) enables:

• Identification of areas not prioritized by Federal or state agencies that may potentially be compatible with less stringent regulatory mechanisms
• Work with state agency partners to ensure that the Blueprint reflects State Wildlife Action Plan priorities and that conservation actions within state conservation opportunity areas provide a demonstrable return on investment
• Integration of priority areas into Blueprint revisions to identify places for potential restoration and distribution of funding