Permanent Seasonal Employee
Biological Science Technician
GS-0404-05/06/07
GS-0404-05 $14.54 – $18.90 per hour
GS-0404-06 $16.27 – $21.15 per hour
GS-0404-07 $18.13 – $23.57 per hour
This Outreach Notice is open to current employees and non-employees alike. Please respond accordingly.
The Cottage Grove Ranger District may be filling a GS-0404-05/06/07, Biological Science Technician, permanent seasonal position with a tour of 13 pay periods of full-time work each year and the duty station of the Cottage Grove Ranger District.
The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool.
The Position
The position may be advertised as a multi-grade position with a target grade of GS-0404-7. The workload of this position performs a wide variety of work and supports botany, wildlife, silviculture and aquatics. The incumbant is the work leader for our seasonal NR crew and is responsible for contributing to our overall NR and KV programs. They will provide technicial expertise, survey for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species and coordinate inventories. This position will work in databases and conduct pre-field analysis and document the results. They will collect samples to identify locations of native species; monitor projects, and make collections of materials when appropriate. Projects include restoration work, invasive species treatments using manual and mechanical methods, herbicides, and biological control agents; inventory using GPS technology; education/awareness; and monitoring. Proficient in use of database software, GIS and spreadsheets and preparing summary analyses and reports on findings.
The Successful Applicant – This is Who We are!
Cottage Grove Ranger District is looking for applicants who want to join us and contribute to our positive work envirnment. We value our work envirnment as much as we value our ability to accomplish our work! We are only interested in hiring people who come to us willing to contribute to a healthy and productive work envirnment. The successful applicant will have embraced the code and and commitments and will be ready to explore with us as we learn and grow and work and discover how “This is Who We Are”. If you haven’t yet come to learn about This is Who We Are please follow this link https://www.fs.fed.us/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/usfs_vpr_pocketbook_webpdf.pdf and take the time to explore it.
District Information
The Cottage Grove Ranger District encompasses 90,000 acres, of which 89,000 acres are federally owned. Falling within the Western Cascade province, primary tree species are Douglas-fir, sugar pine, western hemlock and western redcedar. The district has approximately 400 miles of maintained roads, and 48 miles of maintained trails. The northern part of the Bohemia Mining District lies within the Cottage Grove District and we have an active minerals program.
Community Information
The community of Cottage Grove is located in the southern Willamette Valley on I-5, just 20 miles south of Eugene. The population is approximately 8,300 people and the community offers a diversity of services for a town of this size. There are six elementary public schools (with four alternative schools), one middle school and one high school and several day-care facilities. Within the commuting area (Eugene, Corvallis, Albany) there are five colleges or universities. Approximately 22 local physicians service the community, including Cottage Grove Hospital, internal medicine, general surgery, orthopedics, opthamology, dentology and orthodontics. Eugene offers additional specialized medical services, and many cultural and social activities.
There are grocery stores, warehouse and discount shopping, restaurants ranging from fast food to gourmet, service stations, book stores, realtors, and more.
There is also plenty to do in Cottage Grove. There are golf courses, a bowling alley, many parks, library, community center, and annual summer festivities. The Cottage Grove Community Guidebook is an excellent source of information regarding the community.
Climate
Cottage Grove’s climate is largely controlled by maritime air from the Pacific Ocean and periods of extremely hot or cold weather are usually short lived. The average high temperature in July and August is 77 degrees. Average low temperatures on summer nights are in the 50’s. The coldest month is January, with an average low of 34 degrees and highs in the 40’s. Cottage Grove’s elevation of 641 feet and our mild weather give us an average of 268 frost-free days each year. Annual precipitation is 46.64 inches of rain.
Oregon has a reputation for heavy rain, but Cottage Grove’s annual rainfall is actually the same as in the Great Lakes, northeastern and New England States, and less than is typically found in the southeastern states. There are almost no thunderstorms, and rain tends to be gentle enough not to disrupt most outdoor activities. In winter, days are mostly cloudy. Early morning fog and overcast skies are common. Summers are sunny and dry, with rain on only three or four days in July and August, Snow is rare in Cottage Grove, but the nearby mountains accumulate a snowpack that enhances the view from the city and provides winter recreation areas close at hand.
Housing
Housing for every lifestyle is available in the Cottage Grove area. There are modern homes being built in standard subdivisions and on scenic hillside lots, as well as historic and older homes, some of which have been restored. Outside of town, vacant and built-upon lots range in size from half an acre to more than 50 acres, with views of hills, trees, and rivers.
Recreational Opportunities
Hiking, biking and camping are the prominent activities on the Cottage Grove Ranger District. Enthusiasts enjoy exploring miles of hiking trails, several waterfalls, camping in one of our developed campgrounds and visiting the historic Musick Guard Station and Fairview Peak Lookout Tower.
Outdoor recreation opportunities abound in the Cottage Grove area. There are two lakes located just 10 minutes from town. Dorena Lake and Cottage Grove Lake offer fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing and camping. Three public golf courses are in the Cottage Grove area. Public tennis courts, maintained by the Cottage Grove Tennis Association, are available to community residents. Cottage Grove nestles at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley, where the Cascade Mountains touch Oregon’s coastal mountain range. In a ten-minute drive you can be in the forest. Heading East to the Bohemia Mining District offers a look at the historic mining culture. Opportunities for cycling, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, skiing, snowmobiling, fourwheeling are plentiful, and may prove irresistible to outdoor enthusiasts. The new Row River Trail is a 15.6-mile, paved multi-use trail that begins inside the city limits and follows an old railroad bed past Dorena Lake into the Cascades.
For more Information
For more information, contact: Cameron Mitchell
e-mail: cameron.mitchell@usda.gov
Phone: (541)767-5045
Hard Copy: Umpqua N.F., Cottage Grove Ranger District, Attn: Cameron Mitchell, 34963 Shoreview Drive, Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
If you are interested in receiving a copy of the vacancy announcement for this position, please respond to the person listed above by completing the attached Outreach Notice Form and returning it via e-mail or regular mail.
Attached: BiologicalTech0404_Outreach_Notice2019