The Kisatchie National Forest (KNF) will soon be filling an Engineering Technician position on the Winn Ranger District, located in beautiful Winnfield, Louisiana. The salary for this position ranges from $44,740 to 71,146. The position will be advertised on www.usajobs.gov.
ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Engineering Technician position serves under the supervision of the Winn District Timber
Management Assistant.
The incumbent will provide engineering transportation system and recreation/unit facility maintenance and management services focused on the Winn Ranger District, as well as assisting other units on Kisatchie National Forest as needed. The position assesses, plans and organizes the Districts’ road maintenance, road repairs, road emergencies, and looks out for the safety and economic efficiency of the road system. This is an office and field going position. Office work includes issuing, tracking and terminating road use permits, planning and coordinating annual road maintenance work, leading travel analysis for interdisciplinary planning projects, preparing NEPA reports, preparing timber sale road appraisals, recording accomplishments, and assisting with maintenance of the database of record (INFRA) for the transportation system. This person is also responsible for maintaining Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) certifications to administer service contracts and receipting completed invoices through the current FS accounting database. It is recommended the incumbent work toward acquiring an Engineering Representative certification. The incumbent should be familiar with ArcGIS, CAD and GPS applications.
Field work includes recreation/unit facility maintenance, road maintenance, contract administration, water system operation/maintenance, site assessments for needed maintenance or resource protection, evaluation and mitigation of road hazards, and installation and maintenance of road signs. This position requires the incumbent to be able to both walk and drive on rough terrain. This person should be able to carry survey equipment, signposts and sign drivers (approximately 20 lbs.). This position will also be responsible for facility inspections, have basic knowledge of electrical, water, septic and building systems, maintaining OSHA standards and the upkeep of required facility database of record (INFRA).
ABOUT THE FOREST AND DISTRICT:
The Kisatchie National Forest is Louisiana’s only National Forest and was established in June 1930. It is comprised of over 600,000 acres and is located in central and northern Louisiana and is divided into five Ranger Districts. The Supervisor’s Office is located in Pineville at the Alexandria Forestry Center and is one of the unique locations where the National Forest System, Forest Health, and Research are located together at one integrated facility. The Kisatchie is a diverse forest with bayous, prairies, bottomland hardwoods and upland pine forest types. The terrain across the forest is flat to gently rolling hills, with maximum elevations of approximately 400 feet MSL. The weather is temperate; summers are hot and humid and the winters are cool and mild. Temperature ranges include a few days in the 20’s during the winter months, but usually remain in the mid 30 to 40-degree range, while the summer months may be in excess of 95 degrees with high humidity. The average annual rainfall is approximately 45 inches per year.
The Winn Ranger District consists of approximately 165,000 acres in Winn, Grant, and Natchitoches Parishes located near Winnfield, Louisiana. The District has an active timber sale program of approximately 40,000 CCF per year, a prescribe burning program of about 25,000 acres per year, and an active wildlife program which is involved in the restoration of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The District shares management of the National Catahoula Wildlife Management Preserve with the Catahoula RD. The Recreation program includes both developed and primitive campgrounds, horse and hiking trails, and canoeing on the Saline Bayou National Wild & Scenic River.
For more information about the Kisatchie National Forest and the Winn Ranger District visit the Forest web site at: www.fs.fed.us/r8/kisatchie/.
ABOUT THE FOREST AND DISTRICT:
The city of Winnfield is located approximately 45 miles north of the Pineville/Alexandria metro area (Pop. 50,000) and 35 miles east of Natchitoches (Pop. 18,000) which is the oldest settlement in Louisiana.
Winnfield has a population of approximately 6,500 with an estimated 17,000 living in Winn Parish which is known for its interesting political history and local festivals. It is a full-service community with a library, local newspaper, hospital, several doctors, dentist, pharmacies, ambulance service, two banks, and numerous churches of varying denominations. There are three grocery stores, a Super Wal-Mart, and several motels/bed & breakfast, restaurants, and fast food establishments. The city is served by its own fire department while a volunteer fire department services the parish.
There is a parish-wide school system with schools located in outlying communities as well as Winnfield. Numerous school activities are available in various academic clubs, band and athletics. There a four (4) universities within an hour’s drive of Winnfield. The Central Louisiana Technical College has a branch location in Winnfield.
Local Dixie Youth Softball, Little League Baseball, and adult softball are sponsored during the summer months with Youth football and basketball scheduled during the fall and winter months by the city recreation department. Outdoor opportunities include hiking, boating and water skiing, camping, canoeing, and horseback riding. Louisiana is known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise”, and the surrounding area has an abundance of hunting and fishing opportunities. Numerous festivals may be found most any time of the year including the Louisiana Forest Festival and Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials in Winnfield, the Louisiana Pecan Festival in Colfax, and the Natchitoches Christmas Festival. Additional information can be found at web site: http://www.cityofwinnfield.com.
If you have any questions about the position, please contact Brad Cooper, Winn District Ranger, at 318-628-4664, or by email at bradley.cooper@usda.gov.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
