Forest Service Chief Jack Ward Thomas will be
teaching wildlife biology instead of administering the nation’s
forests next winter.
Thomas announced in October
his retirement from the Forest Service; he plans to accept an
endowed professorship at the University of Montana in
Missoula.
Thomas refused to comment on the
political intrigue that has ruled the agency since he took the
reins three years ago, only saying, “My long-term objective was to
retire at 62.” He also said he missed living in the West. “There
are damn few elk (in Washington, D.C.).”
Thomas
said the mission of the Forest Service had been “confused by the
interaction of laws, regulations, court cases and management
decisions by the Congress and administration.” He said the agency
had been politicized over a number of
administrations.
Reaction to Thomas’ resignation
was mixed. Jim Riley of the Inter Mountain Forest Industry
Association of Idaho and Montana said Thomas’ agency had become a
political pawn of the White House. “I was disappointed that the
Forest Service didn’t galvanize behind Thomas’ leadership,” he
said
Though touted by some as a strong
environmentalist, Andy Stahl, director of the Association of Forest
Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, says Thomas wasn’t a
green leader. “As far as Jack was concerned, none of the bad press
the Forest Service received had anything to do with its
performance,” says Stahl. “He was a cheerleader, but the agency
needed a coach.”
*Mark
Matthews
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Forest chief resigns.
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