The USFWS has two jobs open at this time. One in Bethel, in Southwest Alaska and one in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Open attachment below for details:

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/417230900

That's my goal. I have a B.S. In Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management from the University of Wyoming. Currently in second year of A&P school at Helena College.

I belive the park service has two openings as well one in king salmon and one in glenallen

MTV - did you only fly for USFW or did you also do some commercial gigs ? Trying to get some input on the perks and downsides of a federal job.

Looks like a great job.

Someone will have had to have worked their tail off to have a bio degree and 500 hrs with an IFR ticket, floats, wheels, and skis. Not many recent grads will have those qualifications. Perhaps a transfer from another gov agency? Dream job for sure if you can deal with the BS.

gbflyer wrote:Looks like a great job.

Someone will have had to have worked their tail off to have a bio degree and 500 hrs with an IFR ticket, floats, wheels, and skis. Not many recent grads will have those qualifications. Perhaps a transfer from another gov agency? Dream job for sure if you can deal with the BS.

I don't think the applicant needs floats and skis experience. The GS 11 is a career ladder position. The way it used to work anyhow is they train you and then automatically (don't have to compete) promote to the GS 12 position. Probably a lot of people meet the Pilot requirements for the GS 11 but few also have the Biology education requirements. The job may include a lot of time flying a desk.

Possess a FAA Commercial Airman Certificate; and
Possess an instrument rating; and
Have completed a minimum of 500 hours of flight time as Pilot-in-Command; and
Have completed a minimum of 25 hours of flight time as Pilot-in-Command at night; and
Possess a current Class II Medical Certificate (or better).

As I read the summary of the job openings, the applicant needs both the biology degree and commercial SEL&S + IR skills and experience, pretty exclusionary requirements. If I qualified and was a lot younger and unattached, I think it would be a super job--although I'd much prefer to be in Fairbanks than Bethel. Bethel isn't exactly the most delightful place in Alaska (or anywhere). But it does have its positives.

Here's a sidetrack story as an example: When I was a JAG at Elmendorf, I acquired a young 1st Lt. as a client, who was stationed at Bethel. At the time, we had 3 Air Bases in Alaska, Elmendorf at Anchorage, Eielson at Fairbanks, and Wildwood at Kenai, plus 18 Air Stations, mostly part of the DEW line, scattered around the state. From Elmendorf, we provided legal assistance to members at all of the Air Stations and to Wildwood by phone. Although the Bethel Air Station had been officially closed years earlier, we still had a small contingent of USAF members there--not sure why at this point.

He had fallen in love with a woman there, who was still married but who was wanting to leave her husband. She worked at the Bethel hospital. The details of all of that aren't important, but I gave him some legal advice on divorces in Alaska and the obvious problems of dating a married woman. During the conversation, I had gotten the idea that this kid had become lonely and had hooked up with the first semi-available woman he met. We had a lot of that situation then, young USAF members at outlying stations getting involved with local women whom they'd not otherwise look at sideways, because they were lonely (and horny).

Fast forward several months. She split from her husband, got a divorce, and she and 1st Lt. were still together. He called me to see if there was a waiting period after her divorce, and then he said he'd like to come in and meet me and introduce me to his intended; they were planning to come to Anchorage to get married. When they came in, I was shocked! She was close to one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, a tall shapely blonde, very pretty, and in the short time we all visited, she came across as an intelligent, sweet, very nice young woman. I couldn't help but think how uncommon it would be for a single guy to join the Air Force from somewhere in mid-America, find himself stationed in one of the more God forsaken places in the world, and end up meeting and marrying every guy's vision of a dream girl.

Cary

Read the required qualifications carefully. One place folks get tripped up is on the specific curriculum requirements for the GS-0486 position. When they say you've got to have X number of credits of this and Y number of credits of that, OR equivalent field experience, I can tell you that you will not get hired on equivalent field experience, you MUST be able to document the specific college course work specified in the announcement.

The basic requirements do not include SES, though I guarantee that in Bethel, you're going to be flying mostly SES. Not so much on the Arctic refuge.....they don't have a seaplane. But, I would DEFINITELY at least have a SES rating prior to application......

These positions vary quite a lot in the amount of flying they actually do. My flight time over the years I worked up there ranged from about 250 to almost 700 in one really busy year. I sure wouldn't look for that much flight time these days with tight budgets. Then again, if the Congress decided to approve oil development on the Arctic Refuge, that person would be flying their butts off, at least for several years.

The Yukon Delta job and the Arctic job are going to be very different work environments and schedules. On the Arctic, there's very little flying during winter, since the refuge all lies far north....read dark in winter. Also, the Refuge lies a few hundred miles north of Fairbanks, where you live, so it's a LONG flight just to get to work. As a result, you'd spend some quality time operating out of a field camp on the north slope....Barter Island. Flying between about November and March is minimal for this area.

If you were to operate from Barter Island a fair amount, as in a week or two at a time, it's reasonable to fly a fair amount in that job. If you sit in FAI, not so much.

Bethel has some challenging weather all year, but flying all year is more practical. Lots of villages, and the Refuge spends a lot of time working with villagers. This refuge does a LOT of biological work, so this position will be kept busy winter and summer, though not all flying of course.

As a dual function biologist, you'll be expected to be a journeyman at both jobs, and that can be challenging. If you think these jobs are a walk in the park, you're mistaken.....they're a lot of work, if you're doing them right.

If you go into this with the idea that you're going to be a commercial pilot, an air taxi, you'll be sorely disappointed. I've seen several pilots hired as full time pilots and became disillusioned soon, because they weren't flying enough. And, many of those folks don't want to do the "other" half of the job. You have to strike a balance, and be willing to put in the hours, and at some times of the year, that's a lot of hours, but not all flying. There'll be days you fly two hours, but do seven hours of field work too.

That said, I can't think of a better career path or job. I'm still amazed at all the stuff I was able to see and do in my time up there.

The Arctic job will probably be competitive, because it's based in FAI. The Bethel job, not so much.

Anyone has specific questions, send a PM.

MTV

Someone on the forum here once referred to Bethel as "Paris on the Kuskokwim". That reference remains one of my fondest Alaska hyperboles.

Hahahahahahaha!

Any place that makes Kotzebue and Barrow look like heaven is...... Pretty bad.

And Kotz and Barrow are definitely not for the faint of heart.

Think Third World country with a zip code.

Gump