Range Technician

Range Technician

Department: Department of the Interior

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

Salary Range: $44959 - $64952 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:

• Initiates and conducts range inventory surveys according to accepted standards and techniques.
• Safely mixes, maintains, and calibrates herbicides and pesticides for use in rangeland environments.
• Range Technicians work under the supervision and guidance of professional range or natural resource specialists related to monitoring rangeland conditions. Ensures grazing permits and leases are in compliance.
• Inspects grazing allotments, forwards issues to higher graded lead or supervisor. Counts livestock and reports on utilization and grazing impact. Maps out areas of use. Inspects range improvement and makes reports.
• Provide technical support and assistance in range conservation, range management, and range improvement.
• Identify needed range improvements, assists with monitoring agreements and permit projects for conformance to specifications.
• 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
• May manage herds of wild horses and burros, process allotment transfers, supervise range use by permits, and investigate unauthorized use.
• Operates and maintains weed treatment equipment and supplies (UTV s, Herbicide sprayers, hand tools, chainsaws, and herbicides.) Requests replacement parts, new equipment, and supplies as needed.
• Coordinates pre-inventory mapping (soils, vegetation, etc.) by preliminary delineation in geographic information systems (GIS).

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-6: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 level. Examples of specialized experience may include assisting with range improvement projects and/or other vegetation management activities to include vegetation monitoring; Collecting resource data; Assisting with the detection of trespass issues for rangeland monitoring activities; and Communicating with stakeholders to resolve conflicts or deviations from licensed use of rangelands. OR- Successful completion of one full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position; -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet total experience. GS-7: One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to GS-6 level. Examples of specialized experience are: Assisting with range improvement projects and/or other vegetation management activities to include vegetation monitoring; Collecting data to determine causes of variances, and applicability of data; Assisting with the detection and/or investigation of trespass issues for rangeland monitoring activities; and Communicating with stakeholders to resolve conflicts or deviations from licensed use of rangelands. OR- Successful completion of one full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position; -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet 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