Environmental Science Jobs in Federal Agencies

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) The USDA houses a large number of services that focus on environmental activities. The USDA has more than 122,000 employees, which makes it the largest single employer of environmental professionals in the federal government. Its major functions include agricultural research, financial and technical support to farmers, and management of the national forest system. Within the USDA are four services that hire a large number of conservation scientists. These are the Forest Service, Agricultural Research Service, Extension Service, and the Soil Conservation Service.

Employment inquiries for all of the following services can be made to:

Staffing and Personnel Information Systems Staff Office of Personnel Department of Agriculture Washington, DC 20250



The Forest Service

The Forest Service manages 144 million acres of public land, mostly in 156 national forests in 44 states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and employs 30,000 civil servants. A guiding principle of the service is its formula for mixed land use between economic and recreational interests. The service has been criticized, especially in the West, for inadequately managing the clear cutting of timber by logging companies. Recently the service adopted an innovative program for tree harvesting that focuses on maintaining species biodiversity. The ongoing Spotted Owl controversy in the Northwest has ensured that the Forest Service will be at the center of the battle between environmentalists and lumber interests for quite some time.

The Forest Service employs a wide range of career-minded environmentalists, including biologists, foresters, ecologists, soil scientists, forest rangers, range managers, and planners. The service also employs a number of seasonal summer workers and has a limited number of paid intern programs in the Job Corps and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.

The Agricultural Research Service

This is the research branch of the USDA. Some of its recent activities include research on plant and animal production and protection; problems with the distribution of farm products; human nutritional studies; and air, water, and soil conservation practices. The Agricultural Research Service has more than 8,000 employees, and a large number of these individuals hold advanced degrees in the agricultural and biological sciences. Most of the service's activities are conducted in cooperation with state and local agencies. A large share of its research is conducted at state and private universities and at field experimental stations.

The Extension Service

This service is the educational arm of the USDA and works with state and local partners to form the national Cooperative Extension System. The Extension Service maintains a small staff in Washington, D.C., which provides leadership in developing educational programs for rural American farmers. In addition, state and local cooperative members hire a number of professionals to administer these programs. The focus is on providing scientific knowledge to improve the quality and yields on rural farms. Current Extension Service concerns include sustainable agriculture, reviving small farms, food safety and quality, and waste management.

The Cooperative Extension Service hires individuals with backgrounds in the agricultural sciences-agronomy, biology and animal sciences; agricultural economics; the food sciences; and natural resources. Most Extension Service professionals have a master's or bachelor's degree with some substantive training and are hired through the individual state land grant universities (each state has at least one).

The Extension Service publishes an article entitled Commitment to Change, which lists addresses for all state and U.S. territory land grant universities. To get a free copy of this brochure, write:

USDA Extension Service Rm. 3337 South Building 14th and Independence Ave. Washington, DC 20250-0900

The Soil Conservation Service (SCS)

The SCS is responsible for developing and carrying out a national soil and water conservation program in cooperation with landowners, land users and developers, community planning agencies, regional resource groups, and other federal, state, and local government agencies. The SCS oversees about 3,000 conservation districts nationwide, which cover more than 2 billion acres in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Assistance includes providing soil maps and other resource data, and suggesting ecologically sensitive alternatives for farming, pesticide treatment, and land development.

One of the SCS's most important functions is watershed planning and flood protection. This program is intended to curtail the erosion of topsoil in multiple-use areas. In particular, the Great Plains Conservation Program gives farmers in the nation's breadbasket technical and financial assistance with agricultural practices. The SCS works closely with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, which administers various volunteer land-use programs to protect, expand, and conserve farmland, wetlands, and forests.

The SCS employs a large number of professionals with degrees in soil science, agronomy, hydrology, agricultural science, fish and wildlife biology, geology, chemistry, and ecology. For further information contact:

Public Information Division Soil Conservation Service Department of Agriculture P.O. Box 2890 Washington, DC 20013

The Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior has the most far-reaching jurisdiction over national environmental issues, and its responsibilities include the protection and management of more than 549 million acres of public land-about 28 percent of the land area in the United States-the protection and preservation of wildlife, management and conservation of wetlands, and the enforcement of federal surface mining regulations. The Department of the Interior employs about 120,000 individuals. The department has always been at the center of the battle between conservation and development, and it has historically sided with the latter. In recent years however, the department has softened its bond with industry and is tending to side more with mainstream environmentalists.

The National Park Service

This service runs the nation's 361 national parks, historic sites, monuments, and recreation areas and employs more than 13,000 full-time environmental professionals and workers. In addition, it hires a large number of summer workers. Environmental professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds work to formulate and administer Park Service policies, maintain park lands, and educate the public. Backgrounds in forestry, business administration, geography, parks and recreation, ecology, and biology are well represented in this service. Park rangers, who function as conservation specialists, environmental educators, and law enforcement officials play an important role in the service. There are also many openings for summer seasonal employment. Applications for seasonal employment must be received between September 1 and January 15.
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