Ranger

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Ranger

Reports To: North Area Manager

Department: North Area Shop - Sugar River

Salary Range: $18.00 - $28.00 per hour (Based on Qualifications)

FLSA Status: Full-time, Nonexempt (Hourly)

Revision: January 2025

POSITION SUMMARY
This entry-level position serves as a caretaker of the forest preserves with responsibility for maintenance, cleanliness, safety, and accessibility of greenspace. In addition, this role assists the Senior Ranger and Area Manager as necessary and appropriate, as well as customer service support, as this position is often the initial contact person for the public. Typical winter hours are weekdays 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., no weekends (except for on-call snowplowing on a rotating basis). Summer hours are from 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekdays, with rotating weekend/holidays required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Performs daily cleaning and maintenance on grounds, parking lots, roadways, picnic shelters and outhouses to ensure their safety and cleanliness, which includes, but is not limited to, picking up litter, emptying trash cans, washing or cleaning facilities, repairing vandalism, and posting shelter or camp site reservations.
• Mows and maintains all turfed and landscaped areas in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Operates, transports, and maintains ground maintenance equipment in a safe and appropriate manner.
• Opens and/or closes and locks up preserve equipment, shops, and gates on a daily basis.
• Effectively communicates with customers to inform them of rules and regulations to ensure their well-being.
• Maintains trails by pruning, clearing, mowing, picking up litter, filling holes, replacing signage, etc.
• Assists with the planting, pruning, and removal of trees and other foliage to ensure their health and vigor using appropriate arboriculture skills and techniques.
• Conducts water sampling and completes well treatments to provide safe and healthy drinking water.
• Assists the Senior Ranger and/or other employees with general construction work involving basic carpentry, concrete, roofing, plumbing, and electrical.
• Cleans waterways and retrieves debris from floods, vandalism, and general litter using boat, canoe, or waders.
• Checks property boundaries and posts boundary signs.
• Plows and shovels snow and spreads sand and salt to roads, paths, sidewalks, and parking lots.
• Provides support to volunteer groups, seasonal staff, other Rangers, Senior Rangers, and other employees, as necessary and appropriate.
• Collects camp fees in a professional and timely manner.
• Applies herbicides to unwanted vegetation and assists with prescribed burns.
• Alerts and assists law enforcement as needed.
• Assists Senior Ranger/Area Manager in completing all required reports and inspections in a timely and effective manner.
• Maintains regular attendance and punctuality.
• Adheres to all risk management and safety programs.

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED FOR THE ROLE
Must have a basic knowledge of arboriculture, horticulture, and land preservation, as well as conservation techniques and principles and Forest Preserve policies and regulations. Must have the ability to communicate effectively with the public, and to communicate with and work safely, collaboratively, efficiently and effectively with other Forest Preserve employees.

QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions unless undue hardship and/or a direct threat to the health and/or safety of the individual or others would result.

• A valid Driver’s License is required.
• Must possess a valid Illinois Pesticide Operator’s License under the supervision of a person holding a valid Illinois Pesticide Applicator’s License, or obtain within six (6) months of date of hire.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
A High School diploma or general education degree (GED) is required, in addition to one (1) to three (3) years of related experience and/or training or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Associate’s Degree or Two-Year Technical Certificate in Horticulture, Biology, Environmental Science, Parks & Recreation or other relevant field is preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports in an organized manner. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, customers, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

REASONING ABILITY
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with and effectively respond to a range of variable factors in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

MACHINES, TOOLS, AND EQUIPMENT
Operates and maintains trucks, lawn mowers (riding and push), trailers, tractors, snow plows, loaders, wood chippers, chain saws, boats, canoes, ladders and all other related landscape and carpentry tools hand and power tools.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions (assuming that they do not result in an undue hardship to the Forest Preserves and/or create a direct threat of harm to the employee and/or to others).

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee is occasionally required to sit. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions (assuming that they do not result in an undue hardship to the Forest Preserves and/or create a direct threat of harm to the employee and/or to others). While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts, outside weather conditions, and vibration. The employee is frequently exposed to high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $18.00 - $28.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Compensation Package:

• Hourly pay

Physical Setting:

• Outdoor work

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Holidays
• Monday to Friday
• Rotating weekends

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18 - $28