Employer: USDA Forest Service

Description:WILDERNESS RANGER INTERNSHIP
STANISLAUS NATIONAL FOREST
Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
“It is not enough to understand the natural world. The point is to
defend and preserve it.” –Edward Abbey

Are you interested in a career in natural resource management? Do you love to hike, work hard outside, and soak up the awesome beauty of the mountains? The Stanislaus National Forest is seeking wilderness ranger interns to protect and preserve three spectacular Wilderness areas in
the Sierra Nevada range of California. Come spend the summer working in the Emigrant, Carson-Iceberg, and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas and have the summer experience of a lifetime!
Emigrant Wilderness in the Stanislaus National Forest

The Place
The Stanislaus National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The Sierra, Jon Muir's "Range of Light," stretches for over 400 miles across the state and is internationally renowned for its granite peaks, glacial basins, high alpine lakes, relatively mild
weather, and amazing beauty. The Stanislaus includes 213,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. The Emigrant Wilderness covers 112,000 acres of high meadows, granite domes, hundreds of lakes, and conifer forest. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail crosses through
the east side of the wilderness. The Emigrant is bordered on the south by the most remote portion of Yosemite National Park. The Stanislaus NF also includes about half of the 160,000 acre Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and a small piece of the Mokelumne Wilderness.

The Job
The wilderness ranger intern will be an integral member of the wilderness team in the Stanislaus National Forest’s spectacular wilderness areas. The ranger will be expected to take on most of the duties of a full-time wilderness ranger. The ranger will work with the Wilderness Manager,
other forest staff, volunteers, and may work alone at times.


Internship Dates
The internship lasts for a minimum of 12 weeks with the potential for up to 16 weeks of work depending on the start date, the applicant’s schedule, and funding. Start and end dates are flexible, with the ideal period being early June to late September.

Transportation
Personal vehicle recommended but not required. A vehicle will be available for use while working. For interns who do not have a personal vehicle available, transportation can be arranged through the Forest Service for pick-up in Fresno, Sacramento, or San Jose (airport, train depot,
bus depot, etc.) at the beginning of the internship and drop-off at the end of the internship. Regular work-related trips to Sonora will provide interns with an opportunity to visit grocery stores, post office, pharmacy, restaurants, etc. during non-work hours. For travel beyond Sonora during non-work time, personal arrangements can be made with other staff to share
transportation in personal vehicles.

Equipment
Interns will be provided with personal protective equipment, hand tools, radios, and standard group backpacking gear such as tents, stoves and water filters. Other items are in limited supply. It is recommended that interns have their own backpack and daypack. Sturdy hiking boots are also a necessity.

Location: Pinecrest

Qualifications: The wilderness ranger intern: ü May backpack for up to 9 days with a backpack of 50 pounds or more, including tools associated with wilderness ranger duties. ü Implements the logistics required for completion of wilderness projects including on-site coordination of volunteers. ü Performs trail maintenance activities. ü Performs maintenance at dispersed recreation sites including site cleanup and naturalizing. ü Interacts with public in wilderness, providing education and information. Checks wilderness permits. Informs wilderness visitors of rules and regulations. ü Inspects wilderness areas to determine compliance with regulations or specifications. ü Patrols wilderness to ensure that areas are operated, used, and maintained in accordance with wilderness management plans. ü Uses education as the primary method of disseminating wilderness rules and regulations to the public. ü Organizes and establishes low impact base camps. ü Performs inventorying and monitoring of specific resources for Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) process. ü Inventories and restores campsites in wilderness areas. ü Inventories and installs signs in wilderness areas. ü Collects evidence and provides documentation for cases of misuse of wilderness areas. ü Manages collected data in digital format, including the input of data into databases and editing of digital photographs. ü May be involved in wildland fire management or search and rescue activities Internship Requirements ü The wilderness ranger intern must be able to backpack for multiple tours of duty, with each tour having the potential to last up to 9 days. Tours will generally be 9 days on and 5 days off, but are subject to varying lengths. ü The ranger should expect to carry a 50+ pound backpack and tools associated with duties (e.g. shovel, saw, etc.). ü The ranger must be experienced in backpacking and wilderness travel with a demonstrated ability to work independently in remote locations. ü The wilderness ranger intern must be familiar with the Wilderness Act, wilderness ethics, and Leave No Trace principles. ü The wilderness ranger intern must have good communication skills, as interaction with wilderness visitors will be a primary responsibility. ü The wilderness ranger intern should be familiar with basic computer applications. Additional computer experience with ArcGIS, Microsoft Access,and photo editing software is desirable but not required.

Misc:

Documents:

Address: Application
A detailed cover letter and resume should be submitted no later than April 7, 2008 to:
Adam Barnett, Wilderness Manager
Summit Ranger Station
#1 Pinecrest Lake Rd.
Pinecrest, CA 95346
OR
4
adambarnett@fs.fed.us

Resumes should include:
Contact information
Education
Work history, including supervisor contact information (if appropriate)
Wilderness travel experience, including trip locations and lengths
Relevant skills
References
Cover letter including why applicant is interested in this position
For additional questions or information, please call Adam Barnett at 209-965-3434 x5369 or email
at adambarnett@fs.fed.us.
For general information on the Stanislaus National Forest, please visit our website at
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/
For more information on the Emigrant, Carson-Iceberg and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas,
please visit http://www.sierranevadawild.gov or http://www.wilderness.net.

Website:

Salary:

Benefits: Compensation The intern will receive per diem at $39 per day for days worked. Interns should expect to work at least 9 days every two weeks, and therefore earn at least $351 every two weeks. Interns will be reimbursed for some or all travel (depending on

Deadline: April 07, 2008