Together, the North and South Santiam Watershed Councils are seeking a Fire Adapted Communities Specialist to work throughout both basins. The person in this position will be an employee of the South Santiam Watershed Council.

The North and South Santiam Rivers flow from the west slope of the Cascade Mountains through forested headwaters to agricultural lowlands, before joining just north of Albany, OR and exiting into the Willamette River.  Each river flows through or near small, rural communities, including Detroit and Lyons in the North Santiam basin, and Sweet Home and Lebanon in the South Santiam basin. The North Santiam sustained significant loss and damage during the 2020 Labor Day fires, while the South Santiam has not experienced catastrophic wildfire in recent history. The watershed councils in both basins are actively engaged in supporting fire recovery, fire resilience and fire risk reduction. Watershed councils are locally-led, locally-supported non-profit organizations that work collaboratively with private landowners, communities, public agencies, Tribes, and other social enterprise organizations to develop and apply voluntary watershed protection and restoration, and to promote community engagement.  Please view the position announcement for more details.