Applications NOW OPEN for USFS Positions

NATIONWIDE - After a prolonged hiring freeze and mass DOGE layoffs, the US Forest Service (USFS) has announced it is hiring for up to 2,000 summer seasonal positions during an application period that begins TODAY, February 20, 2026, and closes again March 3, 2026.

Available positions span a wide range of career fields, from recreation to natural resources to visitor services, across our National Forests, including those here in Wyoming. 

Of top priority to WWA is bringing stewardship back to our state’s fifteen Wilderness Areas, thirteen of which did not have a single Wilderness Ranger in 2025. This left millions of acres of lands designated with the highest level of protection to fend for themselves. WWA views this USFS hiring event as a critical opportunity to bring an agency presence back to our Wyoming wildlands that need and deserve it most.

WWA encourages anyone who has a commitment to stewardship, strong backcountry experience, and a love for being outdoors to apply to be a Wilderness Ranger here in Wyoming this summer. 

Here are some tips for submitting a strong and successful application, especially in light of the short, ten-day application window:

1. Build a two-page resume designed as the USFS outlines in this YouTube video. 

2. Head to USAjobs.gov and select the “Forestry Technician” job posting.

3. Applicants will be prompted to select locations to direct their applications. Below is a list of the Wilderness Areas in Wyoming, and the locations to select to be considered for them. Note that some Wilderness positions will be focused on a specific Wilderness, while others will likely focus on multiple Wilderness areas. Consider choosing your top three to four locations to increase your chances of being successful for at least one crew. Hiring of Wilderness Rangers will be dependent on having strong candidates.

4. Each National Forest will have a specific person overseeing hiring for their individual Wilderness Areas. Please consider sending a follow-up email to WWA’s National Forest Wildlands Director peggie@wildyo.org, who can help connect you directly with your manager in question. 

5. Follow all application prompts, whatever they may be. The ultimate goal is getting to do the meaningful work of supporting Wyoming’s wildlands.

WILDERNESS AREAS IN WYOMING:

Absaroka-Beartooth,

North-Absoroka,

& Washakie Wilderness Areas 

(North Zone, Shoshone National Forest)

Select- Cody, WY

Teton Wilderness 

(Black Rock District, Bridger-Teton National Forest)

Select- Moran, WY 

Gros Ventre Wilderness 

(Jackson District, Bridger-Teton National Forest)

Select- Jackson, WY 

Bridger Wilderness 

(Pinedale District, Bridger-Teton National Forest)

Select- Pinedale, WY

Fitzpatrick,

& Popo Agie Wilderness Areas 

(South Zone, Shoshone National Forest)

Select- Dubois, WY

Cloud Peak Wilderness 

(Big Horn National Forest)

Select - Sheridan, WY 

Huston Park, 

Encampment River,

Savage Run,

& Platte River Wilderness Areas

(Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest)

Select- Laramie and Saratoga, WY

Jedediah-Smith Wilderness

Select- Driggs, ID

WWA believes that joining the USFS as a Wilderness Ranger can be a turning point in any life or career, and of particular importance now, helps reverse the harm done through the elimination of a huge swath of our Public Lands workforce in the past year. 

Getting boots back on the ground in Wyoming’s wildlands will happen one application at a time, so please, submit yours today.