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Woah hey hello I didn't know this subforum existed. I work for a big municipal park system in NE Ohio on a very very small dedicated trail crew. We do everything from new trail construction to boardwalks/bridges and stone work, mill all of our own lumber in house (and related timber harvesting), lots of mechanized work on my end and a big seasonal crew that does lots of handwork, usually on MTB trail. I'm one of two of the year round employees. Do I know anyone in here? Does anybody go to PTBA or American Trail conferences?
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Feb 22, 2019 04:59
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I think my partner and I are going to be going to the one in March, although we may be too busy with the weather just straight loving up our production. I'd planned on the sustainable trails conference last year but ran into the same problem with getting too busy. I can count on one hand the number of trail professionals I've met in the field over the last 15 years PTBA member or not, there just aren't that many of us.
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Feb 22, 2019 23:08
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https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=dad0982b19b9877fd58a9f5a7a52a6dd&tab=core&tabmode=list&= This is a regional IDIQ for trail clearing in non-wilderness and wilderness in the Nez Perce NF in the middle of Idaho. It's spectacular country. Setting up a sole proprietorship and getting registered in Duns & Bradstreet to bid on federal jobs is easy. I know some of you guys have worked for SCA or the Americorps groups doing logout. I can answer any real questions people have about contracting and how it works, what your bids should look like, etc. It's an easy way to get out and do a lot of summertime backpacking trail work in country most people don't even know is there. You can PM me if you want some of the details. We're also buying one of these in the next month or two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhxbEtaf7rI&t=28s
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Feb 22, 2019 23:34
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Just started my position with the USFS as a Timber and Natural Resource Management Intern. I'm working out of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. This poo poo is pretty awesome. Already set up to drive govies, working on getting my certs for tractors and UTVs, then getting the red card, chainsaw, and a bit further down the line, pesticides and herbicides. I'm also eyeballing some helicopter crew courses, but we'll have to see how that shakes out. It's going to be an educational 44 weeks. If anyone has any courses or certs that they'd recommend hit me up with them.
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Mar 13, 2019 02:05
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Certs have never gotten me anywhere but I'm atypical for govt. work, I guess. Nobody who works a science govt. job gives a poo poo about certs or rules or laws. It's actually pretty loving great. Pure anarchy. I mean, I drive UTV's/ATV's almost every day despite being too busy/on vacation during certs. I've worked with people I've just met who will ask if I'm certified for something, then stop themselves to say "wait, don't answer, I don't care, can you use this machinery without killing anyone?" This is my ideal working environment. Chainsaw A cert is good enough unless you want to be a wildfire tree dropper, and herbicide is especially useful if you can identify invasive species, but that's assuming you'll be moving on to other agencies eventually. You should learn how to fell trees safely, ID invasives, ID insect damage and all that poo poo regardless. Understanding the ecology of your area should be a bigger concern than the certs. Learn the science. It'll serve you better than any bureaucratic protocol in the long-run. My advice tends to be very limited to science jobs, though, because this is where the bulk of my experience is and it's apparently the wild west of government work. Still, understanding basic ecological principals should be mandatory in this line of work.
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Mar 13, 2019 03:04
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Worst On Team posted:Just started my position with the USFS as a Timber and Natural Resource Management Intern. I'm working out of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. This poo poo is pretty awesome. Already set up to drive govies, working on getting my certs for tractors and UTVs, then getting the red card, chainsaw, and a bit further down the line, pesticides and herbicides. I'm also eyeballing some helicopter crew courses, but we'll have to see how that shakes out. It's going to be an educational 44 weeks. If anyone has any courses or certs that they'd recommend hit me up with them. Which district? We're working out of natural bridge atm, that's why I was asking. thatguy fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Mar 18, 2019 |
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Mar 15, 2019 20:07
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My partner and I run a business that does trail construction and maintenance, and we're looking to pick up a handful more employees for the summer. Our first full time employee came from SA 2 years ago. Generally it entails backpacking for anywhere from 5-14 days at a time and carrying tools while doing logout (bucking trees that have fallen over the winter) and minor trail maintenance (cleaning diversion bars). It contains both non-wilderness (chainsaws) and wilderness (crosscut saws). This is in the area around Missoula/Hamilton (across the border in Idaho), and also down towards Lewiston along US Highway 12 in both the Nez Perce/Clearwater and Bitterroot NFs. Pay rate is 15/hr and there's generally a huge amount of overtime (routinely 1k/wk paychecks) just how the way the runs work. Routinely we only have a day or two off while we're resupplying. It's mainly backpacking, changing your camp night to night as you're hiking along. None of your backpacking gear will be provided, although we do usually have extras of most items. You can PM me here, email me at hccjosh@gmail.com either one will work and we can have a longer conversation. We're known around the area and usually our supervisors are also running the district trail crews, so if you're interested in getting on a trail crew at some point we're good references. Work lasts into October, although college kids usually take off in August when school is going to start again.
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Apr 29, 2019 18:29
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It is that time of year again! Seasonals being hired, fires breaking out and recreation staff face palming at the ridiculousness of the general public. I currently work for a large state parks system as a Park Ranger. Technically, my focus is interpretive, but as with all government, the reality is I will spend a large chunk of time fixing everything that breaks and telling people to stop doing dumb stuff. Due to lack of staffing, we frequently use other groups to do trail work, with us present to use things like chainsaws/pole saws/etc, but I've still done my share of trails and campsite maintenance over the years. Thankfully, my current job pays well, great benefits, and offers lots of trainings to expand your career potential, but I work in a liberal state that funds their state workers well.treat posted:Certs have never gotten me anywhere but I'm atypical for govt. work, I guess. Nobody who works govt. job gives a poo poo about certs or rules or laws. It's actually pretty loving great. Pure anarchy. I mean, I drive UTV's/ATV's almost every day despite being too busy/on vacation during certs. I've worked with people I've just met who will ask if I'm certified for something, then stop themselves to say "wait, don't answer, I don't care, can you use this machinery without killing anyone?" I worked BLM before this, and can confirm this is true for some things. We actually had a lot of trainers retire for some certs, and no one to take their place. There was a lot of just "can person A do this without dying? Yes? Great!" That said, things like state requirements (ie my state requires an ATV safety class to ride ATVs), often are used as filtering questions on applications, so do get those certs if its feasible! I do hear that the Forest Service is more strict though, so ymmv.
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May 21, 2019 19:13
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https://twitter.com/PSICC_NF/status/1147985228679409664?s=19
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Jul 8, 2019 21:30
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Pinus Porcus posted:It is that time of year again! Seasonals being hired, fires breaking out and recreation staff face palming at the ridiculousness of the general public. I currently work for a large state parks system as a Park Ranger. Technically, my focus is interpretive, but as with all government, the reality is I will spend a large chunk of time fixing everything that breaks and telling people to stop doing dumb stuff. Due to lack of staffing, we frequently use other groups to do trail work, with us present to use things like chainsaws/pole saws/etc, but I've still done my share of trails and campsite maintenance over the years. Thankfully, my current job pays well, great benefits, and offers lots of trainings to expand your career potential, but I work in a liberal state that funds their state workers well. I'm late to this, but--! Do you (or any of you) mind giving me a rundown of what a day to day routine looks like for forest/park rangers? I'm also not terribly up on the differences between Forest Ranger and Park Ranger, even if I'm aware that there's at least some rather notable ones. I don't mean the exciting stuff. I mean the 'fixing everything that breaks' and trail work and such, when that was still a part of it. Old Boot fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Jul 31, 2019 |
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Jul 31, 2019 15:20
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Day to day for park rangers really vary a lot depending on who you work for, if you have a subtitle (visitor services, law enforcement, interpretive etc), time of year. I was a seasonal with BLM for years, and my day to day was pretty much: clean outhouses, empty trash, do additional maintenance (weedeating, leaf blowing, digging fire pits) if time, then move on to the next campground. Some days we'd do big staff wide projects like a specific trail or campground prep, but those were rare in the grand scheme of things. As a permanent in a state park, my summer is a lot more: handle registration booth/camp problems, check camp for enforcement issues, answer questions from staff and volunteers, perform emergency maintenance (broken plumbing, outlets not working etc), spray bees, ordering supplies. Essentially, I put out metaphorical fires. My winters are a combination between this and my position at BLM (so add toilets and landscaping to the mix). And since I am the interp ranger, I squeeze in field trips, ranger talks, and program development to the mix. As for forest rangers, I'm not sure. I think they are more law enforcement based, but not really in developed recreation areas. I honestly have only heard the term, I don't think its a common thing where I live.
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Aug 1, 2019 16:54
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thatguy posted:Which district? We're working out of natural bridge atm, that's why I was asking. A day late and a dollar short, but Natural Bridge Station/Buena Vista (Glenwood-Pedlar). I've really enjoyed my 7 months here. I've trapped and relocated beavers, done bird surveys, lots of sawing, timber marking, no rec (i hate people), some minor trail clearance, pesticide spraying, planting and maintaining wildlife clearings. I've been on a fire detail out to Texas (I saw no fire of note) but just last week, we got a few fires, one of which was in a wilderness area and I was one of the first people on scene. I've been introduced to our local Hotshot sup, and I'm hoping to get a direct hire via VRA, if that doesn't work out I've seasonal fire positions applied for. The only downside of this program is that it is less than a year, so it doesn't provide the experience needed for a GS-4, unless you have previous specialized experience or can get someone to use a direct hire authority.
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Oct 8, 2019 00:35
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starting an 11 mile bike and hiking trail network in colorado in april
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Dec 23, 2019 10:43
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Finishing up our job on a closed OHV area near Asheville and Charlotte. Thankfully we interact with virtually nobody. We're going to mad max caravan across the US in May, I'll be driving with virtually everything to build a bike trail in Black Hawk CO except for fuel and groceries, and we're going to be living as far from people as possible.Worst On Team posted:A day late and a dollar short, but Natural Bridge Station/Buena Vista (Glenwood-Pedlar). We're likely going to be expanding once the coronavirus passes over. I can't send you a PM but we're routinely looking for people. I pay significantly better on a hourly basis, but it has a few drawbacks (like living arrangements).
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Mar 25, 2020 15:07
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I'm still in contact with a few hotshot crews and it is not good out there, be careful everyone Their version of social distancing is opening a door for ventilation while they work out inside
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Mar 25, 2020 16:06
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Had a fire at the park recently, got it contained pretty quick with the use of a million dollars in air assets (or so they say). Stand was pre-commercially thinned in 2018 so there was quite a bit of fuel on the ground. Big_Gulps_Huh fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Jun 27, 2020 |
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Jun 27, 2020 21:40
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Aw yea digging line going direct. Air support is nice
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Jun 27, 2020 22:01
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We've been doing a bike trail network for the city of Black Hawk out of Denver for a few months now, we have about 4 rideable miles and we're now the proud owners of a couple new excavators. I have no idea how we lucked into being successful while covid's going on, but we camp on top of the worksite and save on rent the whole time. At the same time I have a crew working for Nez Perce Clearwater NF in Idaho doing logout. This is going to end up being a great summer. Here's a half done rock drop to the switchback leading into another rock drop without any compaction. Dry as a loving bone right now 
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Jul 17, 2020 19:44
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So I just found out about this forum from the announcements. I work for NPS as a bio science tech, keeping an eye on shorebirds and sea turtles  Our first nest is due to hatch any day now!
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Jul 17, 2020 20:29
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Is there a way for a[n older] noob to get in on this as a career potentially? I went back to school (again) and got an AS in "Environmental Science Technology" and then found approximately 0 jobs that my degree would relate to, even with all of the job and internship experience I had. I even joined the local networking group for environmental jobs (which was just a big circlejerk that new people were clearly not welcome in) and got zilch. Is there a backwards way to ge tin, like with volunteering or something? I'm in central FL, if that helps for any suggestions or advice.
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Jul 17, 2020 20:45
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Skutter posted:Is there a way for a[n older] noob to get in on this as a career potentially? I went back to school (again) and got an AS in "Environmental Science Technology" and then found approximately 0 jobs that my degree would relate to, even with all of the job and internship experience I had. I even joined the local networking group for environmental jobs (which was just a big circlejerk that new people were clearly not welcome in) and got zilch. Is there a backwards way to ge tin, like with volunteering or something? I'm in central FL, if that helps for any suggestions or advice. Is your interest in contracting, working as an employee for a contractor, or working for a public agency or something like a land trust? Do you know what you want to do? I can give you a thorough schooling in contracting for both private and public entities, and I know from experience it's difficult to get anything but seasonal temp work for most federal agencies.
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Jul 17, 2020 21:15
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Icon Of Sin posted:So I just found out about this forum from the announcements. I work for NPS as a bio science tech, keeping an eye on shorebirds and sea turtles Hell yeah! I did the same thing a couple years ago. It's a sweet job. [quote="Skutter" post="506580820"] Is there a way for a[n older] noob to get in on this as a career potentially? I went back to school (again) and got an AS in "Environmental Science Technology" and then found approximately 0 jobs that my degree would relate to, even with all of the job and internship experience I had. I even joined the local networking group for environmental jobs (which was just a big circlejerk that new people were clearly not welcome in) and got zilch. Is there a backwards way to ge tin, like with volunteering or something? I'm in central FL, if that helps for any suggestions or advice. [/quote\] Cavaet that all of the following is from someone who worked in wildlife exclusively. I have a bit of a charmed life since I was able to jump straight into a federal job from college and then a term job after a couple years of seasonal work where for others I think that can be a lot harder. I'll say a couple things: 1. Is an AS an associates? From what I've seen a Bachelor's is the baseline to really get started. I transferred to a wildlife program at another university after getting my associates degree, 2. I've known a BUNCH of people who got into this late. Honestly it feels like almost half of the people I've worked with so far jumped into this in their late 20s or 30s. Despite the annoyance of seasonal work and the various jobs none of these people seemed to regret their decision. 3. You'd definitely want to do some volunteering to get field experience but I'd avoid traveling to do it if at all possible. I did mine while I got my bachelor's by helping out on graduate projects.
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Jul 17, 2020 23:52
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American Conservation Experience has a number of internships aimed at those who are a little older, have not-exactly-relevant-to-their-passions degrees. Check that poo poo out. I got a bachelors degree in Enviromental Science and it turns out that actually having a career as an Enviromental Scientist is really hard and a super niche thing. I walk powerlines for a living now, and I'm seriously considering going back to school for a Forestry or Rangelands AS degree.
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Jul 18, 2020 05:32
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Skutter posted:Is there a way for a[n older] noob to get in on this as a career potentially? I went back to school (again) and got an AS in "Environmental Science Technology" and then found approximately 0 jobs that my degree would relate to, even with all of the job and internship experience I had. I even joined the local networking group for environmental jobs (which was just a big circlejerk that new people were clearly not welcome in) and got zilch. Is there a backwards way to ge tin, like with volunteering or something? I'm in central FL, if that helps for any suggestions or advice. I guess the question is what do you want to do vs what are you willing to do. Like some folks have said, if your degree is certain things, you may not get that exact field because it is super rare or super competitive. Are you willing to try out things adjacent but different from your plans, maybe for years? If you are looking government, expect seasonal first. Fire and rec are the two easiest to bust into with more generic or unrelated degrees. Although, they do hire for lots of different positions dependent on year/location. Feds with 24 months of competitive service get a hiring boost, so put in your time and get those points for something you'd prefer. Also, be prepared to move if you really want to be competitive. Realize, it can take years of applying to get a job, particularly if you are limited geographically. Unrelated, COVID year park work is rough. I still love ranger work, but man I have gotten spoiled by seasonals, but my agency didn't hire 70 percent of our summer workforce, and I forgot what that life was like. Toilets and trash for 3 months makes me miss interpretive work! And now we get rumors of a fire ban potentially coming down 
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Jul 18, 2020 06:37
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Skutter posted:Is there a way for a[n older] noob to get in on this as a career potentially? I went back to school (again) and got an AS in "Environmental Science Technology" and then found approximately 0 jobs that my degree would relate to, even with all of the job and internship experience I had. I even joined the local networking group for environmental jobs (which was just a big circlejerk that new people were clearly not welcome in) and got zilch. Is there a backwards way to ge tin, like with volunteering or something? I'm in central FL, if that helps for any suggestions or advice. You could try getting with an Environmental Consulting firm, Florida is ripe with them. I'll second getting your BS too, both because an AS will definitely limit your federal hiring potential and hounding professors is a sure way of landing a variety of experiences and maybe some paid work.
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Jul 18, 2020 07:09
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Also, if you live somewhere rural, there's usually a land trust in desperate need of volunteers for trail work/invasive species removal. Do that enough and you can parlay those skills into something more professional down the road. The skill level required can vary significantly. I've worked with volunteer trail crews doing full on rock work(this is pretty rare) and I've worked with more than a few volunteer trail crews that are simply just trying to cut bench. It's a pretty good way to meet people who can point you in the direction of other jobs. Also, definitely gonna say you gotta be prepared to work seasonal. I decided to take this power line inspecting job primarily because the idea of working seasonal in the face of a nation wide oncoming depression didn't seem like a good idea, but I'm still enchanted with the idea of doing it down the road. People don't get into careers associated with wildlands to make a shitzillion dollars (outside of fire, because those guys make a shitzillion dollars). Though, if you're fit, into travel, relatively single, and love working long rear end hours, being a firefighter is definitely a way to get into this gig. Engine crews and hand crews of contractor/state/federal variety always need people every year., and they're more than prepared to train you if you have no clue what a pulaski is. Just be prepared to show up with your jogging shorts and shoes because running is going to be part of the interview process.
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Jul 18, 2020 07:18
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Field experience and networking is key, but after a certian point a bachelors or higher degree is needed. Though Im private sector archaeology so it may vary. Also yes Fire makes a bazillon dollars.
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Jul 18, 2020 09:51
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Uhm yea fire does well when you get rolling and get your full 16 and break 1k OT. But then you get poo poo rolls and seasons where you get held in region for months and do project work for weeks and barely break 350-400 OT and that is most definitely not a bazillion dollars. It's really not as common as it used to be and it depends on your region and your supe's abilities to get you to fires Harry Potter on Ice fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Jul 18, 2020 |
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Jul 18, 2020 16:35
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Uhm yea fire does well when you get rolling and get your full 16 and break 1k OT. But then you get poo poo rolls and seasons where you get held in region for months and do project work for weeks and barely break 350-400 OT and that is most definitely not a bazillion dollars. It is highly dependent on where you are, yes. But shits always on fire here and we have archaeologists drop out of projects all the time to work fires because they pay is way better. Thats just my experience though.
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Jul 18, 2020 17:34
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Telsa Cola posted:It is highly dependent on where you are, yes. But shits always on fire here and we have archaeologists drop out of projects all the time to work fires because they pay is way better. They should pay archaeologists a lot more, that's sad. We had a cool archeologist on our crew, it was pretty awesome hanging out with him in crazy places in the south west US. I learned a lot, he very accurately ID'd an arrowhead I found which was so cool to me
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Jul 18, 2020 18:04
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I'm a firefighter with a conservation nonprofit in Georgia. So while I'm very much not a government employee (despite a distressing number of people being just sure that we're the government and that therefore they have some level of say in what we do on our landscapes) I am tied in with a massive amount of Land Management work (mostly using fire). We own or help manage just about everything nice in this state and have somehow managed to convince the locals that we're not all deadbeat hippies that should be run out of town. I did do a service year with Americorps way back when, but admittedly that was more to have a place to live for a year than with the expectation that it would actually do anything for my career. The biggest benefits were: 1) Getting a poo poo-ton of fire training (which had more to do with the Burn Boss I was nominally working for than Americorps). 2) Giving me enough exposure to the federal system to know I had basically no interest in trying to climb that ladder. Post-Americorps I went back to school and picked up a Masters in Environmental Conservation (The Americorps money was at least good for paying my administration fees -- though a real job would have done that much easier) and parlayed that into a position with The Nature Conservancy in MD lighting fires and schlepping surveying equipment through wetlands. I spent about three years as a nomadic seasonal -- since its always fire season somewhere in the US -- but managed to more or less settle down south almost two years ago. I still don't have much urge to go work the suppression side of things, even if I didn't think that the suppression mindset is dangerously outdated and ecologically idiotic, I have a poo poo ton more fun working ignitions and have killer benefits. I will admit that fire-retirement does look pretty great, but I basically missed that boat anyhow. Worst On Team posted:Just started my position with the USFS as a Timber and Natural Resource Management Intern. I'm working out of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. This poo poo is pretty awesome. Already set up to drive govies, working on getting my certs for tractors and UTVs, then getting the red card, chainsaw, and a bit further down the line, pesticides and herbicides. I'm also eyeballing some helicopter crew courses, but we'll have to see how that shakes out. It's going to be an educational 44 weeks. If anyone has any courses or certs that they'd recommend hit me up with them. Are you getting both required classes for Helitack (S-270 and S-271)? If not, make sure to keep an eye out for S-271. I've yet to meet someone who hasn't loved helitack... at least for a season to two. Beyond that look towards S-211 (Pumps) and IS-200 (The next step in the FEMA training bullshit). The Strangest Finch fucked around with this message at 15:20 on Sep 1, 2020 |
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Jul 18, 2020 18:27
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Fire is also great if you want to feel the way old 19th century photos of miners and child laborers look. It's been almost 15 years since I last did wildfire and it kicked my rear end hard enough back then, it'd take a lot of drugs to get me through another season digging line today.
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Jul 18, 2020 21:10
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Hello thread, LE ranger for the NPS checking in. I probably do actual law enforcement a couple times a year, if that. I spend most of my time on EMS / wild land fire / wildlife management / doing airplane and boat logistics / etc. Basically a generalist. While I love my job and I think I get to have a positive impact on protecting public lands, I would answer the earlier questions in the thread by strongly recommending against working for the NPS. Lots of really good people, but not a good agency.
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Jul 18, 2020 21:43
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Kazak_Hstan posted:Hello thread, LE ranger for the NPS checking in. I probably do actual law enforcement a couple times a year, if that. I spend most of my time on EMS / wild land fire / wildlife management / doing airplane and boat logistics / etc. Basically a generalist. In what way? I am a ranger for a state parks system, and was previously with BLM. In terms of staying in rec (my first love is fisheries ecology), I always viewed NPS as the pinnacle. But then, I kind of want away from generalisation (dude, I hate enforcement, although I am a trainer in my agency) and I would have thought they were more specialized
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Jul 18, 2020 23:24
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treat posted:Fire is also great if you want to feel the way old 19th century photos of miners and child laborers look. It's been almost 15 years since I last did wildfire and it kicked my rear end hard enough back then, it'd take a lot of drugs to get me through another season digging line today. Related, the tiny breakdowns people over the smallest things after a week of nonstop work, long hours, and semi lovely food is great. I had a breakdown last week because I ordered two orders of bread pudding and it came to me as a solid loaf.
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Jul 18, 2020 23:58
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My experience on CalFire camp support: literally served steak (and I do mean good steak) 9 nights in a row. The veggie lunch is so loving delicious. 24 hour bag lunches stuffed to the brim with packaged pre-cut avocados, waffles, cheese sticks, actual fruit. Then the camp transitioned to USFS management: Breakfast is dogshit (like, sausages cooked into carbon turds), and the veggie lunch was literally a brick of tofu stuffed between two soggy rear end hoggie rolls. Like, there was some poor bastard vegeterian USFS firefighter out there with a 12 hour lunch that consisted of a loving tofu sandwich and some napkins, and he was supposed to cut line with this for nourishment. Camp support in the CCC opened my eyes as to why I never wanted to be a firefighter. But, there's still tooooons of jobs that revolve in the orbit of fire where people make shitzillion dollars. Water tenders, the lowboy haulers, GIS specialists, supply and procurement, Wastewater treatment dudes to name a few. If you really want your eyeballs to pop out of your skull, take a look at the pay of CalFire tanker and helitack pilots.
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Jul 19, 2020 00:24
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Kazak_Hstan posted:Lots of really good people, but not a good agency. That’s been my general read of NPS as well, but I’m still new (I’ve worked for NPS for almost a year and a half, at 2 different parks in the SER). I just don’t know where else I would fit in, I can get most of the isolation that I love by retreating into a wildlife enclosure and doing observations (despite getting pooped on by at least 8 different birds today )
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Jul 19, 2020 00:34
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Pinus Porcus posted:In what way? I am a ranger for a state parks system, and was previously with BLM. In terms of staying in rec (my first love is fisheries ecology), I always viewed NPS as the pinnacle. But then, I kind of want away from generalisation (dude, I hate enforcement, although I am a trainer in my agency) and I would have thought they were more specialized The number of years you generally have to spend as a seasonal, paying out of your own pocket to move twice a year, not getting benefits (though seasonals get health insurance now), not having access to offseason training, paying for your own training, extreme variance in housing, etc. For instance, the way law enforcement training in NPS works is you go to a seasonal academy first, which you pay for out of your own pocket (I lived in my car for a month during mine before I found a room to rent). That makes you eligible to apply for seasonal LE jobs, but hardly guarantees you will get hired (four of us out of 18 graduates from my class got hired). You then spend several years as a seasonal before having a shot at a permanent job. Once you get hired for a permanent job you do it for 2-3 years before you get sent to FLETC (where you do exactly what you did in the seasonal academy all over again) for 4-5 months, after which you have another four month stint in field training. Like, I was a federal law enforcement officer for 7 years before I went to the field training that is supposed to be a basic intro step. To be competitive you pretty much have to have your EMT-B, which you typically have to get on your own. Etc. Other divisions don’t have the particularly hosed up training system LE does, but they also don’t have the availability of permanent jobs LE does, so you wind up being in dead end seasonal jobs a lot longer. Like, I’ve seen biologists with masters degrees stuck as GS-6 biotechs for years before getting hired on a permanent basis. It’s worth noting things are a lot better today than they were ~5ish years ago due to the LMWFA, prior to which permanent jobs without veterans preference were a lot harder to come by. I’m in a pretty good situation now, but it took about a decade of basically being a vagrant to get here. This agency absolutely relies on its seasonal workforce, not just for bodies during the busy season but also for year-after-year institutional knowledge. In spite of that, it treats the seasonal workforce as disposable, demands people orient their lives around a job they have for half the year, etc. Obviously, there are no shortage of workplaces in this country that suck and abuse their workers. However, given the qualifications expected coming through the door, it’s particularly galling coming from the NPS.
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Jul 19, 2020 01:06
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Hi all! My brother's a former interagency hotshot and park ranger up in Rocky Mountain and eastern Oregon, and he ended up convincing me from switching my major from engineering over to GIS and Meteorology. I'm currently interning with a city fire department's wildland division doing their geospatial analysis and CRAs and stuff and hoping I can find a way to land a job with BLM or DFS or a county/state/whatever doing their geospatial stuff on wildfires  I graduate in December (there are babby goons too!) so I'm not entirely hopeful given, uh, everything. But who knows!
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Jul 19, 2020 01:19
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GIS is always a marketable skill in public lands.
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Jul 19, 2020 01:50
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