Outreach
Trails Volunteer Coordinator
GS-0462-6/7
Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District
Bend, Oregon
The Deschutes National Forest will soon be filling a permanent seasonal GS-0462-6/7 Trails Volunteer Coordinator, 18/8 pp. The position will be located on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District in Bend, Oregon. The purpose of this outreach is to determine interest in the position and help clarify which series are appropriate for advertisement.
Application Process
The position will be filled using a single vacancy announcement on USAJobs.gov. This outreach notice will be updated when the announcement number and dates of opening are established. Interested candidates are requested to respond to this outreach or send an email message to Marv Lang, melang@fs.fed.us. Those who respond will receive email updates as more information becomes available.
The Position
This position will manage a strong trails volunteer workforce for the Deschutes National Forest. Primary duties include working with and training volunteers, ensuring agreement and certification paperwork is up to date, and leading the annual trail volunteer training. The following are equally important for this position; ability to work with volunteers and foster solid working relationships, physical ability to work outdoors hiking with a pack and tools, knowledge of trails, trail maintenance, reconstruction, and construction. Skills to ride snowmobiles and ski during the winter, and hike or bike in the summer are important as well.
The Forest
The 1.8 million acre Deschutes National Forest is located near Bend, Oregon which is Central Oregon’s largest community with over 89,000 residents.
The Deschutes National Forest includes 2,200 miles of trail for all types of use. The trail system is mostly maintained by volunteers (approximately 80%), from every user group, and club. Trail volunteers committed over 33,000 hours in 2017. This position will manage this vast volunteer workforce. Over 5 million people visit the Deschutes National Forest annually, many of them accessing the Forest from portals on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District especially along the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway. The Newberry National Volcanic Monument lies in the heart of the district and is highlighted by the Lava Lands Visitors Center and Lava River Cave. The monument receives over 150,000 visitors annually and is being studied by both the USGS Volcano Observatory and private companies interested in geothermal development. About the area
The City of Bend is a rapidly-growing metropolitan area located in the central portion of the state, on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. This “High Desert” community is a full-service community that serves as a hub for medical, educational, recreation and entertainment needs for a large geographic area in Central Oregon.
Community information for Bend, Oregon
Elevation: 3,623 feet
Population: +/-89,000
County: Deschutes
Average Summer Temperatures: 85º/day 44º/night
Average Winter Temperatures: 41º/day 21º/night
Average Annual Precipitation: 14” (mostly in the form of winter snow)
Closest Commercial Airport: Redmond, Oregon (an easy 15-mile drive to the north); serviced by United, Delta, American, and Alaska Airlines
Schools
Bend is served by public and private schools from pre-school through high school. Public schools are administered by the High Desert ESD. Bend offers college level community education courses locally through Central Oregon Community College, and four-year degree programs through the new OSU Cascades campus.
Health care
Bend has one major hospital and numerous clinics. Redmond offers one community hospital, located about 20 miles north of Bend.
Housing
As a rapidly growing city and region, real estate is readily available. The median price for a home in Bend is $325,000. Rents average $1200+ for an apartment (2017 data). Prices in Redmond and outlying areas are typically somewhat lower.
Annual events
The local area well is known for its many annual events, including: Pole, Pedal, Paddle race (May), Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration and Bend Summer Festival (July), Cascade Festival of Music (August) and Christmas Parade (December). Additionally, a diversity of events and concerts are regularly held at the highly regarded downtown Tower Theatre, as well as outdoor concerts at Les Schwab Amphitheater. The nearby towns also offer many festivities, including the Sisters Rodeo and Parade (June) and Outdoor Quilt Show (July), Sunriver Music Festival (August), Sisters Folk and Jazz Festivals (September), just to name a few. The County Fairgrounds in nearby Redmond hosts numerous events, as well as major entertainment on a regular basis. Additionally, annual athletic and recreational events also take place on forest lands under special use permit.
For more information
Please contact Marv Lang, Trail manager, at 541-383-4793 or 541-480-9415, or melang@fs.fed.us.
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