Partner
Hebgen Lake Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service
I have been the District Ranger on the Hebgen Lake Ranger District of the Custer Gallatin National Forest since June, 2015. I joined the U.S. Forest Service in 2007, and have also worked on the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming and the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests in Colorado. I’m originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went to college at Michigan Technological University, so living in a cold and snowy place like West Yellowstone often makes me feel like I am back home. My goal is to ensure that the Rendezvous Ski Trails continue to be a community asset well into the future. My hope is that by experiencing the Rendezvous Ski Trails, that people understand the importance of public lands in general and the recreational opportunities that exist on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. While the Forest Service is the steward and land manager, the quality of the Rendezvous Trail System today is the result of the partnership among the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation, the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce, and U.S. Forest Service. The partnership is a model of how community-focused organizations can work with land managers to cooperatively manage and operate a recreational area on federal lands. My favorite summer activities include boating on Hebgen Lake with my wife Toni and our sons and family backpacking trips into the Sawtooth Wilderness. In winters, you have to embrace all that a place like West has to offer, which is what we do. As for Nordic skiing, I am a work in progress. I love doing it, just not very efficient at it, yet!