MSU Listserv

Future employment opportunities with Wildlife Services - Something to potentially keep an eye out for.

From: Nave, Jacob - MRP-APHIS <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 9:54 AM
To: Schneider, Jim <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: FW: IA, MN, ND and SD Wildlife Service's Positions, Pre-announcement Overview
This will be coming down the pipe soon and result in a LOT of positions available.
Just figured I’d pass it along to get people thinking if they are interested in any of those states.
Thanks Jim!

From: Nohrenberg, Gary - MRP-APHIS <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 8:38 AM
To: APHIS-WS All Employees <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: IA, MN, ND and SD Wildlife Service's Positions, Pre-announcement Overview

This is a follow-up to the e-mail sent by ER Director Keith Wehner on 5/26/23 to all WS employees.  We’d like to provide a little more detail about the WS’s positions and opportunities that will be announced specifically in America’s heartland, IA, MN, ND and SD.

Most of the field positions will be specifically dealing with identifying and mitigating potential HPAI risks to commercial poultry facilities from wildlife (primarily avian).  As previously mentioned in the RD’s e-mail,  we will have multiple term GS 5/6 Wildlife Specialist positions in every state mentioned above (up to 20 in IA, up to 10 in MN, 2 in ND and 8 in SD), up to two, term GS 7/9 wildlife biologists in IA,  a term GS-11 district supervisor in IA and a term GS-11 district supervisor in MN, a term GS-7/9 cartographer (remote – anywhere US) and potentially two Budget Technician term positions (one in ND, one in MN). Additional note: *MN will also be recruiting a non-HPAI GS-11 District Supervisor to be based in St. Paul, MN in the near future as well.  All positions are expected to be announced via USA Jobs and will be open for 5 days.

The HPAI field positions will have home duty stations with the expectation to have these positions located throughout each state’s poultry range in order to more efficiently service the large number of cooperators we expect to be assisting.   The non-field positions e.g. budget technicians, cartographer will also have TBD duty stations and are likely to be working remotely to support the field positions.

The supervisory positions will be announced first with the expectation to fill these positions ASAP to assist with the hiring of field staff and support staff with the larger expectation of overseeing day-to-day program delivery and supervision to assist the State Director.

The wildlife biologist positions main duties will be compiling assessment data from technicians and generating wildlife biosecurity assessment reports.  They will also assist the supervisors in the logistics of the project, purchasing supplies/equipment, training new employees, coordinating efforts, and ensuring data accuracy and consistency.

The budget technician positions will be assisting with all aspects of the financial portion of this project, provide other types of administrative support for these positions and work closely with each state’s Budget analyst and State Director.

The wildlife specialist positions will be responsible for the “boots on the ground” direct program delivery part of this project, conducting Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments (WBA) and direct control at poultry facilities throughout their designated areas.
The WBAs and subsequent reports/plans will provide each poultry facility with recommended mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of HPAI transmission from wildlife to domestic poultry.  Through the process of a wildlife biosecurity assessment, WS identifies: 1) wildlife, habitat, and attractants within and around poultry facilities, 2) direct wildlife access points into barns, and 3) site-specific biosecurity improvement strategies.
The wildlife biosecurity assessments will be a comprehensive evaluation of poultry facilities that focuses on both the shell of individual poultry buildings and the surrounding areas that comprise the operation. These assessments include inspections and recommendations related to:

  1.  structures for wildlife access points, potential wildlife attractants, and areas of frequent use (loafing, nesting, and roosting sites) by wildlife
  2.  food storage and food delivery systems
  3.  water sources, including water leaks, standing water, and nearby ponds, basins, and creeks, and
  4.  waste disposal and composting procedures


WS may also provide wildlife mitigation and monitoring services based on the integrated approach that includes site-specific assessments and recommendations followed by application of methods and approaches to reduce wild bird/wildlife impacts on domestic bird health. The integrated approach may include reduction of attractants (food, water, shelter), exclusion (barriers to limit bird access to building/facilities), wildlife dispersal and/or removal, and other methods. WS may also provide regular and continuous monitoring of wildlife to ensure continued risk mitigation over time, which will serve as ongoing wildlife biosecurity assessment/mitigation.  Continual assessment and mitigation are required due to seasonal migratory and local movement behaviors of birds, and attendant variations in bird presence and risk.

These positions will be an excellent opportunity for self-motivated individuals to be involved on the ground level of a high-profile pilot project.  As these positions evolve, there may be other opportunities within each state to assist with other types of wildlife damage management projects.

*Due to the sensitivity and potential transmission of HPAI from other avian species to commercial poultry, a pre-requisite for occupying any of these field positions (specialist and biologists) will require that candidates agree not to hunt waterfowl while employed in these positions or possess their own poultry/waterfowl for commercial or private interest.  These positions will also not be allowed to participate in our normal waterfowl avian influenza surveillance program, and will not be allowed to be mobilized to respond to other HPAI situations.

As previously mentioned by the RD, there may be opportunities to do voluntary reassignments for some of these positions.  To be eligible for reassignment, your current position must match the position desired exactly (term, full-time, and same GS potential).   Please let both your supervisor and Kory McLellan know via email ASAP if you may have interest in a reassignment.


Interested individuals can reach out with additional questions directly to the following points of contact for each of the specific states.

             Minnesota: Gary Nohrenberg
              Email:    [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
             Phone:  651-304-0403

            Iowa: David Marks
            Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
            Phone: 515-240-3940

            North and South Dakota: John Paulson
            Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
            Phone: 701-355-3300

Thank you.

Gary Nohrenberg
MN State Director
USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services
644 Bayfield St., Suite 215
St. Paul, MN  55107
W:  651-224-6027
C:  651-304-0403
Fax: 651-224-4271
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