February, 2009
GS-0482-11 Fisheries Biologist
The
Coconino National Forest will soon
be advertising a GS-0482-11, Fisheries Biologist for the Coconino National Forest.
This position is a permanent full time
position. Anyone
interested in further
information should complete the attached Outreach Response Form and
return it
to hcprovencio@xxxxxxxxx
or contact Red
Rock District Ranger Heather Provencio at 928-203-7501 or Forest
Biologist
Cecilia Overby at 928-527-3460.
DUTIES
The position will
serve as the
Forest Fisheries Biologist, with responsibility for planning,
administering,
and providing professional expertise in fisheries programs. The Forest Fisheries Biologist provides
biological input into the fish habitat management program and assists
in
development of fishery management plans.
This includes gathering, compiling, and analyzing data to
determine fish
habitat needs; determining key spawning, rearing, and over-wintering
areas;
determining the need for and designing of fish habitat improvement
projects;
developing project plans for inclusion in Forest program of work;
conducting
fisheries field work and supervising crews; and studying and
recommending
solutions to special coordination problems involving fish habitat
protection.
The
Forest Fisheries Biologist works cooperatively with State, Tribal, and
Federal
fish and water quality management agencies.
This includes gathering information for stream and lake
management
plans, surveying fish occurrence, mapping key fish habitat for
suitability, and
determining the need for fish habitat enhancement or restoration. This position also works with universities,
researchers, interested organizations and individuals and others to
develop
projects and programs.
This
position participates on or leads interdisciplinary teams for the
evaluation of
the impact of Forest Service or non-Forest Service activities on
National
Forest lands, and the development of land management plans. Additionally, the fisheries biologist
provides input to Forest plans
pertaining to
Fisheries Management and Aquatic Resource protection and enhancement.
THE SETTING
The Coconino
National Forest is
approximately 1.8 million acres, ranging in elevation from 2600 feet in
the
arid lowlands, to 12,648 feet at the top of Mt. Humphreys, Arizona’s
highest mountain peak. Dr. C. Hart
Merriam and Vernon Bailey developed the well-known “life zone” concept
in the
late 1800’s as a result of field excursions in this area.
With a wide range of habitats on the Forest,
from alpine tundra to lowland desert, the Forest
is biologically rich, supporting a diversity of
wildlife, fish and plant populations.
Major habitats include
tundra, spruce-fir, mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, ponderosa
pine-Gambel oak,
pinyon-juniper, and desert grassland.
The southern end of the Colorado
plateau, which includes the Coconino National
Forest, contains
the largest concentration of ponderosa pine trees in the United States. The Forest is home to over 500 vertebrate
species, including 300 species of birds, almost 100 species of mammals,
a wide
variety of herpetefauna (amphibians and reptiles), 14 native fish
species, as
well as many invertebrates.
There are four ranger
districts on the Coconino
National Forest. The Supervisor’s Office and the Flagstaff Center (Peaks and Mormon Lake
Ranger
Districts) are located in Flagstaff;
the Red Rock Ranger District in Sedona, and the Mogollon Rim Ranger
District in
Happy Jack.
The Red Rock Ranger District is situated in the Verde Valley
and its “red rock country” is world renown for its sensational red
sandstone mountains,
cliffs, spires, buttes, and mesas of Sedona, Arizona. Diverse vegetation is found within the
District; mixed conifer canyons exist at higher elevations, ponderosa
pine
forests and pinyon/juniper woodlands dominate the mid-elevation sites,
and desert
shrub and grasslands are present at the lower elevations.
Numerous riparian areas and perennial rivers
and creeks are also present on the District.
The Verde River runs north to
south
through the valley and is fed by numerous tributaries; Sycamore Creek, Oak Creek, Dry
and Wet
Beaver Creeks, West Clear Creek and Fossil Creek. 35
permanent employees and an additional 30
seasonals are employed at the Red Rock Ranger District.
While this position will be located on the Red
Rock Ranger
District, it is a Forest level
position and
will serve the entire Coconino
National Forest.
There
are currently 5 GS-11 District Wildlife Biologists situated on the 4
Ranger
Districts of the Coconino
National Forest,
and one
GS-12 Forest Biologist stationed out
of our
Supervisor’s Office in Flagstaff.
FISH PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Native fishes on the Forest,
and in the Southwest in general, have suffered
significant declines in abundance and distribution due to degradation
and loss
of habitat and interaction with non-native aquatic fauna.
Arizona
is the top-ranking state in the nation for at-risk fishes, and almost
all
native fish species have special status designations. The
Forest has a strong native fish
program, and
works in cooperation with the state, other agencies, and other
stakeholders to
restore habitats for native species. The
Forest works actively with partners
regarding
sport fishing opportunities as well.
The
Coconino National Forest
covers a significant portion of the headwaters of the Little Colorado River and several major
tributaries of the Verde River (i.e.
West Clear Creek, Wet Beaver, Oak
Creek, and Fossil
Creek). All of this area lies within the
Colorado River system.
The Forest
has over 240 miles of streams and 9,000 acres of lake, pond and
reservoir
habitat.
Fishes
of the Colorado River are known for
being highly distinct and endemic (restricted
to that location). The Coconino NF’s
waters hold a suite of still existing fishes such as Little Colorado River sucker, Sonora
sucker, desert sucker, and roundtail chub.
Species that are now rare or extinct that once roamed portions
of the Forest include pikeminnow (the
top carnivore and largest
“minnow” in North America),
spikedace, loach minnow,
razorback sucker, and native trout. One
of the two most endangered species on the Forest
(and in the Southwestern Region) is the Little Colorado spinedace. Some of the remaining springs on the forest
also hold endemic spring snails.
Some
of the most important current
work of the Fisheries Biologist position includes proactively managing
rare
species and their habitats, developing and maintaining agency and other
stakeholder partnerships, participation on various fisheries
conservation
teams, planning and seeking funding for restoration and habitat
management
projects, and conducting field inventories.
The position spends a considerable amount of time participating
on
interdisciplinary teams for a variety of Forest
projects, writes Specialist’s reports and Biological Assessments, and
consults
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Forest Plan Revision and Travel Management Rule Implementation
are two
ongoing, complex Forest-wide projects.
DUTY
STATION
The incumbent’s duty
station will be the new Red Rock Ranger District office which is
located one
mile south of the community of the Village of Oak
Creek,
approximately eight miles south of Sedona, Arizona. Located in the Verde Valley
and Yavapai
County, the new
Red Rock Ranger District
Office is within easy commuting distance (less than 20 miles) of the
entire Verde
Valley
and its numerous small communities. The Verde Valley
communities include: Rimrock (population 2,000), Village of Oak
Creek
(population 3,500), Sedona (population 20,000), Cottonwood
(population 18,000), Camp
Verde (population
12,000), Cornville (population 3,800), Clarkdale (population 3,500),
and
McGuireville (population 700). The Verde Valley
is about a two hour drive north from Phoenix, Arizona
and one hour drive south
from Flagstaff, Arizona.
Housing
There
is no Government housing available. There is
good availability of housing in the Verde Valley
with a reasonably wide range of prices; an average 2-3 bedroom home may
range
from $200,000 to $350,000. Sedona and the
Village
of Oak Creek
property values are very high. Verde Valley rental properties
are common and reasonably priced.
Schools
All
of the communities in the Verde
Valley
have a variety of schools, including a variety of charter and private
schools. Yavapai College
also has a campus and several satellite facilities in the Verde Valley.
Medical Facilities
The
Verde Valley Medical Center at Cottonwood; the Village
Medical Center in the Village of Oak Creek, the Sedona Emergency Clinic
and
Sedona Urgent Care in Sedona and are among the hospitals and medical
clinics
found in the Verde Valley. Plus a very wide
variety of physicians, dentists, clinics, chiropractors, etc. are
available in
all the Valleys major communities.
Churches
There
are a large number of churches in the Valley, all
denominations are represented.
Shopping
Sedona,
Cottonwood, and Camp Verde
are all full-service communities with many substantial shopping
opportunities. A wider range of shopping can be
found in Flagstaff,
Prescott,
and Phoenix.
Recreation
About
a million acres of national forest are present in the Verde Valley
with many more on the balance of the Coconino, the Kaibab and Prescott National Forests
which are adjacent. All the communities
have active community based activities as well, including soccer,
baseball,
etc.
Clubs and Organizations
Most
civic organizations and clubs are represented.
OUTREACH
CONTACTS
Heather Provencio
District Ranger, Red Rock Ranger District
(928) 203-7501
hcprovencio@xxxxxxxxx
Cecelia Overby
Forest Biologist, Coconino National Forest
Supervisor’s
Officer
(928) 477-5001
coverby@xxxxxxxxx
For public information about the Forest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/
For internal information about the Forest
and District: http://fsweb.coconino.r3.fs.fed.us/