Bonacker named acting ranger for Sisters

When USFS Ranger Bill Anthony retires, he'll be leaving the Sisters Ranger District in good hands. Rod Bonacker, of Sisters, will become the acting ranger until a full-time ranger can be assigned to Sisters.

Bonacker began work with the Forest Service in 1974 on the Bend Ranger District fire crew, and over the next few years, he supervised helitack fire crews on the Deschutes National Forest and the Toiyabe National Forest in the California Sierras until 1981.

He moved to Sisters soon after that to manage the district's prescribed fire program. Rod also served as an assistant fire management officer at Sisters, Bend, and Fort Rock until 1989, when he left fire to become a forest resource planner.

Bonacker's life got very busy as the team leader for the Metolius Wild and Scenic River Plan, and he led teams on the first watershed level strategic plans on the District. Rod's management activities hit high gear beginning in 1996, when he was chosen to be the project manager for hydropower relicensing projects at Pelton Round Butte, where he led the combined Forest Service and BLM teams over the multi-year negotiations.

His current responsibilities are as forest special projects coordinator, managing the Forest Service environmental analysis and permitting process for the geothermal program at Newberry Caldera, and the City of Bend's Surface Water Improvement Project.

It's hard for an old fire-fighter to stay away from smoke for long; Bonacker maintains a connection with fire by serving as an operations section chief on the Central Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team.

Bonacker served as past president of the Deschutes Land Trust, and currently serves on their board of directors. He is married to Sisters Ranger District ecologist Maret Pajutee and has two grown sons.

Retiring Ranger Bill Anthony said, "Rod is a great choice to step in as acting district ranger until the new district ranger is selected and arrives. He knows the district like the back of his hand, and is well connected with the employees and the community, and he's well respected and has great leadership skills."