Missoula News

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Lolo National Forest’s Missoula District Gets New Ranger

By Courtney Lowery, 5-15-09

Paul Matter, the ranger from the Willamette National Forest in Oregon is the new Missoula District Ranger for the Lolo National Forest.

According to the press release just sent from the Lolo National Forest, Matter will take over near the end of June.

Last October, Maggie Pittman, who had served as the District Ranger for four years, was selected Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

The full release is below:

Paul Matter Selected as Missoula District Ranger

Missoula, MT. – The Lolo National Forest has selected Paul Matter, currently District Ranger on the Detroit Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, as the new Missoula District Ranger.

Matter received a Bachelor of Science in forestry from Michigan State University in 1979. He also completed a two year program in forest engineering from Oregon State University in 1991. His first Forest Service job was with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 1976, as a seasonal surveying aid. He later worked as a firefighter with the Texas Canyon Hotshots on the Angeles National Forest in California, and beginning in 1979 worked for several years on the Eldorado National Forest in the Lake Tahoe area of northern California.

Matter worked on the Eldorado and then Klamath National Forests for ten years, starting out as forestry technician. He then accepted a position on the Sitka Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest in 1991 as the Supervisory Forester. In 1998 he was selected as the Hoonah District Ranger on the Tongass and served there until accepting the Detroit District Ranger position.

Reflecting on his past assignments, Matter said his time in Hoonah, Alaska was especially memorable to him and his family.

“My family and I loved and thrived in Hoonah, it was a great place to raise a family...and living, and working in a Native Alaskan village is an experience our family will always treasure,” Matter said.

As he prepares for his new assignment, Matter noted that he enjoys the challenges and opportunities that come with being a District Ranger, where “we have an obligation to preserve and maintain our natural resources for the enjoyment of future generations.”

“I love being a District Ranger, Matter said. “It’s the best job in the whole agency for connecting with employees, local communities, and still maintaining a tie to the field.”

As he prepares to move to Montana, Matter said his new job fits with his philosophy to seek new opportunity and contribute to building partnerships with local communities.

“I’m a person who believes in lifelong learning and always challenging oneself. The Lolo National Forest and the Missoula Community have a reputation for being a wonderful place to live…it has an enthusiastic, involved community. I look forward to the challenge of tapping into such an exciting place, learning about an unfamiliar ecosystem, and partnering with local citizens.”

Matter is expected to be in his new position by the end of June.

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