Field Reports: Colville National Forest looking to fill 50 seasonal jobs

PUBLIC LANDS – The Colville National Forest is looking to fill 50 seasonal jobs in northeast Washington for next summer. Forest officials are going so far as to hold workshops to help applicants fill out forms.

Applications must be submitted online at www.usajobs.gov from Nov. 15-21. Selections will be made from Feb. 13-17.

Jobs would start anywhere from mid-April to mid-June depending on the position, and they typically last until fall.

Available positions are in wildland fire, timber presale and stand improvement, recreation, range, archeology, soils, fisheries, botany, hydrology and wildlife. Positions available range from entry level to those requiring one to four years of experience in a specific field.

A complete list of the jobs available and locations on the Colville National Forest are online at www.fs.usda.gov/colville.

Open-house help sessions are scheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Republic Ranger Station in Republic, and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Three Rivers Ranger Station in Kettle Falls.

The hiring process for summer positions is happening earlier than it has in past years, said Franklin Pemberton, forest spokesman.

“Some people may not think about applying until the spring, but by then it will be too late,” he said.

Info: Republic Ranger District (509) 775-7400; Three Rivers Ranger District, (509) 738-7700.

OUTGOING – Three updated maps designating public lands have been released by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to aid the public in heading outdoors near Pullman, Spokane and Walla Walla.

Popular with hunters and other recreationists and a resource for emergency responders, the shaded-relief quadrangle maps detail roads, property boundaries, trails, recreation sites and other public land information.

The statewide series of 50 maps highlights public lands managed by DNR, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the State Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as lands managed by federal and other public agencies.

The color maps sell for $9 each plus tax. They are available online through the DNR map sales web page.

Pacific NW Trail

advisers to meet

TRAILS – The citizen council that advises the Forest Service on the tri-state Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNNST) will meet Wednesday and Thursday at the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Mont.

The council will provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service on the long-term management, signing and marking of the route that crosses public and some private lands across the north portions of Washington and Idaho into western Montana.

The Pacific Northwest Trail runs 1,200 miles from the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park to the Pacific Ocean at Cape Alava in Olympic National Park. The trail travels through seven National Forests, three National Parks, tribal, state, and private lands in Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

The council is composed of 24 citizens appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.