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Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
#23034 04/18/12 07:00 PM
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Ken Offline OP
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Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity summer 2012

John Muir...Bob Marshall...Aldo Leopold...Arthur Carhart...Howard Zahniser...names that inspire awe and gratitude for their lifelong dedication to protecting America's great Wilderness. The Sierra National Forest is seeking wilderness volunteer rangers to carry on their passion and enthusiasm for protecting and preserving our Wilderness areas. Come spend the summer working in the spectacular and awe-inspiring high Sierras. Rangers will experience the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas, as well as the lesser-known Dinkey Lakes, Kaiser and Monarch Wilderness Areas. Interested? Please read on to find out more about what could become the summer experience of a lifetime!

Weekender Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Program

Position Summary

The Weekender Wilderness Volunteer Ranger will be an integral member of the wilderness team on the Sierra National Forest's spectacular High Sierra Ranger District. The ranger will be expected to take on most or all of the duties of a full-time wilderness ranger, but on a part-time, intermittent basis. The ranger will primarily be working with a full-time wilderness ranger, but may be required to work alone or with volunteer groups from time to time. No salary is provided for this position.

This is designed for working people, who may only have weekends available for volunteering on the forest. The commitment is for a minimum of 8 days of work during the coming summer season. The participants will wear a USDA Forest Service shirt on duty.

The participants will have opportunities to join longer backcountry tours, and interact with various Forest Service managers and decision makers in the course of their work. They will experience the "behind the scenes" activities of the Forest Service.

The scheduling of the individual volunteer will be arranged by that volunteer as their time/schedule permits, and will be at their discretion. The only mandatory attendance will be very few training/orientation days for the group as a whole.

Effective Dates
30 May 2012 until approximately 30 September 2012. The position may end earlier to accommodate volunteer schedule or needs, or weather. The scheduling of the individual volunteer will be arranged by that volunteer as their time/schedule permits.

Job Location

The High Sierra Ranger District of Sierra National Forest is located primarily in Fresno County, California. The district encompasses approximately 940,000 acres, including just under 500,000 acres of designated wilderness. The wilderness areas which fall completely or partially on the district include the John Muir Wilderness, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Dinkey Lakes Wilderness, Kaiser Wilderness and Monarch Wilderness. Elevations of these wilderness areas range from approximately 3300 feet on the San Joaquin River to 13986 feet at Mount Humphreys, with the vast majority of designated wilderness land lying above 7000 feet. This spectacular landscape is a mix of granite peaks and valleys, alpine lakes, alpine meadows and mixed conifer forest.

The ranger district office is located in Prather, California. Three work centers, the High Sierra Work Center, the Jackass Administrative Site and the Wishon Work Center, frequently serve as base stations for wilderness rangers. All three work centers are remotely located. The town of Prather, where a grocery store is available, is approximately 2 hours from each work center. The city of Fresno is located approximately 2.5 hours from each work center and provides a full range of commercial and emergency services.

Responsibilities
The wilderness volunteer ranger may include:
  • Implements the logistics required for completion of wilderness projects associated with trail maintenance and reconstruction. Performs trail log, condition, and prescription surveys. Performs maintenance at dispersed recreation sites including site cleanup and naturalizing.
  • Interacts with public in wilderness, providing education and information. Checks wilderness permits. Informs wilderness visitors of rules and regulations.
  • Explains use regulations according to the Wilderness Act. Inspects wilderness areas to determine compliance with regulations or specifications. Patrols wilderness to ensure that areas are operated, used, and maintained in accordance with wilderness management plans. Provides detailed historical and cultural information about wilderness areas to visitors and recreational user groups; explains rules and regulations. Uses education as the primary method of disseminating wilderness rules and regulations to the public.
  • Organizes and establishes low impact base camps. Performs inventorying and monitoring of specific resources for Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) process.
  • Inventories and restores campsites in wilderness areas.
  • Inventories and installs signs in wilderness.
  • Collects evidence and provides documentation for cases of misuse of wilderness areas. Documents destruction to or impacts on campsites. May be responsible for maintenance and care of assigned pack and saddle stock, and for the operation and maintenance of specialized equipment used in transporting livestock.
  • Manages collected data in digital format, including the input of data into databases and editing of digital photographs.
  • May backpack for up to 9 days with a backpack of 50 pounds or more, including tools associated with wilderness ranger duties.

Qualifications
  • The wilderness volunteer ranger must be able to backpack for multiple days. The ranger should expect to carry up to a 50+ pound backpack and tools associated with duties (e.g. shovel, saw, etc.). The ranger must be experienced in backpacking and wilderness travel.
  • The wilderness volunteer ranger must be familiar with the Wilderness Act, wilderness ethics, and Leave No Trace principles.
  • The wilderness volunteer ranger must have good communication skills, as interaction with wilderness visitors will be a primary responsibility.
  • The wilderness volunteer ranger should be familiar basic computer applications. Additional computer experience with ArcGIS, Microsoft Access, TOPO! and photo editing software is desirable but not required.
  • The wilderness volunteer ranger should be able to begin work starting after 30 May 2012, and work through at least mid-September. Flexibility with starting and ending dates is possible, including flexibility to work around school schedules.

Compensation
There is no compensation for the work hours and one must provide their own food.

Transportation
Government vehicles will be provided for all work-related activities. If personal vehicles are used for any work-related activities, compensation will be at the rate of 44.5 cents per mile.

Stock
Volunteer rangers may be required to work with stock during the summer. Rangers who are inexperienced with stock will be taught the basics of riding and handling stock if stock use is required.

Equipment
All work-related equipment will be provided, such as shovels, crosscut saws, GPS devices, cameras, etc. Rangers may use a limited selection of Forest Service backpacking equipment, but are encouraged to provide their own backpacking equipment. Bear canisters may be required for some trips, and will be provided by the Forest Service if required. Vehicles for work-related duties will be provided by the Forest Service.

Training
The ranger will be provided with all required training, including government driver's permit training, prevention of sexual harassment training, civil rights training, crosscut saw training, campsite inventory and rehabilitation training and database management training, should any of the above training be needed. Additional training should be expected, such as wilderness management training, stock training and leave no trace training.

Documentation of Work
The volunteer ranger will be required to document work-related activities and present the documentation on a monthly basis to Dr. Ken Murray, Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Program Coordinator for the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew. Specific dates and times of reporting will be worked out through Dr. Murray.

Application
A detailed cover letter and resume should be submitted ASAP to Dr. Murray at:  kmurray@pol.net

Resumes need not be limited to one or two pages. Resumes should include:
  1. Contact information
  2. Education
  3. Work history, including description of work accomplished and supervisor contact information (if appropriate)
  4. Wilderness travel experience, including trips locations and dates
  5. Wilderness ranger-related skills
  6. Performance awards
  7. References
  8. Cover letter including why applicant is interested in this position

For additional questions or information, please contact Dr. Ken Murray at kmurray@pol.net, or David Alexander at dalexander@kaiserwilderness.org

• For general information on the Sierra National Forest, please visit our website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sierra.html. For more information on the John Muir, Ansel Adams, Dinkey Lakes, Kaiser and Monarch Wilderness Areas, please visit http://www.sierranevadawild.gov or http://www.wilderness.net. For additional information on the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew, please visit http://www.trailcrew.org.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23038 04/18/12 10:37 PM
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Nice, Ken! I sure hope you get qualified applicants.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Steve C #23044 04/19/12 07:33 AM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C
Nice, Ken! I sure hope you get qualified applicants.


Thanks, Steve.

We did this for three years back around 2006, and got some wonderful participants, a couple of whom went on to full time employment with the Forest Service. Over that time, we got about 60 people out doing things on the forest, and they made quite a difference.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23045 04/19/12 07:47 AM
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I'm looking for a FS volunteer gig, but I need to find one closer to San Diego. This sounds like a really cool opportunity.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23046 04/19/12 08:10 AM
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Right up our neck of them woods...

Piqued our interest...


Journey well...
Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
#23050 04/19/12 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted By: Burchey
I'm looking for a FS volunteer gig, but I need to find one closer to San Diego. This sounds like a really cool opportunity.


Not quite FS, but you might want to try the RMRU?

http://www.rmru.org/join/join.html

Gives you an excuse to go out to Skyline or Tahquitz.

Saw a massive group of them a few months ago on Skyline.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
+ @ti2d #23051 04/19/12 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted By: + @ti2d
Right up our neck of them woods...

Piqued our interest...


I still have a number of friends who did this, along with me. I think everyone thought it was a real highlight of their outdoor experiences.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Anonymous1 #23052 04/19/12 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted By: 2600fromatari
Originally Posted By: Burchey
I'm looking for a FS volunteer gig, but I need to find one closer to San Diego. This sounds like a really cool opportunity.


Not quite FS, but you might want to try the RMRU?

http://www.rmru.org/join/join.html

Gives you an excuse to go out to Skyline or Tahquitz.

Saw a massive group of them a few months ago on Skyline.


We actually have one down in SD - just not sure I can meet the more rigid schedule that I believe the SAR requires due to my other work/volunteer obligations.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23053 04/19/12 12:52 PM
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Maybe this year . I work 24 hrs shifts so I have a lot of time off but also new baby. I'll look at my schedule but I noticed it says weekends but are weekdays available or only weekends?

Respectfully

John Prietto

Last edited by John Prietto; 04/19/12 01:00 PM.

"God has not called us to be successful but he has called us to be faithful"- Mother Teresa
Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
John Prietto #23063 04/19/12 09:42 PM
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The time schedule is entirely up to you. It's called weekender, only because most people arrange their trips during the weekends...however not all, and any time works.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23067 04/19/12 11:11 PM
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Ken

thanks that helps. I will be emailing you privately, expect email sometime from friday to sunday.

Respectfully

John Prietto


"God has not called us to be successful but he has called us to be faithful"- Mother Teresa
Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
John Prietto #23131 04/22/12 11:43 AM
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Ken, do other National Forests have similar volunteer programs? I like the flexible scheduling - does Tahoe NF or El Dorado NF run a program like this?

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
SierraNevada #23133 04/22/12 12:23 PM
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different forests have different programs I'm aware, but know no details.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23880 05/11/12 07:18 AM
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Bump.

One thing that people may not have noticed, was the access to decisions makers that results by participation in such activities.

For example, I'm in Fresno right now, about to participate in teaching a crosscut saw class for three days. The class will include the lead wilderness rangers on the Sierra NF, plus wilderness managers from Stanislas NF and Eldorado NF.

When I've done trail maintenance on the Inyo, I've spent significant time with the Wilderness Manager and Lead Ranger for the Mt. Whitney ranger district.

For those who want to understand decision-making or influence decisions, there is no better way to accomplish that.

Re: Wilderness Volunteer Ranger Opportunity
Ken #23906 05/12/12 12:28 AM
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I looked Ken up while he was in Fresno, working with Shane K at the The High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew office and warehouse.

Great talking to both Ken and Shane. I'm going to try to get my family involved in one of their summer trail projects.

Shane K, Steve C, Ken M.


Sawyer Ken -- Getting ready for the crosscut saw course he's teaching.



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