The Willamette National Forest will soon be advertising to hire one permanent, full-time Geologist or Soil Scientist, either the 0470 or 1350 series, at either the GS 9 or GS 11 level. The selected employee will have the option of duty station at the McKenzie River Ranger District, Sweet Home Ranger District or Detroit Ranger District. The expectation is the employee will work at all three Districts based on the Soils and Geology work scheduled on the north end of the Forest. The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to inform potential candidates of this opportunity and help the deciding official determine the best way to advertise the position.
If you are interested in this position please complete the attached Outreach Response Form and return it to Trish Wilson, Natural Resource Staff Officer by March 23nd, 2016 at pawilson@fs.fed.us. The Forest is considering filling the position as Soils Scientist. The Forest is interested in determing if individuals with a Geological Science background may have interest in applying. Within the outreach response form please indicate which position series you would be interested in applying for, Soils Scientist or Geologist.
APPLICANT INFORMATION
The vacancy announcement for this position will be posted on the U.S. Government's official website for employment opportunities, www.usajobs.gov. You must apply to the vacancy announcement on USAJobs to be considered for this position.
ABOUT THE POSITION
This position serves as the lead and primary point of contact for the soils and geology resources of the Willamette National Forest as well as direct support of the soils and geology workload for three districts of the Forest. This position will also work with the Middle Fork Ranger District Soils Specialist, assuring Forest-wide consistency for Forest Plan compliance for the soils and geology resources.
Fieldwork would involve unit by unit reconnaissance for landscape scale NEPA projects on Detroit, Sweet Home and McKenzie River. This work would include transects to determine existing condition for soil compaction and displacement, identifying subsoiling needs for soil mitigation and enhancement, preparing and administering contracts for sub-soiling work, assessing area wide and in-unit stability, assessing project areas for unsuited and unmanageable land types and evaluating and prescribing logging suspension and duff retention objectives for timber harvest according to Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines.
The position would serve as NEPA IDT member for planning efforts on the Detroit, Sweet Home and McKenzie River Ranger Districts, working in tandem with the District Hydrologists to accomplish fieldwork and write up the Soils NEPA report.
Forest level work would include coordinating the Willamette TEIU soil survey with NRCS, spearheading the use of new regional tools such as droughty soils mapping and land type associations, Hazardous Material and Spill Response coordination and BAER Team and Resource Advisor work on fires as needed (training would be offered by the Forest for BAER and READ).
THE DUTY STATION
McKenzie River Ranger District is approximately 55 miles east of Eugene on the McKenzie Highway 126. The district encompasses 560,000 acres of forest, 44% of which are the Three Sisters and Mount Washington Wilderness Areas. This scenic district offers beautiful views of the McKenzie River and the Oregon Cascades. There are multiple recreation and community activities such as fishing, rafting, hiking, backpacking and camping, developed and dispersed camping locations, Hoodoo Mtn. Ski Resort, cross country skiing, OHV riding, bicycling, developed hot springs, golfing and hunting. The Willamette National Forest is known for numerous volcanic peaks, the forested Cascade Range, and outstanding rivers.
McKenzie Bridge and Blue River are two small towns on the District. McKenzie Bridge/Blue River offers: K-12 school, medical clinic, religious groups/facilities, multiple places for visitors to stay, restaurants such as Takodas and the Finn Rock Grill, two gas stations, and two small grocery stores. Federal housing may be available. The Eugene/Springfield city bus service carries residents or visitors from Eugene/Springfield right to the McKenzie River RD. Bus schedules run during business hours and weekends. For more information visit: http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette/ and http://mckenziechamber.com/
Sweet Home Ranger District manages up to 220,000 acres in eastern Linn County. Portions of the District are located in the South Santaim, Calapooia, and Upper McKenzie watersheds. The District includes two Wilderness Areas and several inventoried roadless areas. There are five developed campgrounds along Highway 20 and a Summer Home tract.
Sweet Home is located in the central-eastern margin of the Willamette Valley, in the foothills of the Cascade Range- the Western Cascades. It is recognized as the “Gateway to the Santiam Playground” recreational area. The District has over 145 miles of hiking trails and multiple small lakes for fishing and camping. Hunting is also popular on some portions of the District. Foster and Green Peter lakes offer boating, fishing, and camping opportunities. It is just east of the I-5 highway corridor. Sweet Home lies just about one hour north of Eugene, Oregon, is only 1.5 hours driving time to Portland, and no more than 2 hours driving time to the the Oregon Coast. The area has beautiful river corridors, access to locally grown produce nearby, the Santiam River Corridor known for its distinct histories and heritage hikes, and some geologically distinct recreation trail hiking destinations such as Iron Mountain.
For more information about Sweet Home: http://sweethomechamber.com/
The Detroit RD manages approximately 300,000 acres including the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness located along the Cascade Crest, the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area and Wilderness and Detroit Lake. There are a wide variety of recreation opportunities including: backpacking, fishing, hunting, cross-country and downhill skiing, rafting, canoeing, sailing, bicycling and horseback riding.
Detroit is located in the North Santiam River Canyon, in the heart of the Cascades, approximately 50 miles east of Salem along Highway 22 and 70 miles west of Bend. The North Santiam Canyon’s economic base is heavily supported by tourism in the Detroit Lake area and also a strong local timber industry. Detroit Lake is the most popular lake in Oregon, known for its excellent waterskiing, boating, fishing and camping. There are several small communities within easy commuting distance of the Ranger District including Detroit, Idanha, Gates, Mill City (nearest school district and medical facility), Mehama and Lyons. Some employees commute from Salem and Stayton (nearest hospital). Housing is available in the North Santiam Canyon. Government housing may be available for rent at the Detroit Ranger Station. For more info on the North Santiam Canyon Area, see the North Santiam Chamber web site at: www.nschamber.org
Note: the Detroit Ranger District is included in the Portland/Vancouver/Beaverton locality pay area and is subject to a 17% locality pay adjustment.
For more information about Springfield: http://www.springfield-chamber.org/ or http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/
For more information about Eugene: http://www.eugene-or.gov/; http://www.eugenechamber.com/; http://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/
FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Willamette National Forest, please visit our web site at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette
FOR MORE INFORMATION about this vacancy please contact Trish Wilson at 541-225-6450, 3106 Pierce Parkway, Suite D, Springfield, Oregon 97477, pawilson@fs.fed.us or Johan Hogervorst at 541-225-6430, 3106 Pierce Parkway, Suite D, Springfield, Oregon 97477, jhogervorst@fs.fed.us .