Outreach Notice

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails) GS-0462-6/7

The Central Zone of the Nez Perce – Clearwater National Forests anticipates filling a permanent seasonal (18/8), Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails), GS-0462-06/07 position. The position will be stationed at the Moose Creek District office, the Fenn Ranger Station, but will work across the Moose Creek and Lochsa/Powell Ranger Districts, the two ranger districts that comprise the Central Zone. Interested applicants must submit the attached outreach response form to [email protected] by March 6, 2015. The vacancy announcement for this position has not yet been opened. Those who respond to this outreach will be contacted with the vacancy announcement number when it becomes available. When the vacancy opens, applicants will apply online at www.usajobs.com. Please direct any questions concerning this position to Katie Knotek at (406) 329-3708. ABOUT THE POSITION Series/Grade: GS-0462-06/07 Title: Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails) Location: Moose Creek Ranger District; Lowell, ID (physical location); Kooskia, ID (USAJOBS location). Tour of Duty: Permanent Seasonal (18/8), guaranteed 18 pay periods (36 weeks) annually

The Position Duties Include:

This position primarily performs a variety of work in support of the Central Zone’s trails and wilderness programs. Successful applicants will have a strong background in trail maintenance and construction, care and use of pack and saddle stock, crew leadership, and communication skills. Other duties include:  Serves as technical specialist for the management and maintenance of both motorized and non- motorized trails, inside and outside wilderness, across the Central Zone.  Develops and implements annual trails program of work in coordination with Trail Managers on the Central Zone.  Aids in the recruitment and hiring of seasonal trail crew members, partners and volunteers to accomplish the trails program of work.  Plans, supervises and directs work of Forest Service, partner and volunteer trail crews in implementing field projects (this can include up to five seasonal trail crews and multiple volunteer projects occurring across the Central Zone).  Develops work standards, expectations and performance measures for subordinates.  Conducts or coordinates technical training for all field going resources working as part of the Zone trails program, including training on trail maintenance and construction techniques, safety practices and the appropriate use of motorized and non-motorized tools. Possesses traditional tool skills for a variety of trail techniques (sawing, chopping, drilling, rigging, etc.) and has the ability to teach others these skills.  Plans for equipment and supply needs related to the trails program and makes purchases following agency guidelines. Provides oversight of trail equipment, supplies and facilities.  Prepares reports and maintains records of work accomplishments and other administrative information.  Conducts trail condition surveys and maintains trail data in the INFRA database.  Serves as an inspector for trail maintenance contracts; May also serve as a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for trail maintenance contracts.  Assists in the development of cost estimates and preparation of project work plans for out-year trail projects.  Conducts trail survey and design work for project layout and to provide Trail Managers with information needed for environmental analyses.  Monitors and enforces compliance with Forest and Wilderness regulations.  Works in coordination with Wilderness Rangers on projects related to wilderness resource protection, trail maintenance, preventing erosion, pulling weeds, monitoring visitor use (including outfitter/guides) and naturalizing areas impacted by human disturbance.

The Successful Applicant will also Possess: Very strong organizational skills that include the ability to: develop, organize, and maintain important files and reports (using a file cabinet for hard copies and a computer folder system for electronic copies); schedule people and maintenance projects; possess demonstrated competence with e-mail, computer word processing, and spreadsheet programs.

This position may be flown with Blaster Certification required or the applicant has the ability to obtain certification within a specified timeframe. If so, applicants must successfully pass a background investigation.

Physical Effort Required by the Position: Must be in good physical condition and able to work ten hour days in remote areas in high elevations. The work requires incumbent to stand, stoop, crawl, kneel, bend, climb, and work in tiring and sometimes uncomfortable positions. The work requires ability to safely drive long distances over variable surfaces and terrain in four-wheel drive manual transmission vehicles sometimes towing trailers.

Working Conditions to be Expected: Very little work is indoors. The majority of the work is outdoors in all kinds of weather ranging from 30 to 110 degrees at elevations ranging from 2,000 to over 7,000 feet.

ABOUT THE LOCATION

The Moose Creek Ranger District office (Fenn Ranger Station) is located 5 miles south of Lowell, Idaho which has a small population of approximately 30. It includes a busy summer whitewater rafting resort, two motels and two restaurants, and a general store. The nearest full-service community is Kooskia (pronounced Koos’kee), Idaho, 25 miles to the west, with a population of approximately 700 people. Kooskia is nestled in the hills at the confluence of the South and Middle Forks of the Clearwater River at 1300 feet elevation. Lumber production, farming, cattle grazing and tourism are the major industries in Kooskia. It has a grocery store, hardware store, post office, medical clinic, restaurants, elementary and high schools, and several churches. For more information about the community of Kooskia, visit the Chamber of Commerce website http://www.kooskia.com/

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests are located in the heart of north-central Idaho. The 4.0 million acre forest area stretches from the Oregon border on the west to the Montana border on the east, and is bounded by the Idaho Panhandle National Forest on the north to the Salmon River on the south. This vast, diverse area is managed to provide a variety of goods and services including breathtaking scenery, wilderness, wildlife, fisheries, timber harvest, livestock grazing, mining, and a wide array of recreation opportunities. The Forest is best known for its wildland and wild rivers. Nearly half the Forest is designated wilderness, including the Gospel Hump, Frank Church River of No Return and Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness areas. It also sports three rivers popular with thrill-seeking floaters – the Selway, the Locsha and the Salmon. For more information about the Forest, visit the Forest website http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/nezperceclearwater/home

Central Zone

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests are comprised of three management zones, the North, Central and South Zones. The Central Zone covers the Moose Creek District and the recently combined Lochsa/Powell Ranger District. The Zone spans approximately 1.8 million acres encompassing a diverse vegetative habitat ranging from high alpine meadows with whitebark pine to unique coastal Western Red Cedar communities at lower elevations. Terrestrial wildlife populations include elk, black bear, mountain lion, mule and whitetail deer, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, martens, wolverines, lynx, fishers, and wolves, among others.

The Central Zone is home to approximately 820,000 acres of the 1.3 million acre Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, one of the original wilderness areas designated under the Wilderness Act of 1964 and one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 states. The wilderness is dominated by rugged mountain peaks and alpine lakes that span the Idaho/Montana border. It offers a place where recreationists can find true wildness, solitude, remoteness and challenge. There is a long standing tradition of using pack stock for backcountry travel and supplying crews in the wilderness. In keeping with this tradition, the zone manages a stock program of ~30 head of horses and mules as an essential part of the wilderness and trail programs. At the heart of the wilderness lies the historic Moose Creek Ranger Station, located above the confluence of Moose Creek and the Selway River. The Moose Creek Station, built in 1922, still functions as an administrative site today with volunteers serving as hosts and the station serving as home to wilderness rangers and backcountry crews working and traveling across the wilderness. There is an airstrip located at the station, as well as two other administrative sites in the wilderness, the Shearer and Fish Lake Guard Stations. Management and use of these airstrips was grandfathered in at the time of wilderness designation and offers a unique form of wilderness access. Big game hunting and pack trips are popular in the wilderness and can be provided through the services of a commercial outfitter and/or guide managed under special use permit. The Central Zone also provides management for a portion of the Great Burn Recommended Wilderness area, located on the north end of the Zone.

There are over 2,000 miles of trail that wind through the Zone, both inside and outside wilderness. Wilderness trails are maintained by crews trained in the use of traditional skills and tools. A variety of partners and volunteers are utilized in managing the Zone’s large trail program, including the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation, Montana Conservation Corps, Backcountry Horsemen, National Smokejumper’s Association, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Association, Valley Cats Snowmobile and ATV Club, Lewis and Clark ATV Club and the State Trail Rangers. The Lewis and Clark and the Nez Perce National Historic Trails span the northern part of the Zone and together comprise the Lolo Trail National Historic Landmark. In addition to hiking or riding the trail, history enthusiasts can also retrace the Lewis and Clark route by car via Forest Road #500, the Lolo Motorway, which closely follows the original Lewis and Clark Trail.

Pulsing through the Central Zone are the Selway, Lochsa and Middle Fork Clearwater Wild and Scenic Rivers. These free flowing waters and their tributaries are considered aquatic strongholds for both anadromous and inland fish, including salmon, steelhead, bull trout, and west slope cutthroat trout. In addition, the Lochsa and Selway Rivers offer outstanding whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities for recreationists. The Selway River flows through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and is managed through a limited permit system. Commercial outfitters and guides operate on the rivers and can provide guided river trips.

The Zone manages two visitor centers, the Lolo Pass Visitor Center and the Lochsa Historic Ranger Station, both of which are accessed via U.S. Highway 12, the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway. The Lolo Pass Visitor Center is the most heavily used developed recreation site on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Open year-round, and located along the Idaho/Montana border, the Visitor Center serves as a vital source of information for tourists entering the Forest and Zone from the northeast. It is also situated along the historic route of the Nez Perce people and the Lewis and Clark Expedition and provides interpretive displays detailing the cultural and historic significance of the area. In the winter, the area serves as a destination for snow play with groomed snowmobile and cross-country ski trails and a significant annual snowpack at over 5,000 feet. The Lochsa Historic Ranger Station served as a backcountry Ranger Station by the Forest Service between 1925 to the late 1950s. Today, the Ranger Station is used as an interpretive site to share the unique way of Forest Service life and work that occurred during this era.

The Central Zone operates out of three administrative offices. Moose Creek Ranger District is administered from the historic Fenn Ranger Station, located 5 miles south of Lowell, Idaho, on the Selway River. The Powell/Lochsa Ranger District is administered from the Lochsa Ranger Station located in Kooskia, Idaho and the Powell Ranger Station located on the Lochsa River, both accessed via U.S. Highway 12.

NEZ PERCE-CLEARWATER NATIONALFORESTS OUTREACH RESPONSE FORM To complete form, use tab key to move between fields (gray blocks), or left click on any field. Entries in check box fields are made by a single click to select or unselect. Type entries in other fields.

Position Identification Position of Interest: Forestry Technician (Wilderness/Trails) Series/Grade: GS-0462-06/07 Location: Kooskia, ID

Applicant Information

Name: E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

Work Phone: Alternate Phone:

Agency Employed with: USFS BLM NPS Other______

Permanent Temporary Term VRA Type of Appointment: PWD Other Not Current Employee

Current Region/Forest/District: Current Series And Grade If Applicable: Current Position Title: Where Did You Hear About Vacancy/Outreach?:

If you are NOT a current permanent (career or career conditional) employee, are you eligible to be hired under any of the following authorities:

Reinstatement Person with Disabilities Veterans Readjustment Former Peace Corps Volunteer Disabled Veteran with 30% Compensable Disability Pathways (former Student Career Experience Program) Veteran’s Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 Other

Additional Remarks

How to Apply: All applicants must apply online at www.usajobs.gov. Interested applicants must submit the attached outreach response form to [email protected] by close of business March 6, 2015. Those who respond to this outreach will be contacted with the announcement number when it becomes available. Please direct any questions to Katie Knotek at 406-329-3708 or email [email protected].

Submission of this form is voluntary ~ Thanks for your interest!