Eat Safe Fish – Kalamazoo River Walker

MPHI is a Michigan-based and nationally engaged, non-profit public health institute. We are a team of teams, process and content experts, dedicated to building A world where tomorrow is healthier than today!

Title: Eat Safe Fish – Kalamazoo River Walker

$20.35 – $28.81 / Posted Thru: 4/12/26

Term: Seasonal: May 4 – September 30, 2026

Location: Remote/Virtual – Must work and Live in the State of Michigan

Part-time / 10 – 20 Hour Per Week

Purpose: The person in this position will provide information on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Eat Safe Fish Guidelines to people fishing the Kalamazoo River and associated water bodies.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the KRWC Eat Safe Fish Local Coordinator and partner River Walker to provide education and outreach in English and Spanish (if possible) to shoreline anglers who consume fish from the Kalamazoo River.
• Engage with anglers and distribute Eat Safe Fish materials at predetermined fishing sites along the Kalamazoo River on various days and times, including mornings, afternoons, early evenings, weekdays, and weekends. The fishing sites cover multiple areas on the Kalamazoo River within Allegan and Kalamazoo counties.
• Communicate weekly schedule to KRWC Eat Safe Fish Coordinator.
• Attend occasional special events, engage with community members, and distribute Eat Safe Fish information and materials.
• Coordinate with KRWC Eat Safe Fish Local Coordinator to maintain a supply of outreach supplies.
• Accurately fill and maintain electronic observational forms.
• Work minimum 10 hours, maximum 20 per week.
• Attend monthly (virtual) staff meetings.
• Submit timesheet and mileage forms bi-weekly.

Qualifications/Requirements

Education: A high school diploma or equivalent is required.

experience: Experience is not required for this position. However, experience and knowledge of fishing or the fishing community will be considered in determining starting salary.

Important Skills and Characteristics:

• Must have own transportation or ability to secure public transportation to complete duties.
• Excellent communication skills are important, especially the ability to convey technical information to the lay public.
• Must be able to work amenably with and coordinate routes with the other River Walker.
• Professional demeanor required.
• Knowledge of fishing, ecology, and/or healthcare and experience working with local organizations preferred.
• Preference will be given to bilingual individuals (English and Spanish).
• Ability to read maps (maps on phone and/or paper maps) to travel to pre-select sites will be helpful.
• Always represent the best interest of MPHI and MDHHS.
• All other duties as assigned.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements: Work environment will vary.

• This person is required to maneuver across various surfaces, including potentially uneven surfaces to reach angling locations.
• Must have means of transportation to reach angling locations and transport outreach supplies throughout the Kalamazoo River Watershed (Travel is possible across Kalamazoo and Allegan counties). (Mileage costs incurred for site visits will be reimbursed at the current State of Michigan rates).
• Must have the means to store up to 2 medium boxes of outreach supplies.
• Schedule will vary based on weather, ensuring access to a maximum number of anglers – with primary work hours during peak fishing times; including mornings, afternoons, early evening, weekdays, and weekends.
• Because this work is primarily outside, this person will be exposed to a variety of weather conditions.
• Attendance at some meetings and events may be required – including indoor and outdoor events, with evenings and weekends a possibility.
• This person may need to transport boxes of outreach items that can weigh up to 40 pounds to area events.
• This person will need access to a computer and internet to enter and submit time and mileage incurred during working hours.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORK OF OTHERS: No Assigned Responsibilities.

IMPACT ON PROJECTS, SERVICES AND OPERATIONS: This position has a direct impact on the quality of services provided by MPHI to MDHHS. This position is funded by a limited-term award from the MDHHS. The person in this position will interact with the public via one-on-one in-person conversations. Occasionally, this individual may be asked to support the KRWC Project Coordinator at events. Overall, this position is responsible for promoting and distributing MDHHS-provided educational materials on fish consumption to shoreline anglers along the Kalamazoo River.

REQUIRED COMMUNICATION

Contact Person/Group	Frequency	Purpose
Local Coordinator, Kalamazoo River Watershed Council (KRWC)	Daily	Field Position Oversight
Eat Safe Fish Community Engagement Coordinator	Weekly	Project Collaboration
Eat Safe Fish Program Manager	Weekly	Project Collaboration
Community Outreach Unit Manager	Weekly	Overall Position Oversight
MDHHS Eat Safe Fish Team Members	As Needed	Project Collaboration
Other State, Federal, and Local Agencies	As Needed	Communication of Health and Environmental Messages
MPHI Assigned Payroll Specialist(s)	As Needed	Human Resources

For purposes of employment standards, this classification is “Non-Exempt” from overtime provisions of the fair Labor Standards Act.

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