Description: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Cle Elum/Entiat and Chelan Ranger Districts will be advertising for several GS-1399-04 and GS-1399-05 Student Trainee (Natural Sciences), located at the Cle Elum or Entiat/Chelan Ranger Districts in Washington State. (the trainee will also work on the Chelan Ranger District).

This incumbent will work primarily in the field independently or with one other to complete inventories on vascular plants with a focus on non-native/invasive plant species. The duties will primarily include using a hand-held sprayer mounted to a truck bed and at times a backpack sprayer to apply herbicide on National Forest Lands. Other duties will also include mapping (GPS, ArcMap GIS) invasive plant populations and support for the native plant program such as seed collection.  Overnight stays in remote areas (Wilderness) may be required. The successful applicant will have experience in plant identification, invasive plant treatment, computer data entry, GPS, operating a 4-wheel drive vehicle, working with a field crew, and field navigation skills. Applicants with the ability to field identify local flora, experience with the use of microscopes and dichotomous keys, experience with using and maintaining spray equipment, and a commercial applicator’s pesticide certification are preferred but not required.

Qualifications: Prefered applicants should have some course work in biology, botany, plant ecology, forest ecology, or a related discipline, or have an equivalent combination of education and experience . Applicants must have the ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds and to carry heavy loads. The position may be filled at a GS-04 or GS-05 pay grade ($4.30/hr-16.00/hr), based on applicant qualifications. United States citizens only will be considered for these positions. Applicants must have: 1) botanical skills to identify state-listed noxious weeds and other exotic plants at various growth stages and to distinguish these from native species that may be “look-alikes” . 2) Applicants must have a current driver’s license.

Physical Demands: This position requires field work for up to six months (approximately April through September 30th) with some possibility to extend depending on funding availability. The incumbent may encounter temperature extremes, rough walking surfaces, steep terrain, rain, wind, and possibly snow.

Location: The position’s duty station is located at Cle Elum Ranger Station, Cle Elum, Washington, 82 miles east of Seattle, and 27 miles west of Ellensburg. Entat Ranger  Station, Entiat, Washington, is located 32 north of Wenatchee and160 miles from Seattle.

ABOUT THE OKANOGAN-WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST:  This forest encompasses more than 4-million acres in Washington State and stretches north to south from the Canadian border to the Goat Rocks Wilderness – a distance of about 180 miles. The forest lies east of the Cascade Crest, which defines its western boundary. The eastern edge of the forest extends into the Okanogan highlands, then south along the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers, and then to the Yakima River valley. Because of this wide geographic range, the forest is very diverse – from the high, glaciated alpine peaks along the Cascade Crest and the numerous mountain ranges extending eastward from the crest, through deep, lush valleys of old growth forest, to the dry and rugged shrub-steppe country at its eastern edge. Precipitation varies widely – from more than 70-inches along the crest to less than 10-inches at its eastern edge. This greatly affects the forest and vegetation types across the area.

Cle Elum Ranger District: The Cle Elum Ranger District encompasses approximately 375,000 acres and extends from near the city of Ellensburg and the Yakima River to the crest of the Cascades in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Snoqualmie Pass areas. It is bordered by the Wenatchee River Ranger District to the north along the Wenatchee Mountains – Mt. Stuart divide and by the Naches Ranger District to the south along the Manastash Ridge divide. To the west of the district is the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Entiat and Chelan Ranger District:  The Entiat Ranger District is about 18 miles of north of Wenatchee and streches from the Columbia River to the Cascade Crest, with the Entiat River Valley as the center.  The Chelan Ranger District is the north of Entiat and includes the Lake Chelan Basin.

HOW TO APPLY: Please apply online through www.usajobs.gov to the following Single Vacancy Recruitment announcements, Opens during a period in January, 2019. Specify Cle Elum, and/or  Entiat/Chelan Washington as the location (duty station), for Student Trainee (Physical Sciences) Pathways Intern GS-4/GS-5: GS-1399-Student -PLANT. This announcement will be open for a short period of time. Please provide your contact info and when the announcement number is released, you will be emailed.

FOR MORE INFO: Helen Lau, District Botanist hlau@fs.fed.us

(509) 852-1074 (Cle Elum Ranger Station)

Brigitte Ranne, District Botanist branne@fs.fed.us

(509) 682-4941 (Chelan Ranger Station)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of 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 alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 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 Avenue, S.W., Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER AND EMPLOYER.

Outreach Response Form

USDA Forest Service
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Cle Elum Ranger District

Position Title/Series/Grade:  GS-1399-04 and GS-1399-05 Student Trainee (Physical Sciences)  Chelan/Entiat or Cle Elum. (please indicate preferred location)_____________________________________________________________________

I am interested in the position and will check www.usajobs.opm.gov for the position announcement when it is posted at a later date.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name:  ______________________________________Date:  ____________________

Address:  ____________________________________Phone: ___________________

E-Mail:  ___________________

Current Federal Employee?                  Yes_____                    No

If yes, current title/series/grade/location:_________________________________________

If yes, type of appointment you are currently under ________________________________
(e.g., Career, Career-Conditional, Excepted, Excepted VRA, etc)

This form is not an application for the position.  Please do not send résumés and/or transcripts when responding to this outreach notice.

If you think you are interested in this position, please return this form by e-mail or FAX by Feb 20, 2017 to:

Entiat

Brigitte Ranne

E-mail: branne@fs.fed.us

Phone: (509)-682-4941

Cle Elum

Helen Lau
E-mail:  hlau@fs.fed.us

Phone:  (509)852-1074

FAX:    (509)674-3800

Thank you for your interest in employment with the USForest Service