These positions are located in Indiana Dunes National Park, in the Resource Management Division. For more information about job duties or area information, contact: [email protected]. Anticipated Entry on Duty: 5/15/24 Open to the first 75 applicants or until 04/19/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

The Biological Science Technician (Plants) position will work under the supervision of experienced staff as part of a dynamic team conducting ecological restoration fieldwork in one of Americas most botanically diverse national parks. To perform duties effectively, you will need a foundation in botanical sciences. Attention to details and ability to work outdoors as part of a team is important. Fieldwork will be conducted in a variety of habitats including wetlands, prairie, open dune complex and/or black oak savanna. Field work will include chemical and mechanical treatment of invasive plants, seed collection, native plant installation, and field data collection. Incumbent will use tools and operate equipment such as chainsaws, brush cutters/clearing saws, hand saws, loppers, pruners, backpack sprayers and apply herbicide to control target invasive plant species. Incumbent may be required to work from amphibious vehicles such as a Marshmaster, Landtamer, Argo, and/or operate an ATV or UTV. Incumbent will use GIS technology to document project work. Work will be adaptive with other tasks assigned as necessary to achieve the parks restoration goals. Area Information No housing available. Indiana Dunes National Park is a 15,000-acre park located at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, approximately 45 miles southeast of Chicago, Illinois. The park is among the top 10 most visited National Park units annually. Small towns and resort communities on the beaches of Lake Michigan, and farms, interspersed with large tracts of woodlands and wetlands, surround the park. All services are available in the communities, to include schools, colleges, shopping, and other major amenities. The park hugs 15 miles of Lake Michigan's southern shoreline, and includes several historic districts, and over 50 miles of horse, bike and hiking trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers, and peaceful forests! The park also surrounds the 2,000-acre Indiana Dunes State Park, and a large residential environmental education center. The Park is the birthplace of the science of ecology and has one of the most diverse plant communities in the National Park Service system. The park further supports several geographically dispersed units within the park. The area has weather typical of the Midwest with temperatures normally ranging from 0 degrees in the winter to 90 degrees in the summer. No government housing available, however, many reasonably priced houses and rental properties exist in the surrounding communities. Physical Demands: Most duties will be conducted outdoors in weather ranging from humid and hot to cold and snowy. This position will require application of herbicides for vegetation control, strenuous manual labor (carrying up to 40 pounds over uneven terrain and in mucky substrate). Working Conditions: The incumbent will be exposed to poisonous plants including the very poisonous wetland shrub Rhus vernix (poison sumac) and Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy), biting and stinging insects including ticks which may harbor Lyme disease, mosquitoes which may harbor West Nile Virus, tripping hazards. Incumbent will be required to treat uniform with Permethrin to reduce potential for tick-born illnesses. Wetland work may occur in water depths of up to three feet, and direct bodily contact with water and muck may be unavoidable.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/19/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Specialized experience for the Biological Science Technology (Plants) GS-05 position is experience which demonstrates you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience required is normally work performed in a controlled environment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include conducting plant censuses and surveys and assembling the information. Following standardized procedures to collect data on the condition of range, grazing or forage. Use statistical methods and procedures to perform testing of field data collected. Install, operate, and maintain resource management equipment (tools, sampling, and monitoring, photographic, and laboratory equipment) prepare graphs, charts, and illustrations for reports and technical publications relating to plant management activities. Research activity or control program work, nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment. Include month/year to month/year and hours worked per week on resume. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours are directly related to the position such as botany, forest ecology, silviculture, plant ecology, etc. You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts indicating degree earned and credit hours to qualify based on education. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts indicating degree earned and credit hours to qualify based on education. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected. Volunteer 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Contacts

• Address Indiana Dunes National Park 1100 N Mineral Springs Rd Porter, IN 46304 US
• Name: Michele Hofer
• Email: [email protected]