The Olympic National Forest will soon be filling a GS-0482-9/11 Fisheries Biologist position. This position will be part of the Forest Aquatics Team and will cover the fisheries needs on the Pacific Ranger District. This is a permanent full-time position. The duty station will either be located at the Pacific Ranger District Office in Forks, WA or the office in Quinault, WA. The position will be supervised by the Aquatic Program Manager in the Supervisor’s Office in Olympia.
Major Duties of the Position
The incumbent will serve as the west side fisheries biologist with primary responsibilities for the Pacific Ranger District area. The primary duties associated with this position include watershed restoration and habitat improvement, project support, NEPA planning, and ESA consultation.
- Manages the fisheries habitat improvement program on the Pacific Ranger District in collaboration with the other hydrologists, geomorphologists, and fisheries biologists on the Forest Aquatics team. The current program includes instream restoration and riparian treatments, correction of culvert fish passage barriers, road decommissioning, and road improvements. The North Fork Calawah River was recently designated as a Focus Watershed and is a priority area for watershed restoration on the Forest.
- Collaborates with numerous Federal, State, non-profit, and tribal entities and other resource areas to identify, fund, and implement restoration projects.
- Serves as interdisciplinary team member for planning land management activities. Provides effects analyses and mitigation measures for silviculture treatments, wildlife habitat enhancements, invasive weed treatments, recreation developments, and land use permits. Primary emphasis areas will include commercial thinning, road management, and watershed restoration projects.
- Collaborates with other resource specialists to design and implement land management projects.
In addition to having a strong technical proficiency, a key consideration in being selected for this position will be the ability to effectively engage with fellow interdisciplinary team members and the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external partners.
The Forest
The Olympic National Forest covers over 632,000 acres on the Olympic Peninsula in the northwest corner of Washington State. The Forest is divided into two Ranger Districts with the Pacific Ranger District office located in Forks, Washington and covering the land on the west side of the Peninsula.
The Olympic Peninsula is a unique geophysical providence surrounded on three sides by saltwater. U.S. Highway 101 is the main travel route paralleling the Pacific Coast on the west, Strait of Juan de Fuca on the north, and inland waters of Puget Sound on the east. This 6,500 square mile area is an association of complex, winding ridges, rugged and precipitous mountains, deep canyons, and tree covered slopes.
The Olympic Peninsula has an incredible variety of environments within short distances. Within less than 50 miles between Mt. Olympus and the Pacific Ocean, the vegetation changes from the lush, temperate rain forests of the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault Valleys to an arctic environment of lichens and mosses above 7,000 feet. The lowland areas on the west side of the peninsula average 120 to 140 inches of rainfall per year. Heaviest precipitation occurs in the fall, reaching a peak in December and then decreasing in spring. Summers are relatively dry, with warmer temperatures averaging near 70 degrees.
A multitude of recreational opportunities exist year-round on the Olympic National Forest. Auto touring, camping, picnicking, and backpacking are popular spring and summer activities. Fishing, hunting, hiking, berry picking, and mushrooming are enjoyed during the fall and winter months.
There are approximately 350 miles of anadromous fish streams on the Forest, more than half of which are on the west side. Steelhead trout are the predominant species in most of our anadromous streams with coho, Chinook, sea-run cutthroat trout, and bull trout also abundant in many areas. Over 400 miles of resident fish streams support populations of cutthroat and rainbow trout.
The combination of abundant rainfall, steep dissected landscapes, and a past legacy of intensive timber harvest and road building create numerous resource management challenges and opportunities. The Olympic National Forest is focused on restoration. We have a large and aggressive program and the forest is recognized as one of the leaders in the Region for road decommissioning and culvert fish passage projects.
Check out the Olympic National Forest web site at www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic for more information on the Forest.
Community Information
The city of Forks is a full service community with a population of about 3,500. The town serves as a regional center with up to 10,000 people in the surrounding areas. For more information on the area, check out the links from the City of Forks homepage at http://www.forkswa.com
Quinault is small unincorporated community located in Grays Harbor County. Two other small communities (Neilton and Amanda Park) are located nearby. Housing is very limited in the immediate area, but government housing may be available. Services in the local area include; a K-12 school, three lodges/motels, three restaurants/cafes, two gas stations, a library, a mercantile, a Catholic Church and a community church. Most other services are available in Aberdeen/Hoquiam located 40 miles to the south. Public transportation is available between Aberdeen/ Hoquiam and Quinault. For more information visit http://www.graysharbor.org and http://www.visitgraysharbor.com/
How to apply
Interested applicants should complete the attached form and return it to Bob Metzger, Aquatic Program Manager by June 15, 2014. Please indicate your preference of duty station. For further information on the position, contact Bob Metzger at rpmetzger@fs.fed.us or by phone at (360) 956-2293.
The vacancy announcement for this position will be posted at the US Government’s official site for jobs and employment information: www.usajobs.opm.gov. Applicants who apply to this outreach will be sent a copy of the Vacancy Announcement once it is listed at USA Jobs.