Alaska Wildlife Services Opportunities 2010
Following are several employment opportunities with Wildlife Services in
Alaska during 2010. Some of these positions may be advertised separately at
a later date, but please don't hesitate to contact us if you are interested
in any of these offerings. We can be reached at the following:
USDA, APHIS, WS
9001 E Frontage Rd, Suite A
Palmer, AK 99645
907-745-0871
907-746-0873 Fax
District Supervisor: Terry Smith
[log in to unmask]
907-232-8652 cell
Asst. District Supervisor: Marc Pratt
[log in to unmask]
907-350-4742 cell
Anchorage International Airport
Location: Anchorage, AK
Work environment: Urban
Timeframe: April through October
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 23% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period, plus necessary comp
time
Benefits: None
Positions: 3
Anchorage International Airport (ANC) is Alaska's largest and busiest
airport. Wildlife Services provides ANC and neighboring Lake Hood Seaplane
Base with a 24/7 wildlife hazard management program designed to reduce
wildlife hazards to aircraft. ANC offers a unique aspect to airport
wildlife damage, where Specialists deal with a diverse population of
wildlife from moose and bears to gulls and waterfowl. A team of five
Specialists operate independently on twelve hour shifts, typically working
three days one week and four the next. Specialists are responsible for
housing, and transportation to and from the project.
Barrow Fox Trapping
Location: Barrow, AK
Work environment: Rural/Remote
Timeframe: Late May through July
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 25% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period, plus 16 hours of overtime per pay
period
Benefits: Lodging, meals, incidental expense per diem
Positions: 3
Arctic fox control in Barrow was initiated in 2005 to protect the threatened
Alaska-breeding population of Steller's eider and other indigenous nesting
birds. In cooperation with the USFWS, fox removal activities have been
conducted by WS personnel every year since. Late-spring/early-summer is the
nesting season for the Steller's eider, and is when they are highly
susceptible to predation. Methods used in control activities include
trapping and opportunistic shooting. Specialists must be able to hike long
distances with a pack full of gear, and operate an ATV. Food is provided to
the Specialist upon the start of the project, and re-supply shipments are
made as necessary. Specialists will be provided transportation from
Anchorage to Barrow, and housing while in Barrow.
Deadhorse Airport
Location: Prudhoe Bay, AK (North Slope)
Work Environment: Rural
Timeframe: June through Mid September
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 25% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period, plus 32 hours overtime per pay
period
Benefits: Lodging, meals, incidental expense per diem.
Positions: 3 - 1 month rotations
The Deadhorse Airport is located at Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope of
Alaska. WS provides the airport with a wildlife hazard management program 7
days a week, which is structured to cover scheduled arriving and departing
aircraft. A typical 8 hour day may start at 0600 and end at 1800, with down
time mid-day. A government-owned travel trailer is on site for Specialist's
use and lodging. The DOT facility is available for Specialists to cook
meals and use the facilities. Food is provided to the Specialist upon the
start of the project, and re-supply shipments are made as necessary. A
vehicle is provided for use on the airport. Transportation will be provided
to Deadhorse from Anchorage. Species encountered include migrating caribou,
and nesting waterfowl and shorebirds. The Deadhorse Airport project is
typically worked in one month rotations, but can be extended if the
Specialist expresses interest.
Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson
Location: Anchorage, AK
Work Environment: Urban
Timeframe: April through October
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 23% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period, plus necessary comp time
Benefits: None
Positions: 1
Wildlife Services provides Elmendorf AFB with a 24/7 wildlife hazard
management program designed to reduce wildlife hazards to aircraft.
Elmendorf offers a unique aspect to airport wildlife damage, where
Specialists deal with a diverse population of wildlife from moose and bears
to gulls and waterfowl. Specialists operate independently on twelve hour
shifts, typically working three days one week and four the next.
Specialists are responsible for housing and transportation to and from the
project.
Eielson Air Force Base
Location: Eielson AFB, AK
Work Environment: Urban
Timeframe: Seasonal from April through September
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 23% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period, plus necessary comp time
Benefits: None
Positions: 5
Eielson Air Force Base, located approximately 20 miles southeast of
Fairbanks, is the main base supporting the State's Red Flag operations. Red
Flag is a series of war game exercises conducted at Eielson AFB for a
variety of military aircraft from various states and countries. Wildlife
Services provides a 24/7 Wildlife Hazard Management Program designed reduce
wildlife hazards to aircraft. Eielson AFB offers a unique experience in
managing a variety of wildlife species hazardous to aircraft. Wildlife
species may consist of moose, lynx, fox, woodchucks, ravens, waterfowl,
gulls, and raptors. A team of five Specialists operate independently on
twelve hour shifts, typically working three days one week and four the next.
Specialists are responsible for securing their own housing and
transportation to and from the project.
Aleutian Fox/Rabbit/Marmot Trapping
Location: Aleutian Islands
Work Environment: Remote
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 25% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period, plus 16 hours overtime per pay
period
Benefits: Lodging, meals, incidental expenses
Tangik/Poa Islands (Rabbit Eradication)
Tangik: 52 Acres, Poa: 134 Acres
Timeframe: March through May
Positions: 4
Tangik and Poa are small uninhabited islands within the Krentizin Island
Group near the start of the Aleutian island chain. Tangik and Poa have
European rabbits populations that are competing with native birds for
habitat. Trappers will be eradicating both islands by trapping and shooting
during the winter/spring months prior to the native bird nesting season.
The physical demands required of the Aleutian projects are significant.
Specialists can expect to operate a small, inflatable skiff in inclement
weather to navigate the island's shoreline (several miles), and hike 10
miles each day on soft tundra with a 30 lb. pack. Lodging will be a small
cabin and/or tents. Food will be provided for the duration of the project.
Sud Island (Marmot Eradication)
Sud: 275 Acres
Timeframe: May through July
Positions: 2
Sud is an uninhabited island, in the Barren Islands near the mouth of the
Cook Inlet, home to introduced hoary marmots. The physical demands required
of the Aleutian projects are significant. Specialists can expect to operate
a small, inflatable skiff in inclement weather to navigate the island's
shoreline, and hike 10 miles each day on soft tundra with a 30 lb. pack.
Eradication methods on Sud will include trapping and shooting. Lodging will
be a tent. Food will be provided for the duration of the project.
Kanaga Island (Arctic Fox Eradication)
Kanaga: 91,716 Acres
Timeframe: May through September
Positions: 10
Kanaga is an uninhabited island located in the central Aleutian Islands near
Adak. From the early 1800's through the 1930's, arctic and red foxes were
introduced to more than 450 Alaskan islands for the purpose of fur farming.
Alaska's tremendous island-nesting seabird populations were viewed as a
cost-free source of fox food. Historic populations of many burrow-nesting
seabirds were seriously depleted or eliminated on islands where the foxes
were introduced. The physical demands required of the Aleutian projects are
significant. Specialists can expect to operate a small, inflatable skiff in
inclement weather to navigate the island's shoreline (several miles), and
hike 10 miles each day on soft tundra with a 30 lb. pack. Eradication
methods will include trapping and opportunistic shooting. There will be 5
camps of 2 Specialists per camp. Lodging will be cabins and/or tents. Food
will be provided for the duration of the project.
Juneau International Airport
Location: Juneau, AK
Work Environment: Urban
Timeframe: Year-round
Appointment: Full time, 13 month term
Grade: AD-486-9, plus 23% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period
Benefits: None
Positions: 1
Juneau International Airport, in southeast Alaska, lies on the Mendenhall
Wetlands State Game Refuge and is bordered by the Coastal Mountain Range to
the north and south, and the Mendenhall River to the west. Wildlife
activity is heaviest during spring and fall migration, with gulls and eagles
persisting during winter months. The work involves routine wildlife control
operations on the airport. This project requires frequent meetings with
airport staff and local environmental groups, so people skills are a must.
Juneau's population is 31,000 and it has a wide range of recreational
opportunities for a town of its size. Specialists are responsible for their
own housing and transportation to the work-site. A vehicle is provided by
the airport for use on the project.
Eareckson Air Station
Location: Shemya Island, AK
Work Environment: Remote
Timeframe: Mid April through Mid June, Mid August through Mid
October
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4/5, plus 25% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period
Benefits: Lodging, meals, incidental expenses
Positions: 4 - 1 or 2 month rotations
Eareckson Air Station is located on Shemya Island, owned by the US Air Force
and located within the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge. A single Specialist will monitor spring and fall
variations in wildlife abundance, distribution, and behavior on Shemya
Island as it relates to the airfield, and assist with writing a report as an
addendum to the Eareckson AS Wildlife Hazard Assessment. Specialists may be
asked to evaluate, if authorized, the practicality and use of experimental
techniques such as island-wide hazing, lethal control, and other means. The
Eareckson AS project is typically worked in one month rotations, but can be
extended if the Specialist expresses interest. Travel to and from Eareckson
AS will be provided, as well as lodging and meals while on the island.
St. George Airport
Location: St. George Island, AK
Work Environment: Remote
Timeframe: Mid May through Mid September
Appointment: Full time seasonal
Grade: AD-404-4, plus 25% COLA*
Hours expected: 80 hours per pay period
Benefits: Lodging, Per Diem (meals and incidental expenses)
Positions: 4 - 1 month rotations
St. George Island is one of the two Pribilof Islands is the Bearing Sea
southwest of Anchorage. The village community is comprised of approximately
100 people. The island is home to approximately 2.5 million nesting
seabirds, making it the one of the largest bird colonies in Alaska. It is
also the home of 80% (190,000) of the world's population of red-legged
kittiwakes. Kittiwakes nest in the bluffs and cliffs on one side of the
airport and are often seen crossing over the runway to access their feeding
grounds. A fresh water pond that is opposite the airfield from the feeding
grounds also provides an attractant. This behavior makes the kittiwake a
significant hazard for aircraft utilizing the St. George airport. Air
carriers have scheduled flights every other day, weather permitting. The
St. George project is typically worked in one month rotations, but can be
extended if the Specialist expresses interest. Specialists will be provided
housing, and transportation from Anchorage. Lodging is a house in the
village. Meals are the responsibility of the Specialist as per diem is
provided.
*The AD Salary schedule mimics the GS schedule, which can be accessed at
http://opm.gov/flsa/oca/09tables/indexGS.asp . Federal employees in Alaska
currently enjoy an added Cost of Living Allowance benefit of 23% or 25%,
depending on project locale. In the future, this benefit may be phased out
in favor of Locality Pay, but at this time we do not have specific
information pertaining to either of these benefits.
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