Regarding the article “Where have all the rangers
gone?” (HCN, 12/26/05: Where have all the rangers gone?): During my
nearly 30-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, it was very
disturbing to observe many dedicated professional wildland managers
being forced to change from a situation where nearly all were in
the field, managing the forest resources with which they were
intimately acquainted, to a situation where many of these same
individuals were confined to desks, writing plans and responses to
lawsuits.
Lawsuits and appeals were ongoing at every
stage of the forest-planning process. While some of these
challenges were brought by timber harvest organizations, most were
by individuals interested in protecting their favorite recreation
or hunting area, or by environmental organizations interested in
advancing their objectives.
Today’s Forest Service
operates with a much smaller number of employees, and most find a
large portion of their working hours spent responding to appeals
and lawsuits. It is little wonder that a district ranger, as
described in your article, would prefer to warn individuals with
motorized vehicles behind a “trail closed” sign rather than issue a
citation, use office time to write up the incident, and perhaps
spend a day appearing in court.
Anyone who wonders why
the Forest Service employees who once were present to respond to
their needs are no longer available, should review what effect past
actions may have had to create this situation. The fact is that a
large number of these rangers have either left for other employment
or have retired, or are deskbound by all the current legal
requirements.
Jack D. Cheney
Jr.
Lander, Wyoming
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Why are all the rangers deskbound?.
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