Klamath Falls, Oregon

Forest Inventory and Analysis Crew Leader

GS-401-5/7/9 Biological Scientist

PNW Research Station

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Forest Inventory and Analysis

The PNW Research Station, Portland Forestry Sciences Lab, anticipates filling 1 position as the field data collection crew leader for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program.  Salary will vary depending on grade.  This Pacific Northwest Research Station position will be based in Klamath Falls, Oregon (one of 17 FIA satellite duty stations).

About the position:

This is a permanent seasonal position consisting of 18 pay periods of full time work and 8 pay periods of non-pay status per year. Appointees may be offered the opportunity to work longer depending on workload and funding.

This position is with the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (part of the Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program within the PNW Research Station). Program administration is located in Portland, Oregon at the Forestry Sciences Lab, and the Klamath Falls duty station crew leader position will be remotely supervised from Portland. The PNW Research Station conducts forest inventories and forest health monitoring on forestlands of all land ownerships in Washington, Oregon, and California.  This position will support work sampling field plots located on a systematic basis across the unit and will be entirely field based.  A wide variety of information is collected in the inventory including tree measurement data, understory vegetation identification and cover estimates, down woody material data, and lichen and soils information.

The areas sampled for the Forest Inventory by the PNW Research Station cover a diversity of ecological communities which include:  the temperate rain forests of coastal Oregon and Washington, the redwood coastal forests of California; high mountain conifer forests of the Cascades and Sierras; drier ponderosa pine, oak woodland and juniper forests of Oregon, Washington and California; and tropical forests of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.  Each crew covers a large area, and no matter where you work, you will see a wide variety of country (see below for specific information regarding the work area of the Klamath Falls crew).

Crew leaders work under the direction of a state coordinator and lead a crew of one to three people.  Crew leaders have first line supervisory responsibility over their crew members including administering performance ratings, assigning work, and handling administrative tasks.  After a one to two week training session, each crew will use maps, aerial photos, and GPS units to navigate to and find permanent plot locations.  Measurements taken by crews include: tree/sapling/seedling data (species, diameter, height, defect, insect & disease, damage, etc); understory vegetation (shrub, herb, grass species and percent cover, etc.); down woody material (line transects, litter depth, and fuels measurement, etc.); and site index and site attributes (site tree selection, slope, aspect, topographic position, distance to water, etc.).  Crews use portable, handheld computers to collect data in the field and then process the data later using laptop computers to address any inconsistencies or errors.

The field-season typically runs from early April through early November.  Each crew travels frequently and independently within their duty station area.  Crews can expect to travel away from home for a significant portion of the field season.  Travel will sometimes involve week-long trips while other times crews may need to spend a month away from home.  During travel periods, crews will change locations about weekly.  Lodging is generally in motel/hotels and car camping, with occasional backpacking required.

In all areas, work conditions are often arduous.  Work may be performed in inclement weather (cold, heat, rain, snow) and on rugged, steep, slippery, and/or brushy slopes.  Significant amounts of on-trail and off-trail hiking are required.  Crewmembers must carry a 45lb pack daily, with pack weights sometimes exceeding 60lbs.  Exposure to hazards such as poison oak, bears, and insects is common.  Additionally, some travel by helicopter, stock animal, or boat is occasionally required.

Duty Station information:

The Klamath Falls FIA crew traditionally covers a territory from Crater Lake Oregon south to Alturas California – from the Cascade Crest east to the Idaho border and Great Basin Desert. Gerhard Mountain, Mountain Lakes, Sky Lakes, Crater Lake and the Warner Mountains highlight some of the wilderness work in this area. Actual work area boundaries fluctuate yearly based on workload and travel outside this area will be required to assist other field crews if necessary to meet program critical objectives (though the majority of the field season will be spent in South Central and South East Oregon).

High-elevation lava tablelands define the “high desert” environment that encompasses much of this work zone. Stands of ponderosa and lodgepole pine make up much of the sample. Wetlands stretch across the basin and work sites include forest land on industry, privately owned, national park, BLM, State and NFS lands (portions of the Fremont-Winema, Deschutes, Umpqua and Modoc National Forests are in this work area).

One must be comfortable with solitude and vast expanses of remote work environments in this duty station. Long work days and long highway drives are unavoidable. Work may often be required on weekends. Car camping is key to efficient data collection activities in this work area.

Community information:

Klamath Falls, the county seat, is located in the south central portion of Oregon at an elevation of 4,100 feet.  The population of Klamath Falls (city and suburbs) is approximately 45,000.  Klamath is noted for being the “Sunshine City of Oregon” since it has an average of 290 days of sunshine per year.

Community facilities include one full-service hospital, over 70 churches representing approximately 40 denominations, 2 performing theaters, several museums and art galleries, the YMCA, 13 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools, Klamath Community College, and Oregon Institute of Technology.  Several large department stores such as Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Gottschalks, and Home Depot are located within the city limits.  Grocery stores are plentiful.  Klamath Falls is also home to 3 indoor pools, 1 outdoor pool, and 7 golf courses.  The local newspaper is the Herald and News from Klamath Falls.  The Oregonian from Portland is also available.

Klamath Falls is located at the intersection of Highways 39, 66, 97, and 130.  Transportation is available through Amtrak, the Municipal airport, and bus services.  There is also a shuttle available for trips to Medford/Ashland, located 70 miles to the southwest.  Klamath Falls is ideally situated approximately 1 1/2 hours from Ashland, Oregon, 5 1/2 hours from Portland, Oregon, 6 hours from San Francisco, California, and 4 1/2 hours from Reno, Nevada.

Recreation opportunities include wilderness backpacking, hiking, boating, camping, sailing, fishing, biking, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, horseback riding, hunting, and bird watching.  Downhill skiing and sledding opportunities are available at Mt. Bachelor Ski Park in Bend, OR; located approximately 3 hours away, or Mt. Shasta Recreation Area in Shasta City, California; located approximately 1 1/2 hour away, as is Mt. Ashland Ski Park in Ashland, Oregon.  Within 1 – 1 1/2 hours away from Klamath Falls, you may find yourself at Crater Lake National Park or Lava Beds National Monument.

Other local information may be obtained from:

http://ci.klamath-falls.or.us/

http://klamath.org/relocation

For more information:

If you are interested in this position with the Pacific Northwest Research Station, please use the attached response form to express your interest by January 21^st and you will be notified when the position is advertised. You can send your response electronically or by regular mail to the following address:

Shirley Cromwell (503) 808-2049, scromwell@fs.fed.us

PNW Research Station – RMA/FIA

620 SW Main, Suite 400,

Portland, OR 97205.

For more information about the duties and work conditions of this position, contact Jane Terzibashian, , jterzibashian@fs.fed.us;

PNW Research Station – RMA

620 SW Main St., Suite 400

Portland, OR  97205.

This is a pre-announcement only.  When the position is advertised, the announcement will be posted on the Office of Personnel Management web site: www.usajobs.gov .  The announcement will contain all of the information you need to apply for the position.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).  Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination write:  USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC  20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202)720-6382 (TDD).  USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

To be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens.

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OUTREACH NOTICE RESPONSE FORM

GS-401-5/7/9 Biological Scientist

Oregon Field Crew Leader – Klamath Falls Duty Station

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Pacific Northwest Research Station

If you are interested in this position and want to receive a notice when the Vacancy Announcement is posted, please complete this form and send it to Shirley Cromwell , no later than January 21, 2012 at: scromwell@fs.fed.us; or Shirley Cromwell, PFSL 620 SW Main Street, Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205.  The position will be advertised on the OPM USAJobs website www.usajobs.gov.

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