News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Ian Reid will take the reins at Sisters Ranger District in December. His wife Annie will be working for the Sisters School District. photo provided
Ian Reid and his wife, Annie, haven't quite adjusted to the idea that they'll soon be living and working in Sisters.
"I can't even really put it into words," the soon-to-be Sisters District Ranger told The Nugget last week. "(We're) pinching ourselves every day to make sure we're not dreaming."
Reid is wrapping up a stint as the North Fork John Day District Ranger on the Umatilla National Forest. He will assume his duties as Sisters District Ranger on December 10. Annie is already getting started as an English Language Development teacher for the Sisters School District.
The Reids have two daughters, ages 7 and 11, and the quality of Sisters schools was an attraction, as are all of the outdoor recreation activities available to a family that loves the outdoors.
"Central Oregon is a destination area," Reid said. "Quality of life is off the charts."
The Reids are also looking forward to being closer to family; their roots are in the Willamette Valley. And Ian readily acknowledges that he's really looking forward to giving up a commute that, in winter, can rack up three hours one way - on a good day.
Reid's current post with the Umatilla National Forest puts him in a remote and relatively unpopulated area. His new posting puts him in the heart of one of the busiest recreation areas in the West, with a lot of wildland-urban interface where people live on the edge of or in the midst of forest lands.
With that in mind, Reid says he is interested in focusing on helping to build resilience in the ecosystem and balancing all of the elements that go into sustainable and accessible recreation, while being "respectful of people's desire to use public lands."
He places a high priority on building and maintaining healthy relationships and good communication between and among various agencies and entities that are involved with public lands in Sisters Country.
Reid has experience fighting fires - which, unfortunately, is likely to be tapped in a forest that has seen major fires in most years for the past decade or so.
"I know that's going to be part of the job," he said.
Reid earned a bachelor's degree in fisheries from Oregon State University and a master's degree in biology from Southern Oregon University. Reid began his Forest Service career in 1999 on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest as a district fish biologist and program manager. Through his career Reid has worked with fire, timber, mining, rangeland, wilderness, and recreation management.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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