Outreach Notice
Permanent Seasonal Forestry Technician GS-0462-05
Timber Sale Preparation
Happy Jack, Arizona
January 21, 2014
The Coconino National Forest, located in northern Arizona, will soon be hiring a permanent seasonal Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Prep) at the GS-5 level. The duty station will be the Blue Ridge Ranger Station in Happy Jack, Arizona.
OUTREACH RESPONSE
Interested applicants may fill out the attached outreach response form. For more information about the position, please contact Kris Murphy, Forester, at (928) 477-5059 or email kmurphy01@fs.fed.us
HOW TO APPLY
The vacancy announcement for this position will be posted on USAJOBS website http://www.usajobs.opm.gov the US Government’s official site for jobs and employment information. All those who return an outreach form will be notified via email of the announcement number when it posts in USAJOBs.
For more information about the application process, contact the Human Resources Contact Center 1-877-372-7248 Press 2 for HRM.
MAJOR DUTIES: This position performs a variety of routine and frequently complex tasks involving techniques and practices relating to the timber management program. Major duties include:
· Independently applies silvicultural prescriptions and marking guides to designate harvest timber
· As a certified timber cruiser, independently applies the instructions issued in a cruise plan. Takes and records tree measurements, assesses quality, and determines defect. Prepares and computer processes cruise data.
· Traverses harvest unit boundaries, road locations, and determines area using approved GPS methods
· Brings to the attention of responsible individuals situations on the ground that are inconsistent with guidelines
· Observes and reports areas of possible archeological significance, and sightings of sensitive, threatened or endangered wildlife species
· Participates in other aspects of resource management support work such as recreation, maintenance, silviculture, tree planting, etc.
· Performs other duties as assigned
Duty Station Information: The District offices and communities on the Mogollon Rim Ranger District are nestled in a ponderosa pine forest between 6,800 to 7,500 feet elevation. There are two main facilities for the District: Blue Ridge Ranger Station and the Happy Jack Ranger Station. The Happy Jack Ranger Station is used strictly as office space and work station and is not open to the public.
The Blue Ridge Ranger Station is located on State Route 87. The Happy Jack Ranger Station is located on Forest Highway 3 (Lake Mary Road), about 25 miles (30 minutes travel time) away from the Blue Ridge Ranger Station.
There are various housing subdivisions/communities on the District, Clear Creek Pines Units 1 – 9, Starlight Pines, Starlight Pines Ranchettes, Pine Canyon, Blue Ridge Estates, Tamarron Pines, Mogollon Ranch, and Ponderosa Pines. Adjacent communities include (distance from Blue Ridge Ranger Station): Winslow (population 4,000) 40 miles north, Pine and Strawberry (population 1,500) 30 miles south, Payson (population 15,000) 50 miles south, and Flagstaff (population 60,000) located 65 miles northwest.
Forest Overview: The Coconino National Forest is approximately 1.8 million acres, ranging in elevation from 2600 feet in the arid lowlands, to 12,648 feet at the top of Mt. Humphreys, Arizona’s highest mountain peak. Dr. C. Hart Merriam and Vernon Bailey developed the well-known “life Zone” concept in the late 1800’s as a result of field excursions in the area. With a wide range of habitats on the Forest, from alpine tundra to lowland desert, the Forest is biologically rich, supporting a diversity of wildlife, fish and plant populations.
Major habitats include tundra, spruce-fir, mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, Gambel oak, pinyon/juniper, and desert grassland. The southern end of the Colorado plateau, which includes the Coconino National Forest, contains the largest concentration of ponderosa pine trees in the United States. The Forest is home to over 500 vertebrate species, including 300 species of birds, almost 100 species of mammals, a wide variety of herptefauna (amphibians and reptiles), 14 native fish species, as well as many invertebrates.
There are three ranger districts on the Coconino National Forest. The supervisor’s Office and the Flagstaff Ranger District located in Flagstaff; the Red Rock Ranger District in Sedona, and the Mogollon Rim Ranger District in Happy Jack.
Housing: Government housing may be available at the Blue Ridge and Happy Jack Ranger Stations. Housing consists of duplexes, single-family houses, trailers and trailer pads for private trailers.
Non-government private housing is available in adjacent communities. The area just north of the Blue Ridge Ranger Station is developing rapidly with subdivisions on private land. There are many summer home sites and the year-round population has grown rapidly over the past decade. Most residents are retired, although a growing number of younger families live in the area. There are well over 1000 homes in the communities on the District. There are several new subdivisions being developed and it is estimated that there are at least 100 new building permits issued by Coconino County annually, so growth is expected to continue. Rental housing is scarce. House prices range from $150,000 to $350,000. Lot sizes range from one to five acres.
Schools: Children that live in the Blue Ridge area (north of Clint’s Well) are bused to Payson, Arizona for school, grades K-12. Children that live near the Happy Jack Ranger Station, such as in Clear Creek Pines Units 1 and 2, are bused to Flagstaff, Arizona for school, grades K-12.
Shopping Facilities: Long Valley Service, a locally owned and operated convenience grocery store/gas station is located on State Route 87. At this location there is a complex of services available including a café, auto service garage, a U.S. Post Office. On Forest Highway 3 (Lake Mary Road) there is an RV park/lodge restaurant with camping facilities and duplex cabins for recreational rental. Many shopping facilities are located in Flagstaff, Payson and Winslow.
Medical Facilities: Volunteer emergency paramedic and ambulance services are available at the Blue Ridge Fire Department. The locals frequent hospitals and other medical services located in Flagstaff, Payson and Winslow.
Churches: In the Blue Ridge area; there is the Blue Ridge Community Church, Calvary Bible Church, Blue Ridge Branch of the LDS church and a Catholic Mass is held every Sunday at the Blue Ridge Church.
Recreation: The Mogollon Rim is a rugged escarpment that forms the southern limit of the Colorado Plateau. It extends across the entire forest and provides excellent views within Plateau Country and Desert Canyon Country as well. Dropping as much as 2,000 feet in some areas, the Rim provides some of the most far-reaching scenery in Arizona. Views stretch from its rocky precipice to Four Peaks of the Mazatzals northeast of Phoenix.
The remoteness of the area lends itself to outdoor recreation activities. Needless to say, sightseeing is a favorite activity along the Rim, but this forest area also boasts a historic system of hiking and horseback trails, a few lakes for boating and fishing, and backcountry skiing for wilderness adventures.
Transportation: State Route 87 connects the District with Winslow to the north and Payson to the south. Forest Highway 3 is a connector from State Route 87 at Clint’s Well northwestward to Flagstaff.
Interstate 40 is a major crossroad for the west and runs east-west through Winslow and Flagstaff. Interstate 40 and SR 87 provide road access to major west coast cities and markets, including Las Vegas, Albuquerque, El Paso, Los Angeles, San Diego, parts of Mexico and of course, Phoenix and Tucson.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway serves the cities of Flagstaff and Winslow with more than 100 trains passing through town daily. Amtrak also services Flagstaff and Winslow twice daily connecting with Los Angeles and Chicago. Greyhound bus services are available in Flagstaff, Payson and Winslow, and several tour guide companies provide service around Northern Arizona.
Sky Harbor International Airport is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and is a 2 ½ – 3 hour drive from the District. Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, located four miles south of Flagstaff on I-17, provides frequent daily flights to and from Sky Harbor Airport.
Library: The Coconino County Library Bookmobile visits the area communities on a monthly basis. Libraries are located in Flagstaff, Payson and Winslow.
Motels and Restaurants: Locally, there is one café at Clint’s Well, at the junction of State Route 87 and Forest Highway 3. The Happy Jack Lodge has limited cabin availability, two miles west of Clint’s Well. There are many motels and restaurants in Flagstaff, Payson and Winslow.
OUTREACH INTEREST FORM
Forestry Tech. (Timber Sale Prep) GS-0462-05
Please respond by February 21st 2014
If you wish to express interest in this position, please complete this Outreach Interest Form and email to kmurphy01@fs.fed.us. For further information, please call Kris Murphy @ 928-477-5059.
See the Coconino National Forest Website (www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino) or call us at (928) 477-2255.
Location: Region 3, Coconino National Forest, Mogollon Rim Ranger District, 8738 Ranger Road, Happy Jack, Arizona 86024.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: