Recreation Ranger, Hunting Access, Maintenance Worker

State of Montana•Culbertson, MT

14d•Onsite

About The Position

THE OUTSIDE IS IN US ALL. Please remember to attach the required documents Cover Letter and References listed in this announcement. Applications missing the requested documents will be considered incomplete and may not progress further in the process. Documents not requested will not be considered in the recruitment process. The State Application is not a substitute for a Resume. This position closes at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on March 8, 2026. You must apply through the State of Montana Career site. Special Information: Identity of applicants who become finalists may be released to the public if the Department deems it necessary. Employees who exceed 1,040 hours in a calendar year are also provided health, dental and life insurance. Other benefits include retirement, paid vacation, sick and holidays. This position may be covered by a VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association). A successful applicant will be subject to a background investigation. Women and minorities are under-represented in this job category and are encouraged to apply. This full-time position is made up of three job positions: 25%25 Recreation Ranger, 40%25 Maintenance Worker, and 35%25 Hunting Access Technician. Recreation Ranger and Maintenance Worker positions work on Fishing Access Sites and Brush Lake State Park. While the Hunting Access Technician portion works on Block Management Properties enrolled in the Hunting Access Program. This position is in Northeastern Montana, with a permanent workstation/home office based in their town of choice between Plentywood, Culbertson, Scobey, or towns in between. A successful applicant must be able to work in all environmental extremes for long periods of time. Applicants will be asked to sit, stand, drive, or walk for long periods of time, work odd hours which could include weekends, holidays, and possibly some nights. Applicants must be able to interact and assist the public independently and with little supervision, sometimes in large numbers. Recreation Ranger, 25%25 of this job will be managing the recreation that occurs on FWP Sites in the Eastern District of Region 6. The hourly wage for this position will be $25.01. FWP sites include five Fishing Access Sites and Brush Lake State Park. Applicants must be able to interact and assist the public independently and with little supervision. Applicants may develop a summer activity program for park visitors which will include star gazing activities and lessons, campfire sessions, nature walks, and park interpreter lessons. Applicant’s responsibilities will also include camping and camp site reservation management, daily park services duties, and other park administrative duties. Teamwork is a must, which includes communication with the Regional Recreation Manager, Maintenance Crew, and Enforcement. Coordination with the Maintenance Crew will include larger project park maintenance scheduling. Applicants may also help with park planning and development. Applicant’s main duties will include natural resource and site management, safety practices, rule compliance, visitor services, interpretive and educational services, and monitoring of recreational use. The peak season for this part of the position is typically the end of April or beginning of May and ending in October. Hours and days will vary depending on weather, visitor use patterns, and holidays. Maintenance Worker 1, 40%25 of the job will be performing maintenance duties. The wage for this position is $23.15. Maintenance work will occur on five Fishing Access Sites (FAS) and Brush Lake State Park. May also be asked to work on other maintenance projects in other portions of Region 6. Work will include mowing, weed trimming, fencing, garbage pickup, building maintenance, latrine maintenance, and other maintenance duties. Applicants will have to work in all environmental conditions, work long hours, and varying times. Applicant must be able to work as a team, the applicant will be a member of the regional maintenance team that includes the Regional Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Team Supervisor, Maintenance Workers 1 & 2, and Groundskeepers. Applicants that have experience with many types of equipment, from small to large is a plus, along with handyman skills is desired. Operation of 4x4 pickup truck and pulling tailers is a must. Hunting Access Technician, 35%25 of the job will be working the hunting season administrating the Block Management Program. The wage for this position $21.12. This position typically runs mid-August through mid-December. Applicants must have good public speaking abilities and the ability to efficiently handle large groups of people. Must be able to work with a minimum amount of supervision in remote situations. Must be in good physical condition. Must be able to interpret maps, which depict private and public land ownership boundaries, travel routes, and use rules. Should have basic understanding and knowledge of upland game bird and big game hunting, and knowledge of hunting regulations and wildlife management. Knowledge of northeast Montana is desirable. Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to operate a 4x4 pickup truck. Other equipment duties may involve use of fencing tools, basic construction tools, computer and GPS. Working weekends and holidays are required, with typical work week being Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Requirements

Must have good social skills and the ability to work with the public.
Must be able to effectively communicate in writing and orally with a wide variety of people and personalities including ranchers, farmers, biologists, game wardens and hunters.
Must have good public speaking abilities and the ability to efficiently handle large groups of people.
Must be able to work with a minimum amount of supervision in remote situations.
Must be in good physical condition.
Must be able to interpret maps, which depict private and public land ownership boundaries, travel routes, and use rules.
Should have basic understanding and knowledge of upland game bird and big game hunting, and knowledge of hunting regulations and wildlife management.
Knowledge of northeast Montana is desirable.
Must have a driver’s license and be able to operate a 4x4 pickup truck.
The knowledge, skills, and abilities of this position are normally attained through a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in park and or recreation management, archeology, geology, or related fields.
Safe handling and operation of all types of motorized vehicles.
Knowledge of the laws, policies, and regulations under which the agency operates.
Ability to negotiate, explain, and diffuse conflict among parties with differing views and visitors frustrated with department/site rules and policy

Nice To Haves

Applicants that have experience with many types of equipment, from small to large is a plus, along with handyman skills is desired.

Responsibilities

Assist with park management, leading and developing educational programs, rules and fee compliance, and other assigned duties.
Completes administrative functions such as fee collection, banking, remittance processing, visitor surveys, enterprise sales and inventory, and applicable reservation/registration processes.
Addresses and resolves visitor conflicts and complaints.
Helps ensure safety of staff and visitors by inspecting grounds and facilities to identify hazardous conditions.
Patrols the park for rule and fee compliance.
Explains and interprets rules, policies, and laws to the public.
Assists FWP Warden and other law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of laws, rules, and regulations within the park and Fishing Access Sites.
Investigates and documents offenses and incidents in accordance with agency policy.
Informs visitors on preserving and mitigating impacts on historical, cultural, natural, and recreational resources.
Provides visitor information and assistance including people with disabilities when needed.
Assists in development and implementation of special events and regularly scheduled educational or summer program offerings.
Performs a wide variety of semi-skilled or manual work.
Repairing, maintaining, and improving existing habitat areas and vegetation as well as grounds and facilities at state parks, fishing access sites, wildlife management areas, and administrative facilities.
Operates equipment such as mowers, weed trimmers, pressure washers, pick-ups, ATVs, chainsaws, tractors, power and hand tools.
Perform basic repairs to building structures (including historic preservation at certain locations) including windows, doors, floors, walls, fences.
Scrape, paint, stain or treat building and structural surfaces including windows doors, picnic tables, shelters.
Install, repair and maintain wood, steel, wire and other types of fencing, signs, posts, kiosks, etc.
Performs landscaping activities that include mowing, tree pruning, hazardous tree/sagebrush removal, irrigation and general care and planting of lawns, shrubs and trees to provide the site with safe and appropriate vegetation to reduce weed problems.
Assists with comprehensive weed control and maintenance including grounds, campgrounds, habitat/grazing areas, picnic areas, roads, trails, and parking areas
Gathers and removes garbage, debris, litter and performs janitorial and cleaning tasks of latrines.
Performs basic preventative maintenance for equipment such as checking fluids, belts, hoses and filters and notifies others when significant repairs are required.
Records and files paperwork associated with daily maintenance activities, requesting supplies and materials, and completing vehicle reports other personnel logs and time reporting within required timeframes.
Performs manual work in maintaining roads, culverts, and bridges by using a variety of heavy and light equipment such as tractors, and hand tools.
Performs habitat development and maintenance projects such as tree planting, grazing programs, mowing, and management of irrigation systems.
Monitor FWP sites and makes public contacts, documents incidents and events related to public safety, resource impacts.
Assist Hunting Access Enhancement Coordinator with initiation of the Block Management Program season.
Utilize GPS units for public and private land signing in the region.
Meet with landowners to implement specific details of new and existing block management agreements.
Responsible for placing boundary and trail signs, distributing permission slip books, maps and signs to landowners, and installing hunter sign-in boxes in cooperation with landowners to help increase hunter awareness of current block management area rules.
Regularly meet with landowners to discuss current block management area rules on a full-time basis during the hunting season.
Check sign-in boxes on a weekly basis to determine current hunter use, restock permission slips and maps when necessary.
Patrols block management areas on a full-time basis during the hunting season.
Checks hunter compliance and provides violation information to enforcement personnel.
Responsible for removing hunter sign-in boxes, collecting permission slip booklets from landowners, and developing a report on block management activities during the post season.