Range Technician

Range Technician

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Dillon, Montana, Havre, Montana, Lewistown, Montana, Malta, Montana, Miles City, Montana

Salary Range: $36049 - $52426 Per Year

Job Summary: Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource. We expect to fill many vacancies. This is a temporary appointment. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year.

Major Duties:

• Range Technicians work under the supervision and guidance of professional range and natural resource specialists performing a variety of duties related to monitoring range land conditions, managing herds of wild horses and burros.
• They also process allotment transfers, supervise range use by permits, and investigate unauthorized use.
• They will provide technical support and assistance in range conservation, range management, and range improvement. They will work under the supervision and guidance of professional range and natural resource specialists.
• Other duties may include weed management and monument inventory. Completing range or vegetation condition and trend studies, utilization, actual use, climatological and other allotment evaluation studies. Treats noxious weed infestations
• Occasionally participate in wild horse utilization checks, water hole or herd checks, inspecting livestock developments, fences, or doing cattle compliance checks (ID livestock brands and complete utilization of livestock use on vegetation).
• Provides technical support and assistance to the rangeland management program through day-to-day coordination with rangeland management specialists as well as other programs such as fuels, wildlife, and riparian staff specialists.
• Conducts monitoring, under close supervision of professional resource staff, of upland and riparian conditions.
• Regular field inspections and maintenance of range improvements as well as use of GPS and GIS to document location of such projects, as well as condition.

Qualifications: n order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. You must meet the qualification requirements to be found qualified. GS-04 - Six (6) months of general and 6 months of specialized work experience. Examples of specialized experience may include surveying public lands for the presence of noxious weeds; locating and treating weeds with designated herbicides; and preparing accurate records of all treatment; OR Successful completion of two years (90 quarter or 60 semester hours) of study above high school that included 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in math is creditable; OR A combination of experience and education to meet the total experience. GS-5: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-4 level. Examples of specialized experience may include conducting preliminary reconnaissance of range areas to select possible sites for re-seeding, fresh clearing, water spreading systems, etc.; or serving as an instrument person in laying out contour furrows, determining the contour line and staking out the line; OR Successful completion of a full four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with a major forestry, range management, agriculture or a subject-matter field directly related to the position or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in math is creditable; OR A combination of experience and education to meet the total experience. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical Demands / Work Environment: The work ranges from sedentary when completing duties in the office to frequent field work requiring a considerable amount of walking, riding, stooping, bending, and lifting. Office work is performed in adequately lighted, heated, and air-conditioned offices. Much of the time is spent in the field where exposure to extremes of heat and cold, rough terrain, insects, snakes, and other hazards are common. The incumbent carefully adheres to all safety procedures to mitigate hazards encountered.

How to Apply: THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of the announcement. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office, Deena Huckabee at dhuckabee@blm.gov or Jacqueline Hodson at jcochrane@blm.gov. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e., you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process: YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. See Required Documents section for what to include in your resume. INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account. Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered. You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes". Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-02