The Indiana Ecological Services Field Office is announcing an exciting opportunity to join the ES team as a GS 11/12 Fish & Wildlife Biologist. We are seeking an energetic, passionate biologist with good interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills to join the Indiana team. Below is the official announcement plus additional information about why someone would be excited to live and work in Bloomington, Indiana.
The position opened February 7, 2023 and will close February 20, 2023. This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals.
The Indiana Ecological Services Field Office is a great place to work with collaborative colleagues from Ecological Services as well as co-located biologists from the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. The office addresses a wide range of topics from conserving imperiled species such as listed bats and mussels to promoting pollinator habitat and other landscape conservation initiatives.
Highlights of Bloomington and Monroe County, Indiana
University Community Benefits - Bloomington is home to Indiana University (IU) offering all the benefits of a major university while still maintaining a small-town vibe. Enjoy, films, Broadway shows, all kinds of things that allow residents to broaden their horizons or choose from a dizzying array of options to continue your education.
Outdoor Living – Monroe County is situated in a hilly and heavily forested area in south central Indiana and is considered an ideal base camp for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Monroe Lake, a more than 10,000-acre lake in Monroe County is the largest in the state, situated next to 202,000 acres of the Hoosier National Forest and the secluded Charles Deam Wilderness Area. The area also offers hundreds of miles of hilly hiking and/or mountain bike trails at nearby State Parks, State Forests, and public and private nature preserves. So, whether your thing is camping, caving, boating, birding, hiking, biking, fishing or swimming, odds are that the Bloomington area will not disappoint.
Local Schools, Libraries and Museums - Bloomington boasts top-notch local schools and award-winning public and university libraries, and several museums including The Wonder Lab Museum of Science, Health and Technology designed for children.
Arts and Festivals - The city has a thriving vibrant arts community and hosts numerous exciting fairs and annual events including the Lotus World Music and Art Festival and The Taste of Bloomington Festival.
International and Local Cuisine - There are 350 restaurants in Monroe County, with 110 downtown alone – many locally owned – including Indian, Burmese, Turkish, pan-Asian, Thai, Japanese, Tibetan, Middle Eastern. Bloomington also has a collection of coffee shops, microbreweries and craft distilleries.
Sports – Every April, IU students and “townies” alike celebrate the Little 500 bicycle race as depicted in the acclaimed 1979 film Breaking Away. Sports fans can also take advantage of the University’s legendary basketball program, with five national championships under its belt. The men’s soccer team also has eight national titles. There are a plethora of both men’s and women’s collegiate sports to meet fandom needs, from track, to baseball, to football and a wide selection of intramural sports options for community members.
Strong Economics – Bloomington is a regional economic center with large employers such as Indiana University, Cook Group, and nearby Crane Naval Base. It has a budding tech sector, a large new teaching hospital, and is the largest producer of dimensional limestone in the U.S.