Pacific Northwest Research Station
USDA Forest Service
OUTREACH NOTICE
January 25, 2023
Starkey Ecology Team (EPF)
Pacific Northwest Research Station
Research Hydrologist
GS-1315, Grade 12 or higher
(Grade level determined by research qualifications of person selected) Please respond to this Outreach before March 17, 2023
The Starkey Ecology Team of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station anticipates advertising a Research Hydrologist position, GS-12 or higher, depending on qualifications. This is a full-time permanent position with full federal benefits.
This position is located in the Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, La Grande, Oregon. This permanent position within the Starkey Ecology Team (Starkey) is part of the Ecological Process and Function RD&A Program (EPF), Pacific Northwest Research Station. The mission of this program is to advance and communicate knowledge of fundamental ecological processes (both biotic and abiotic) and their interactions at multiple scales, and to develop applications of such knowledge that enable improved management of ecosystems and resources. As such, Starkey research is conducted with interdisciplinary teams of aquatic and terrestrial ecologists, hydrologists, entomologists, foresters, range specialists, wildlife biologists, and social scientists who focus on four problem areas: (1) How the biophysical environment influences the function and properties of ecosystems, ecological communities, species, populations and organisms; (2) Effects of climate change on ecosystem attributes, patterns, ecological processes, and their interactions; (3) Influences of disturbance on ecological patterns and processes, and how disturbances and ecological processes interact to determine the overall function, attributes, and dynamics of ecosystems; and (4) Determinants of ecological status and trends of biota and ecosystems.
The incumbent occupies a Factor IV research scientist position under the federal Research Grade Evaluation Guide (RGEG) system of panel evaluation and promotion. The position addresses the four problem areas of the EPF Program by conducting research to characterize how water, soil, forest, and air resources respond to management practices, natural disturbances, and the changing environment. Team members help identify practices that restore, protect, and enhance stream, riparian, and watershed health, provide new information on water quantity and quality, and produce long-term hydrologic and ecological research on watersheds across the inter-mountain west.
The research may span the continuum of theory, experimentation, and application of findings, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The scientist’s primary role in the team is to identify and characterize the impacts of land-use activities (e.g., grazing, silviculture, etc.), stream and valley-floor restoration, and changes in vegetation composition resulting from fire and other disturbances on streamflow, sedimentation, and associated hillslope processes in forest and rangeland habitats. This is accomplished through designing and implementing new research studies and by analyzing and interpreting available long-term datasets. In addition, the scientist is involved in various interdisciplinary research projects or other joint projects with members of the other Station science teams or programs. The primary geographic focus of the scientist’s research program is the inter-mountain west, with an emphasis on Oregon and Washington, east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains.
The scientist is a member of the Starkey Ecology Team and the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range (SEFR) will be a focal area for research. The SEFR has a long history of conducting collaborative research with a large group of practitioners and researchers from the Forest Service, other federal and state agencies, universities, Native American tribes, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The work at the SEFR is being conducted in association with the Starkey Project, a 40-year partnership between Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and PNWRS supporting ungulate, predator, climate, and other wildlife research. A formal agreement also exists between PNWRS and Oregon State University on grazing and other vegetation- and range-related research, which has been successfully conducted for more than 50 years. Work at the SEFR also includes interdisciplinary investigations of the ecological consequences of fire and fuels management on vegetation, fuels, and wildlife. The scientist will co-develop and conduct hydrologic research within this broad framework of partnerships among myriad entities having diverse interests in maintaining viable fish and wildlife populations, communities, and habitats across the western United States. The extensive client base requires that the research address both fundamental and applied research problems that are tailored to stakeholder needs, and that complement and rely on contributions from partners.
The scientist will bring expertise in stream, riparian, and watershed hydrology to examine the ecohydrological responses to a suite of novel management and restoration activities being conducted in riparian, forest, and rangeland ecosystems of the interior Pacific Northwest. An essential foundation for all work is a high level of demonstrated quantitative and modeling skills sufficient to conduct or lead studies that could include any of the following: (1) determining the controls on stream water sources, flowpaths, and water quality, (2) measuring, understanding, and modeling hydrologic processes such as groundwater flow and stream temperature, (3) developing hydrologic models to scale stream, riparian, hillslope and watershed hydrologic and biogeochemical processes in time from hours to decades and in space from reaches to catchments, (4) assessing the impact of climate change and increasing hydroclimatic variability on water quality and quantity, and (5) collaborating with scientists of other disciplines to integrate hydrologic results and models in multi-disciplinary decision tools for management. Successful accomplishment of the research assignment will require that the scientist actively solicit the needs of land and resource managers and generate requested hydrologic information at appropriate scales. Successful accomplishment will also require the ability to attract extramural funding.
Applicants must meet minimum educational and/or experiential qualifications for the Research Hydrologist 1315 series with the Professional and Scientific Group Standard at the GS-12 level. Current United States citizenship and valid state driver’s license is required. Interested applicants, or those desiring further information, should contact Dr. Michael Wisdom, Research Wildlife Biologist, (541- 962-6532, michael.wisdom@usda.gov) or Dr. Steven Wondzell, Research Ecologist, (541-758-8753, steven.wondzell@usda.gov) or complete the attached form and return by March 17, 2023. Responding to the outreach ensures potential applicants will be notified when the position is advertised and helps the hiring team assess the potential candidate pool as well as identify any special hiring authorities that can be applied.
To be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Thank you for your interest in this position
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202)720- 6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Outreach Interest Form
Research Hydrologist GS-1315, Starkey Ecology Team
Pacific Northwest Research Station
If you are interested in this position and want to receive a copy of the Vacancy Announcement, please complete this form and send via e-mail to michael.wisdom@usda.gov. You may also FAX the form to Michael Wisdom at 541-962-6504. Please respond no later than February 28, 2023. The position will be advertised on the OPM USAJobs website www.usajobs.opm.gov concurrently and extending beyond when outreach is completed.