Hey all:
I'm a climbing supervisor for the US Dept of Agriculture Asian Longhorned Beetle program here in New Jersey. We're looking for three qualified climbers to join us in beetle hunting. The job doesn't really require any cutting, but does require descent climbing skills with throwbag, secured footlocking, etc. I admit that I miss the cutting from time to time, but this job offers an excellent opportunity to focus on climbing skills and is very important in the preservation of America's trees. Should this beetle escape the quarantine, millions of trees could die. There's something to be said for saving trees rather than taking down a 200 year old oak tree because some home owner doesn't feel like raking leaves anymore. We work year round, get paid (slightly less) for rain/snow days, and the people on the program are quite a bit of fun to work with. You also start with good benefits and a matching retirement account, and begin accruing vacation and sick leave the moment you begin working. (And paid holidays are nice, too.) The government is also quite liberal with its certifications, which look pretty good on resumes (for instance, you will become a USFS certified climber on this job). If anyone is interested, just go to www.usajobs.gov and search "tree climber". We're the first job that pops up, I think. If not, search in "new jersey". Good luck. We look forward to hearing from you.
Nate
I'm a climbing supervisor for the US Dept of Agriculture Asian Longhorned Beetle program here in New Jersey. We're looking for three qualified climbers to join us in beetle hunting. The job doesn't really require any cutting, but does require descent climbing skills with throwbag, secured footlocking, etc. I admit that I miss the cutting from time to time, but this job offers an excellent opportunity to focus on climbing skills and is very important in the preservation of America's trees. Should this beetle escape the quarantine, millions of trees could die. There's something to be said for saving trees rather than taking down a 200 year old oak tree because some home owner doesn't feel like raking leaves anymore. We work year round, get paid (slightly less) for rain/snow days, and the people on the program are quite a bit of fun to work with. You also start with good benefits and a matching retirement account, and begin accruing vacation and sick leave the moment you begin working. (And paid holidays are nice, too.) The government is also quite liberal with its certifications, which look pretty good on resumes (for instance, you will become a USFS certified climber on this job). If anyone is interested, just go to www.usajobs.gov and search "tree climber". We're the first job that pops up, I think. If not, search in "new jersey". Good luck. We look forward to hearing from you.
Nate
