Paradise Valley, Montana
OUTREACH NOTICE:
Wildlife Biologist
Absaroka-Beartooth Zone
Custer Gallatin National Forest
Livingston, Montana
GS-0486-11
Reply Due 4/15/15
The Custer Gallatin National Forest is looking for candidates for a permanent full time GS-11 wildlife positions located in
Livingston, Montana. If interested, complete the attached outreach form by April 15, and return to Alex Sienkiewicz,
District Ranger (alexsienkiewicz@fs.fed.us ). Interested candidates can call Alex at 406.823.6066, or Forest Biologist
Jodie Canfield at 406.587.6739.
The Custer Gallatin National Forest has the most ecological diversity of any Forest in the Northern Region, ranging from
the grassland/woodland shrub/ponderosa pine habitats of the eastern Districts, the Great Basin desert and Douglas Fir
systems of the Pryor Mountains, to the lodgepole forests or alpine tundra of the Beartooth Mountains. Within these
diverse habitats, there are the full range of charismatic fauna such as grizzly bears, mountain goats, and sage grouse, as
well as lesser known interesting invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals such as bats.
Selected candidates will have primary wildlife responsibilities for the appropriate “zone”, in this case the Absaroka
Beartooth (AB) Zone, at least initially. However, the forest operates as a unified “wildlife team” with centers of
excellence and a strong teamwork attitude in accomplishing priority forest work. As such, biologists need to be flexible
to work anywhere across the Forest to accomplish priority work, and this may entail some travel from the duty station.
In addition, as the Forest moves into full scale Forest Plan Revision, another biologist position could be added in the AB
Zone, and work responsibilities adjusted.
This biologist will be responsible primarily for managing the wildlife program and projects on the AB Zone (covers the
Beartooth, Gardiner, and Yellowstone Ranger Districts) and will provide support to both small and large scale NEPA
projects (such as vegetation management, range management planning, minerals, land exchanges, roads, trails, and
travel management) – including interdisciplinary team participation, NEPA analysis, consultation with USFWS, response
to comments, and objection and litigation resolution. The biologist will need strong GIS and other technical skills, and
may have some forest-wide GIS responsibilities. The biologist will also likely have responsibility for coordinating data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation,
and marital or family status (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc) should
contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Ave,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-9401 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
collection and monitoring needed to support wildlife and other resource projects, and have oversight of project
implementation and effectiveness monitoring throughout the zone. The biologist will also work closely with other forest
resource areas (e.g. watershed, fisheries, weeds, range, fuels) State wildlife management staff, as well as with other
Federal agencies and local non-profit organizations to promote wildlife objectives. The selected biologist will also be
expected to participate as part of the District leadership teams, at the Beartooth, Yellowstone, and Gardiner Ranger
Districts.
Habitats on the AB Zone include the rugged Absaroka Beartooth Mountains, as well as portions of the Gallatin Range,
the Crazy Mountains, and the Pryor Mountains. A big part of the zone is considered part of the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem. Wildlife species within the AB Zone include the full suite of species found in the Greater Yellowstone
ecosystem, including grizzly bears, Canada lynx, wolverine, peregrine falcon, bald eagles, black-backed woodpecker, gray
wolf, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, moose, mule deer, elk, and a variety of other fauna. The Pryor Mountains are not
within the GYE, but represent a unique assemblage of habitats and wildlife species including providing a home to a wild
horse population and many species of bats.
The Beartooth Ranger District is made up of two units: the Beartooth Face, and the 75,000 ac Pryor Mountain unit, for a
total of roughly 587,000 acres. The Beartooth Face unit is bounded on the South by the Shoshone National Forest in
Wyoming, and on the West by the former Gallatin National Forest. The Custer Gallatin National Forest is now managed
as a single administrative unit. The Beartooth Face unit hosts roughly 345,000 ac of the 945,000 ac Absaroka-Beartooth
Wilderness, Red Lodge Mountain Ski Resort, and the Stillwater Mine – the only platinum/palladium mine in the US, and
the largest employer in the State of Montana. The Beartooth Scenic Byway/All American Road runs through the District,
from Red Lodge to the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone Park at Cooke City, traversing the spectacular Beartooth
Plateau, where you have a good chance of seeing mountain goats. Granite Peak, the highest peak in Montana, is a
destination for mountaineers and ice climbers alike. The Pryor Mountain unit is bounded on the north by the Crow
reservation and on the south by BLM, and is home to about 45,000 ac of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. The
Pryor Mountains include a high number of archeological and paleontological resources, as well as limestone caves. The
proximity to Billings results in heavy recreational use of both the Beartooth and Pryors units.
The Gardiner District lies adjacent to Yellowstone National Park, so many of the management issues are associated with
the Park, most notably the management of bison that exit the Park during the winter months. The District also has
responsibility for National Forest lands surrounding Cooke City, which have an interesting set of complex management
issues, including mine reclamation, high densities of grizzly bears, and high recreation uses especially winter snow
machine use. The Gardiner District also manages many outfitting and guiding permits, particularly for hunting.
The Yellowstone District consists of lands in both the Absaroka Beartooth and Crazy Mountain ranges, and is bordered
on the east by the Beartooth District of the former Custer National Forest, on the south by the Gardiner District, and on
the west by the Bozeman Ranger District. It straddles the lovely Paradise Valley, through which the upper Yellowstone
River flows, and the major corridor used to approach Yellowstone National Park. The proximity to Bozeman means at
least a portion of the District gets heavy recreation use. The District includes a portion of the Absaroka-Beartooth
Wilderness, and also hosts the East Boulder Mine, associated with the Stillwater Mining Company. The Boulder River is
also located on the Yellowstone District. The corridor is a popular recreational destination and gateway to the
wilderness.
The duty location of this position is Livingston, Montana, with additional coverage of the Beartooth and Gardiner
Districts. It can take 3 hours to drive between Red Lodge (Beartooth District) and Gardiner.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation,
and marital or family status (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc) should
contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Ave,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-9401 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Document1
Custer Gallatin NF and Area Information:
Forest Service Websites
Custer Gallatin National Forest:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/gallatin
Livingston Information
Town:
http://www.city-data.com/city/LivingstonMontana.html
http://www.livingstonmontana.org/
Weekly Newspaper:
http://www.livingstonenterprise.com/
Livingston Chamber:
http://www.livingstonchamber.com/calendar.htm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation,
and marital or family status (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc) should
contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Ave,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-9401 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Document1
RESPONSE FORM
WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST
GS-486-11
ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH ZONE
CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST
LIVINGSTON, MONTANA
RETURN FORM BY: APRIL 15TH , 2015
NAME: _______________________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS: ________________________________________
MAILING ADDRESS: _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________
PHONE NO: _____________________________________________
CURRENT REGION/
FOREST/DISTRICT: ________________________________________________
CURRENT SERIES AND GRADE: _____________________________________
CURRENT POSITION TITLE: ________________________________________
CURRENT SUPERVISOR: ____________________________________________
CURRENT SUPERVISOR PHONE NUMBER: _____________________________
BRIEF WORK HISTORY; PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH CONSULTATION, AND GIS SKILLS:
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE WHY YOU WOULD BE A QUALITY CANDIDATE FOR THIS POSITION:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!
RETURN TO alexsienkiewicz@fs.fed.us BY APRIL 15TH , 2015
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation,
and marital or family status (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc) should
contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Ave,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-9401 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Document1