Seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants/Vegetation/Compliance)

Initial Cut-off Date: This is an open continuous announcement, in which applications are collected over several months, and have multiple cut-off dates. Applications will be considered throughout the open period of the announcement. ** The first cut-off date for early referral is Sunday, December 21, 2025. ** Referral certificates will be issued when a hiring official exhausts current certificate and/or additional vacancies need to be filled. Duties for the (Plants) positions: These positions will assist the Biologist overseeing the Park invasive plant management and restoration program by performing biological science technical support functions including invasive plant management (including herbicide use), forest pest management (including pesticide use), monitoring of treatment sites, invasive plant inventory work, nursery maintenance, vegetation restoration, data entry and equipment maintenance. GS-6 positions will perform the same work and will regularly provide field oversight to lower graded employees, interns and volunteers. GS-7 positions will perform the same work as GS-6 positions, with increased responsibility for determining crew daily work assignments. Duties for the (Vegetation) positions: These positions will assist the park Botanist by performing biological science technical support functions including plant identification, detailed plant monitoring, data entry, equipment management, and specimen processing. Projects include long-term forest monitoring, rare plant monitoring, meadow monitoring, and plant protection activities. Technicians collect and organize natural resources data, and enter data into computer spreadsheets and databases daily or weekly. Data summary and basic report writing is required. GS-7 Vegetation position serves as a plant identification and vegetation sampling field methods expert to other employees engaged in field monitoring tasks and provides daily work planning and supervision to the work crew to ensure completion of technically complex and physically demanding field and office tasks by established deadlines. Required to use chemical tick bite prevention measures (Permanone) on exterior of clothing and equipment. Duties for the (Compliance) position: This GS-7 position performs site visits to document project work compliance with natural and cultural resource impact mitigations, collecting photos, notes, spatial data and resolve resource protection/compliance issues related to NEPA, NHPA, and the ESA. It is anticipated that: - eleven positions will be filled at the GS-5 level; nine positions with plants duties; two with vegetation monitoring duties. - one-two positions will be filled at the GS-6 level involving plants duties. - one-four positions will be filled at the GS-7 level; one-two with plants duties; one with vegetation monitoring duties; one with compliance duties. Work Setting: Shenandoah National Park contains 197,000 forested acres along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia. The Park's backcountry consists of more than 500 miles of trails, including 95 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and nearly 80,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. Skyline Drive, the famous scenic tour road through the Park, follows the ridge crest for 105 miles from Front Royal to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesboro. Over a million people visit the Park each year to enjoy views from the Skyline Drive, hike trails, enjoy nature study, camp in campgrounds or in the backcountry, or stay overnight in one of the Park's rustic lodges or backcountry cabins. The Park supports approximately 1400 vascular plant species, numerous state-rare plant species, and a variety of forest community types. The mountain streams are inhabited by a variety of species of fishes and provide some of the best protected strongholds for native eastern brook trout. POSITION LOCATION: Shenandoah National Park preserves and protects more than 300 square miles of nationally significant natural and cultural resources, scenic beauty, and congressionally designated wilderness within Virginia's northern Blue Ridge Mountains; and provides a broad range of opportunities for public enjoyment, recreation, inspiration, and stewardship. Within just 90 miles of Washington D.C. the Park provides visitors the ability to explore mountain peaks, hidden hollows, cascading streams, accessible wilderness, and stunning natural beauty. Approximately 40% of the Park is designated wilderness with over 500 miles of hiking trails and the iconic Skyline Drive, SHEN was established as an eastern Park that provided a "western Park experience". Due to the Park's easy accessibility to D.C and other highly populated areas along the east coast, visitation exceeds 1.4 million visitors annually which results in significant resource protection and visitor management issues and incidents.