OUTREACH NOTICE Province Ecologist GS-0408-12 PFT Location/Duty Station: Placerville, CA
Ecologist, GS-408-12 The Central Sierra Province of the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region is in the process of hiring a Province Ecologist to be stationed in Placerville, CA. The position is for permanent, full-time employment with a starting salary of $63,417 to $82,446, and will serve the Stanislaus, Eldorado and Tahoe National Forests. DUTIES: The Central Sierra Province Ecologist is the Province expert in vegetation and fire ecology, and is professionally involved in addressing a wide range of ecological issues across the Eldorado, Stanislaus and Tahoe National Forests. Major duties will include: • Coordinates with the Regional Ecologist and the Forests comprising the Province with respect to all facets of the Province Ecologist’s program of work • Provides ecological expertise and technical assistance for Forest Service projects and planning efforts. Incorporates ecological principles into decision making. • Develops and implements ecological monitoring programs to collect, analyze, and interpret data to help guide Forest Service activities through an adaptive management framework. • Assesses the impacts of global change, including climate change, invasive species, and increasing human populations, on Province Forests and ecosytems • Evaluates the effect of forest management practices including grazing, prescribed burning, and silvicultural treatments on a diverse range of ecosystems. • Integrates information from separate disciplines such as botany, hydrology, geology, soils, and wildlife, including historic and legacy data, for use in assessing current conditions, detecting trends, developing reference conditions, and developing desired future conditions for use in planning and implementing forest projects. • Conducts fire monitoring and modeling, including evaluations of fire behavior, fuel loading, fire effects, and patterns of fire severity. Provides ecological input into fuels treatment planning. • Conducts classification and mapping of vegetation types, fire regimes, and potential natural vegetation. • Uses statistically sound sampling and analytical methods, including multivariate techniques, modeling approaches and geospatial analyses, to evaluate complex environmental and biological patterns across large landscapes. • Coordinates with district, forest, and regional staff to conduct integrated ecological monitoring and reporting programs. Develops field guides, brochures, GIS products, presentations, workshops, and other materials to facilitate the transfer of ecological knowledge. Where appropriate, publishes findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals. • Provides technical assistance with NEPA planning and implementation. • Is active in raising funds to support the Ecology Program program of work, from internal and external partners and granting agencies • Supervises an assistant and/or one or more field crews KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION: • Education: a Master’s degree or higher in an ecological field of study involving vegetation and/or fire, or such long-term experience in the field of ecology that the applicant’s level of knowledge is equivalent to that level of expertise. • An ability to conduct practical, applied field and laboratory investigations of direct relevance to Forest Service managers, and to communicate findings in simple, straightforward terms to a wide variety of audiences. • Broad knowledge of ecology and its application to management, including silviculture, range management, fuels and fire management, wildlife management and soils management. Must be able to apply the latest developments in ecology to solutions of a novel or controversial nature for which accepted or proven methods are not available. • Must have an excellent background in, and strong facility with GIS software, multivariate statistics, fire and forest growth modeling, and database design and management. • Knowledge of Federal, State and Agency laws and regulations pertaining to forest resource management. • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated success at grant writing and publishing papers in peer- reviewed journals. • Wildland firefighting experience beneficial. WORKING CONDITIONS: Field and office work are about equally divided in a year; May-October is normally spent largely in the field. During this period the incumbent may be away from the duty station for extended periods. Working conditions may sometimes be difficult, including hiking over rough terrain in steep, rugged areas with exposure to heat, poison oak, poisonous snakes and insects. AREA DESCRIPTION: This position is stationed in Placerville, California. COMMUNITY AND SURROUNDING AREA: The Eldorado National Forest is recognized as a desirable place to work. Elevations range from 2000 ft in the foothills to more than 10,000 ft along the Sierra Crest. A Mediterranean climate extends over most of the Forest, with warm, dry summers, and cold, wet winters. Average precipitation ranges from 40 to 70 inches, occurring mainly from October to April. There is significant snowfall above 3000 feet elevation. The Forest and surrounding communities offer a wide variety of recreational activities. There are lakes, reservoirs, several cross- country and downhill ski areas, two unique wilderness areas, over 40 developed campgrounds, several resort areas, golf courses, and outstanding local wineries and fruit orchards. Opportunities abound for water skiing, white water sports (Class II to Class V), mountain biking, OHV travel, rock climbing, fishing, hunting and hiking. Local community theatres offer stage plays and a variety of musical entertainment. Although El Dorado County makes up the largest segment of the Forest, portions of Alpine, Amador, and Placer counties lie within the Forest Boundary. In close proximity to the forest are the communities of South Lake Tahoe and Sacramento, which offer additional recreational and cultural activities including professional and semi-professional sports. Rental houses and apartments generally range from $1000-$1600 per month. Purchase prices for 2-3 bedroom homes range from $200,000 to $450,000+. Land and/or lots are available as well. There are several elementary and high schools within El Dorado County. For more information on schools in El Dorado County visit this website: http://www.edcoe.k12.ca.us. Community colleges in the area include Folsom Lake College (El Dorado Center in Placerville), Sierra College In Rocklin, American River College and Sacramento City College in Sacramento and Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe. Four-year colleges and universities include California State University-Sacramento and University of California at Davis. Marshall Hospital, located in Placerville, is the closest well-equipped medical center. There are many local doctor and dentist offices in Placerville. There are several major hospitals in the Sacramento area including Kaiser Hospitals in Sacramento and Roseville. For more community information check the Following websites: El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce http://www.eldoradocounty.org City of Placerville http://www.ci.placerville.ca.us Eldorado National Forest http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado CONTACT: If you have any further questions about the position or the application process, please call: Hugh Safford, Regional Ecologist, at 707-562-8934 or email: [email protected], Or Tony Valdes, Resource Staff Officer, Eldorado National Forest, at 530-621- 5255 or email: [email protected], HOW TO APPLY: The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool for this position and to establish the appropriate recruitment method and area of consideration for the advertisement. Individuals stating interest in this position will be notified when the vacancy announcement is posted so they can apply. If interested, please complete the Outreach Form at the end of this announcement and return it no later than 17 December 2010. Individuals stating interest in this position will be notified when the vacancy announcement is posted so they can apply. OPTIONAL -- OUTREACH RESPONSE FORM Pacific Southwest Region, USDA Forest Service Eldorado National Forest GS-0408-12 Province Ecologist Duty Location: PLACERVILLE, CA If you are interested in this opportunity, you may let us know by returning the reply form before 17 December 2010. Send your notice to: Tony Valdes, Resource Staff Officer, Eldorado National Forest, at 530-621- 5255 or email: [email protected], NAME: _______________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS_________________ MAILING ADDRESS:_______________________________________________ TELEPHONE NUMBER: ____________________________________________ AGENCY EMPLOYED WITH: USFS ____ BLM ____ OTHER ____ TYPE OF APPOINTMENT IF CURRENT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: _____ PERMANENT _____TEMPORARY _____ TERM _____ VRA _____ PWD _____ OTHER CURRENT REGION/FOREST/DISTRICT (IF APPLICABLE):_______¬¬¬¬¬¬_________ CURRENT SERIES AND GRADE (IF APPLICABLE):______________________ CURRENT POSITION TITLE: _________________________________________ How did you hear about this position? Organization Name_____________________ Agency Contact_____________________ Other_____________________________ IF NOT A CURRENT PERMANENT (CAREER OR CAREER CONDITIONAL) EMPLOYEE, ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO BE HIRED UNDER ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL AUTHORITIES: _____ PERSON WITH DISABILITIES _____ VETERANS READJUSTMENT _____ DISABLED VETERANS W/30% COMPENSABLE DISABILITY _____ VETERANS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACT OF 1998 _____ FORMER PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER _____ STUDENT CAREER EXPERIENCE PROGRAM _____ OTHER____________________________________________
