Range Technician (Weeds)

Full Job Description

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This position is located in Belle Fouche, South Dakota.

Information about Belle Fouche and the surrounding area can be found at South Dakota Field Office | Bureau of Land Management We expect to fill many vacancies. This is a temporary appointment.

Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume.

No assumptions will be made about your experience. GS-04 - Six (6) months of general and 6 months of specialized work experience.

Examples of specialized experience may include surveying public lands for the presence of noxious weeds; locating and treating weeds with designated herbicides; and preparing accurate records of all treatment; OR Successful completion of two years (90 quarter or 60 semester hours) of study above high school that included 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering or wildland fire science.

No more than 3 semester hours in math is creditable; OR A combination of experience and education to meet the total experience. GS-5: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-4 level.

Examples of specialized experience may include conducting preliminary reconnaissance of range areas to select possible sites for re-seeding, fresh clearing, water spreading systems, etc.; or serving as an instrument person in laying out contour furrows, determining the contour line and staking out the line; OR Successful completion of a full four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with a major forestry, range management, agriculture or a subject-matter field directly related to the position or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering or wildland fire science.

No more than 6 semester hours in math is creditable; OR A combination of experience and education to meet the total experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Physical Demands/Work Environment: The work ranges from sedentary when completing duties in the office to frequent field work requiring a considerable amount of walking, riding, stooping, bending, and lifting.

Office work is performed in adequately lighted, heated, and air-conditioned offices.

Much of the time is spent in the field where exposure to extremes of heat and cold, rough terrain, insects, snakes, and other hazards are common.

The incumbent carefully adheres to all safety procedures to mitigate hazards encountered. Major Duties:

• Range Technicians work under the supervision and guidance of professional range and natural resource specialists performing a variety of duties related to monitoring rangeland conditions, managing plants, weeds, and vegetation management.
• Makes vegetation counts on small plots to determine such information as survival of seedlings, species, distribution of plants, and volume of growth.
• They will provide technical support and assistance in range conservation, range management, and range improvement. They will work under the supervision and guidance of professional range and natural resource specialists.
• Conducts weed management and monument inventory. Completing range or vegetation condition and trend studies, utilization, actual use, climatological and other allotment evaluation studies.
• They may occasionally participate in projects such as construction of water system and fencing, installation of cattle guards, planting or seeding of vegetation, noxious weed control.
• Perform routine and recurring weed management activities for the respective organization in accordance with all applicable procedures and guidelines.
• Conducts monitoring, under close supervision of professional resource staff, of upland and riparian conditions.
• Regular field inspections and maintenance of range improvements as well as use of GPS and GIS to document location of such projects, as well as condition.
• Under the supervision of high-level technicians or Rangeland management specialists, work in collaboration with user groups, recreationists, and volunteers to complete weed projects.