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Biological Science Technician (Plants), USDA For. Service, Stoneville, MS



*Outreach Notice*

/Biological Science Technician (Plants)/

*Stoneville**, Mississippi***

GS-0404-05/06/07

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/USDA// Forest// Service, Southern Research Station/

/Stoneville//, Mississippi///

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Within the next few months, the Southern Research Station’s Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research anticipates advertising a permanent position for a GS-0404-05/06/07 Biological Science Technician (Plants). The position will be located at the Southern Hardwoods Laboratory in Stoneville, MS, and will support the Center’s plant ecology and forest ecology research programs.

The incumbent assists with observational and experimental studies on the ecology and management of bottomland, riparian, and wetland ecosystems. Research projects address topics including patterns of floristic diversity, vegetation responses to natural processes and management activities, restoration of bottomland forests and wetlands, and the biology of threatened and endangered plant species. Work is performed in the field, laboratory, and greenhouse.

Job duties include:

· Installing and maintaining field research plots (travel to field via motor vehicle necessary), including the precise collection and recording of field plot and laboratory data. Conducting vegetation sampling and identifying plants in the field. Collecting a variety of environmental data on field plots.

· Caring for plant species in a greenhouse, and successfully transplanting and monitoring them in natural environments; collecting data and monitoring environments for greenhouse experiments.

· Keeping detailed and precise records using mathematical procedures so that adequate summaries of laboratory data are prepared and filed. Operating a computer is required for appropriately entering and summarizing data. Entering data on the computer with a minimum of error and assistance. Using interactive software for data capture with instrumentation interfaced with the computer.

· Summarizing and analyzing scientific data; writing summary technical reports

· Communicating and cooperating with co-workers and cooperators within and outside the Forest Service.

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*Qualifications*: Preferred applicants should have completed a B.S. degree in biology, botany, plant ecology, forest ecology, or a related discipline, or have an equivalent combination of education and experience. The position may be filled at the GS-05 ($30,770 est. starting salary), GS-06 ($34,300 est. starting salary), or GS-07 ($38,110 est. starting salary) pay grade, based on applicant qualifications. If you are selected at a grade lower than the highest shown in this notice, you will be placed under a career development plan and can be non-competitively promoted when you successfully complete the requirements for the higher grade. United States citizens only will be considered for these positions.

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*USDA is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer*

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*_H _**_istory_*

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This area is one of the country’s most significant sites of prehistoric Native American culture. Thousands of years ago, a mound-building Native American Civilization lived here, utilizing the Mississippi River as a trade link. Now the relics of this important culture can be seen at the Winterville Mounds and Museum. Greenville, the county seat of Washington County, was named for Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene. He was a close friend to George Washington, for whom the county is named. Greenville has developed into a major port on the Mississippi River, center for manufacturing, retail shopping hub, gaming and entertainment center, and a nucleus of agricultural research facilities and processing plants. Greenville has survived numerous fires, floods, and other natural disasters, such as the Great Flood of 1927. In spite of these many challenges, or perhaps because of them, this community has produced renowned writers, including Pulitzer Prize winning historian and novelist Shelby Foote, novelists Ellen Douglas and Walker Percy, and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Hodding Carter, Jr. An exhibit commemorating Muppet creator Jim Henson is located in Henson’s hometown, of nearby Leland. Kermit the Frog, whom Henson said was “born on the banks of Deer Creek”, which meanders through Stoneville, is the focus of the exhibit.

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*_L _**_ocation _*

Stoneville, Mississippi is home to an agricultural research center known among agricultural leaders around the globe. In Stoneville, there are approximately 125 Ph.D. scientists employed by the Agricultural Research Service, Mid South Area; the Delta Branch Experiment Station of Mississippi State University; and the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station. Nearly 400 support staff with these three organizations aid Stoneville scientists. The Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research is the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station’s center for research affecting 30 million acres of southern bottomland hardwoods. Greenville, a city of 40,000 people 8 miles west of Stoneville, is the largest full-service community offering a wide variety of cultural activities, which include family theatre productions, festivals, and celebrations based on southern heritage and the birthplace of the musical genre known as the Delta Blues. Recreation opportunities include tennis, soccer, golf, hunting, fishing, state parks and water sports in several area lakes and the Mississippi River. Delta State University is 25 miles north on Highway 61 in Cleveland, MS (pop. 15,000) for educational opportunities and additional cultural activities. Temperature in the Stoneville area ranges from an average of 45ºF in winter months to 82ºF in summer months. Precipitation averages about 48 inches a year, with most of that occurring from November through February.

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*_E _**_conomy_*

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Greenville and surrounding communities owe their economic stability to a well-balanced combination of agriculture, industry, medical, tourism, and service enterprises. As Mississippi’s largest river port, Greenville serves the shipping and towboat industries.

Housing in Greenville, and surrounding communities, is readily available and comes in a variety of price ranges and styles. The average sale price for previously owned homes ranges from approximately $60 to $98 per square foot. Most newcomers are pleasantly surprised to discover that the words “affordable” and “livable” describe Greenville area homes and apartments. The average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is around $550 and for a three-bedroom apartment, around $650.

The cost of living in Greenville and surrounding counties is comparable to or better than that of similar areas in the South and Southeast. Greenville is located within a three-hour drive of Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas; and within a five-hour drive of New Orleans, Louisiana.

*Should you like to learn more about the Southern Research Station,* visit our award-winning website at _http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/_. More information about the Greenville area can be gained by contacting the Greenville Chamber of Commerce at (662-378-3141) or visiting the Chamber website at _http://www.greenvilleareachamber.com/_


   Outreach Response Form

USDA Forest Service

Southern Research Station

/Position Title/Series/Grade:/* **Biological Science Technician (Plants), GS-0404-05/06/07*

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 /Location: /Stoneville, MS

________________________________________________________________________

/ /

/I am interested in the position and will check http://www.usajobs.opm.gov <http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/> for the position announcement when it is posted at a later date./


 PERSONAL INFORMATION

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*Name: ______________________________________Date: _____________________*

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*Address: ____________________________________Phone: ____________________ *

*E-Mail*: ____________________

Current Federal Employee? Yes_____ No_ _

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If yes, current title/series/grade/location:_________________________________________

If yes, type of appointment you are currently under ________________________________

/(e.g., Career, Career-Conditional, Excepted, Excepted VRA, etc)/

*This form is not an application for the position. Please _do not_ send résum**é**s and/or transcripts when responding to this outreach notice.*

*/_If you think you are interested in this position, please return this form by e-mail or FAX by February 2, 2007 to:_/*

/ /

Dr. Diane De Steven

E-mail: ddesteven@xxxxxxxxx

Phone: (662) 686-3602

FAX: (662) 686-3195

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*/Thank you for your interest in employment with the Southern Research Station./*