Growing up in Arvada and embarking on family camping trips, Tammy Angel would always have a sketchbook on hand. “My thing was to always draw pictures,” she said. “Look around and catch fish and draw pictures.” Now Angel is helping to craft the future of this state’s wilds and also those of Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.
She is the U.S. Forest Service’s new acting forester of the Rocky Mountain region, encompassing 22 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The third-generation Colorado native and 1989 graduate of Colorado School of Mines has spent the past three years as a deputy forester in the region, tasked with managing budgets, grants and multiple uses of lands from recreation to extraction. She previously worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and National Park services.
Angel’s “acting” title, putting her in charge of more than 2,000 employees, could last anywhere from a couple of months to many more, she said. “It’s an opportunity,” she said. “It’s being able to demonstrate leadership at a different level. … Being able to coordinate with the Washington office and making sure that we are doing what we need to be doing in this region.” To view the full article visit the Gazette.