See Below
The US Forest Service PNW Region Air Program will soon be hiring up to three seasonal employees: one Biological Science Aid, Grade 03, one Biological Science Technician (Plants), Grade 05 and one Biological Science Technician (Plants), Grade 07. The duty station is the Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor’s Office, in Corvallis, Oregon. The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to inform the potential applicant pool of these positions.
ABOUT THE POSITIONS
The incumbent(s) will conduct lichen surveys and collect lichen samples to assess air quality in the Columbia River Gorge and 13 Wilderness Areas of Washington and Oregon during the summer of 2013. Specific duties include permanent plot re-location (with aerial photo, map, compass, and GPS), performing FIA- style surveys of epiphytic macrolichens, collecting lichens for elemental analysis, making forest measurements (tree coring, tree diameter, etc), and vascular plant identification.
Highly competitive applicants will: 1) have field botany skills for Oregon and Washington forests including familiarity with shrub and tree species and common non-woody plants, 2) be comfortable working and living outdoors, including proficiency in cross-country navigation by compass, map, and aerial photos, 3) have basic skills in lichenology (e.g. completion of an introductory course in lichenology, field certification by NW Lichenologists, or other previous field experience identifying epiphytic macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest)and 4) be available for the full employment period (June 3-Sept 27).
Summer field work for all positions will be in remote locations with long hours, and irregular field schedules from 3- 10 days (80-90 hours per two weeks), primitive camping for the duration. Accessing many of this year’s 100+ field sites will require backpacking (up to 8 days), and cross-country hiking over rugged terrain. Common adverse field conditions include exposure to heat, cold and rain; biting & stinging insects; steep slopes and dense vegetation.
The anticipated dates of employment are June 3rd through September 27th, 2013.
Note: to be considered for full-time federal employment, all applicants must be US citizens and at least 18-years old.
Questions? Please contact Linda Geiser: lgeiser@fs.fed.us <mailto:dglavich@fs.fed.us> , 541-231-9452
HOW TO APPLY
A. Respond to this outreach. If you would like to be updated about these positions, please send an email to me, Linda Geiser (lgeiser@fs.fed.us) before March 12 including:
1. Your name
2. Your email
3. Your phone number
4. The position that interests you.
5. A few sentences about your botany, lichenology and outdoor field experience/training or other information you’d like to share to help me to get to know you.
6. The time frame that you would be available between June 3 and Sept 27.
7. Whether or not you are a student (i.e. will be registered as a student at an accredited academic institution at least half-time in Fall 2012).
B. If you are a student: you may be non-competitively hired for the GS-3 position (undergraduates) or GS-5/GS-7/GS-9 positions (graduate students), which means you can simply respond to this outreach (part A above), attach your resume and provide contact information for three references, again before March 12.
C. If you are a non-student you may compete for the GS-3, GS-5 or GS-7 positions. You should submit your on-line application as soon as possible to USA jobs (www.usajobs.gov <http://www.usajobs.gov> ) indicating Corvallis, OR as the duty station. To find the respective announcements, type ‘TEMPOCR-0404-03-GEN-DT’, ‘TEMPOCR-0404-5 PLANTS-DT’ or ‘TEMPOCR-0404-7 PLANTS-DT’ into the ‘What’ box on the homepage. If you are uncertain about the grade-level for which you will be eligible, read the ‘Qualifications Required’ section of the position descriptions. TIP: Use the comment sections to describe your botany, lichenology, and outdoor field experience skills, and any other information you wish to share. USA jobs applications tend to look the same, so this is the best way to differentiate yourself from other applicants.