4:23 p.m.
Please share the following two opportunities to work on threats to forest
health (including invasives) in Asheville, NC.
Outreach Notice
Ecologist
Forest Health Monitoring Research
GS-0408-14 or GS-0408-15
One Position
USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Outreach Notice
Ecologist GS-0408-12 or
Geographer GS-0150-12
Permanent
One Position
USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Asheville, North Carolina
The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (Center) of the
USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station is recruiting for an
Ecologist or Geographer research and development position located in
Asheville, NC. The position is targeted for the GS-12 grade level, with a
salary range of $ 67,613 to $ 87,893. This is a permanent full-time
scientific position covered by the Research Grade Evaluation Guide. A PhD
is required. Application is open to all U.S. citizens.
The Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC) of the
USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station is recruiting for an
Ecologist position located at Research Triangle Park, NC. The position is
targeted for the GS-14 grade level, with a salary range of $97,948 to
$127,337 and GS-15 at $115,216 to $149,782. This is a permanent full-time
scientific position covered by the Research Grade Evaluation Guide (RGEG).
A PhD is required. Application is open to all U.S. citizens.
The position
The mission of EFETAC is to generate knowledge and tools needed to
anticipate and respond to environmental threats. The National Forest
Health Monitoring Research team develops new monitoring protocols and
analytical tools in addition to performing national scale analyses and
reports on healthy and sustainability of the Nation?s forests.
The incumbent serves as the Team Leader of the National Forest Health
Monitoring (FHM) research team. As such, the incumbent is responsible for
scientific leadership and administrative oversight of the FHM program,
directs advanced ecological research studies and investigations, and
provides expert advice and direction for national and international forest
health monitoring programs. The incumbent is also responsible for ensuring
that the FHM research program and products are fully integrated within the
broader mission of EFETAC and the Southern Research Station, including
delivery of program products and services to a wide variety of public and
private partners and stakeholders.
This assignment includes the identification, development, and testing of
indicators for spatial patterns that are related to ecological processes
at multiple spatial scales. This work is conducted in close cooperation
with a wide number of other experts and disciplines. The work specifically
results in indicators of landscape patterns such as forest fragmentation
and wildlife habitat suitability that can be applied to a variety of
national assessment efforts. Related efforts include the development of
models to evaluate relationships between forest patterns and the
sensitivity or vulnerability of forest health to future natural and
anthropogenic disturbances and stresses.
The incumbent also contributes to work on other research problems
addressed by FHM, including: the development of new measurements and data
systems for deployment in existing plot-based monitoring networks; the
integration of data, models, and interpretive techniques to assess forest
health and conduct risk analyses at multiple scales; and contributions to
national assessments of forest health and sustainability such as those
produced by the Forest Health Monitoring Program.
Location
The Research Triangle area of North Carolina is named for the geographic
region anchored by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, Duke
University in Durham, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill
? three of the nation?s top research universities. At the center of the
region is Research Triangle Park, the nation's largest planned research
and development community.
The Research Triangle area, which is centrally located both within North
Carolina and along the Eastern Seaboard, boasts a thriving business
community, active arts population, and quality of life that have
consistently been ranked among the best in the Country by publications
that include Money, Fortune, and Time magazines.
The Forestry Sciences Laboratory operated by the Southern Research Station
in Research Triangle Park is located at 3041 Cornwallis Road.
Economy
The three largest industries in the area are government, education, and
health care. Research Triangle Park is internationally known for thriving
high-tech industries such as information technology, telecommunications,
medicine, pharmaceuticals, and computer products. Employment is available
at high-tech entrepreneurial companies, major corporations, and a vast
array of small and mid-sized companies.
Although Research Triangle Park receives most of the attention, North
Carolina State University?s Centennial Campus also has lured major
corporate relocations and generated thousands of local jobs. Centennial
Campus is a unique technology community that blends public, academic, and
private-sector research. It is the only public-private partnership of its
kind in the U.S.
Education
The high quality of education found throughout Wake County is a primary
reason why the Triangle area is continuously heralded as one of the best
places to live in the country. The public schools here consistently
outperform school districts across the state (and nation) in
end-of-course, SAT scores, and other proficiency criteria. Money magazine
ranked the Wake County Public School System among the best 100 school
systems in the nation. Almost 90 percent of Wake County public school
graduates plan to pursue higher education.
The Triangle region boasts 18 colleges, universities, and community
colleges, including internationally renowned Duke University in Durham and
the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. North Carolina State
University, located in West Raleigh, is one of the nation?s premier
research institutions and a national leader in engineering, architecture,
biotechnology, and veterinary medicine.
Health Care
Medical facilities located in the Triangle area rank among the nation's
best, with some of the foremost medical experts and programs in the
country. The region ranks sixth in physicians per capita nationwide. Major
health care providers include WakeMed, Rex Healthcare, and Duke Health
Raleigh Hospital in Wake County. Nearby Duke University Medical Center and
UNC Hospitals consistently finish high on US News and World Report's list
of America's best hospitals.
Cultural and Recreational Advantages
Raleigh is known as the ?Smithsonian of the South? due to its variety of
world-class museums. The museums of art, history, and natural sciences,
along with Exploris (the world?s first global experience center), offer
programs and exhibits for people of all ages. The Triangle area is home to
the NC Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, and the Carolina
Ballet. The area has a rich tradition of blues, jazz, gospel, and
bluegrass music. The state-of-the-art BTI Center for the Performing Arts
and the Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek host a number of national acts.
Interested candidates
Candidates meeting the qualifications and interested in the position
should submit a completed Outreach Response form to Stephanie
Worley-Firley no later than August 20, 2009.
It is anticipated that the vacancy announcement will be posted on OPM?s
USA Jobs website (www.usajobs.opm.gov).
For more information about the position contact Danny C Lee, EFETAC Center
Director, at (828) 257-4854 or e-mail dclee(a)fs.fed.us. If you would like
to learn more about EFETAC, visit our Web site at
http://www.forestthreats.org/. Should you like to learn more about the
Southern Research Station, visit our Web site at
http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/.
The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Outreach Response Form
USDA Forest Service
Southern Research Station
Position Title/Series/Grade: Research Ecologist GS-0408-14
Research Ecologist GS-0408-15
Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
I am interested in the position and will call the contact person, in
addition to checking http://www.usajobs.opm.gov for the position
announcement, which will be posted at a later date.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: ______________________________________Date: _____________________
Address: ____________________________________Phone: ____________________
E-Mail: ____________________
Current Federal Employee? Yes_____ No
Current title/series/grade/location:
___________________________________________
Current type of appointment:
_______________________________________________
(e.g., Career, Career-Conditional, Excepted, Excepted VRA, etc)
Submit Outreach Notice no later than August 20, 2009 to:
Stephanie L. Worley-Firley
E-mail: sworleyfirley(a)fs.fed.us or
Mail: The Southern Research Station
200 WT Weaver Blvd.
Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: (828) 257-4380
It is anticipated that the vacancy announcement will be posted on OPM?s
USA Jobs website (www.usajobs.opm.gov).
Please do not send résumés and/or transcripts when responding to this
outreach notice.
The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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Kier Klepzig
Assistant Director for Research
Southern Research Station, USFS
200 WT Weaver Blvd.
Asheville, NC 28804
(828)257-4307
kklepzig(a)fs.fed.us
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