OUTREACH NOTICE
WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST
GS -1001-04/05
Visitor Services
Information
Assistant
The White Mountain National Forest is hiring two Visitor Information Assistants to “Care for the
Land and Serve the People” at our Conway and Gorham, NH offices. Candidates must apply at
www.usajobs.com, the official employment site of the United States Government. Applications
will be accepted in September. The purpose of this outreach is to inform potential applicants of
this upcoming opportunity.
The positions are located in the scenic and highly visited White Mountains, on the Saco Ranger
District in Conway, NH and the Androscoggin Ranger District in Gorham, NH. Each site has its
own unique character, but employees collaborate across the forest to provide exemplary
service to visitors, local residents, and colleagues.
If you are interested in these positions, please contact:
Brian Johnston
Assistant Ranger, Saco Ranger Station
(603) 447-5448 x 109
bmjohnston@fs.fed.us
Jake Lubera
Assistant Ranger, Androscoggin Ranger Station
(603) 466-2713 x 224
jlubera@fs.fed.us
Major Duties of the Positions:
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Provide recreation and forest management information to visitors of the White
Mountain National Forest.
Help visitors enjoy public lands responsibly by providing information about rules and
regulations as well as programs such as Leave No Trace, HikeSafe and Be Bear Aware.
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Serve as a connection for field-going employees by communicating emerging safety
issues such as severe weather and ensuring employees are accounted for at the end of
the day.
Assist in developing interpretive programs and displays.
Sell retail inventory and federal passes; maintain accurate financial records.
Assist in the training of volunteers and seasonal employees.
Assist in the preparation of informational exhibits which include photos, maps, etc.
Respond to inquiries either verbally or in writing, to phone, mail and e-mail messages
requesting general information about Forest Service activities, programs, and policies.
Responds to a variety of questions covering all services that the forest/district may
offer.
Assume additional duties commensurate with abilities and interest. (Examples include
but aren’t limited to first aid trainer, safety committee, wellness committee, fleet
coordinator etc.)
Must be willing to work weekends and holidays (excluding Christmas and Thanksgiving).
The Forest Work Environment:
The White Mountain National Forest encompasses approximately 800,000 acres in northern NH
(including Coos, Carroll, and Grafton counties) and western Maine (Oxford County). The Forest
is visited by millions of people each year. It is considered one of the Northeast’s crown jewels
and is located within a day’s drive of Boston, New York City and Montreal, Canada. Our visitors
and local communities have a long history of caring for the forests in the White Mountains.
Residents and visitors were the driving force behind the 1911 Weeks Act, under which cut-over
land was purchased to become the White Mountain National Forest. This strong interest in the
management of these lands continues today, and is demonstrated through the substantial
number of partnerships and cooperative agreements that exist on the Forest.
Area Information:
Climate
Northern New Hampshire and western Maine have a history of dynamic weather patterns. In
general, there are four distinct seasons with snowy cold winters, wet and muddy springs,
relatively cool summers and glorious falls. The summer has average highs and lows of 76
degrees and 55 degrees respectively; the fall is crisp with beautiful foliage. Average winter
temperatures range from 35 degrees to 10 degrees although nighttime lows can be below zero.
Conway, New Hampshire and Surrounding Towns
The Saco Ranger District of the White Mountain National Forest is located in Conway, New
Hampshire, a full-service community of approximately 9,000 people. The population can swell
to 25,000 on weekends and as much as 45,000 on holiday weekends. Located in the Mount
Washington Valley, the town is 120 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, 235 miles south of
Montreal, Canada, and 60 miles west of Portland, Maine. Our District office is located on the
Kancamagus Highway, a federally designated scenic byway.
The school system includes one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools.
The surrounding communities of Jackson, Bartlett, Albany, Madison and Tamworth provide
elementary schools (some to grade eight) and all of them send their students to the high school
in Conway. Many employees also live in Maine, with Fryeburg, Maine just 10 miles away and
also providing a full suite of schools. Fryeburg and surrounding communities have an historic
public/private high school, Fryeburg Academy (founded in 1792), that attracts families to live in
Maine.
Gorham, New Hampshire and Surrounding Towns
Gorham, NH, has a population of about 3,100 and the nearby city of Berlin has a population of
about 10,000. The economy of the area is pretty evenly split between recreation and forest
products. Gorham is generally thought of as a recreation community and Berlin as industrial.
Both communities recognize the value of a “working forest” to provide a variety of needs for
the public. A large paper mill complex and new Federal prison are located within the Berlin
area. Both Gorham and Berlin have public schools through high school. Nearby Bethel, Maine,
hosts a private high school. Berlin also hosts Granite State College affiliated with the University
of New Hampshire and White Mountains Community College.