Matt Anderson, District Ranger for the Craig and Thorne Bay Districts on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, will take over as Supervisor on March 18th.
“I am excited to welcome Matt to the Northern Region as the new Forest Supervisor on the Bitterroot National Forest,” said Regional Forester Leanne Marten. Matt brings with him a wealth of natural resource experience and a strong desire to work collaboratively with community members, local and state governments and tribes. His outstanding conservation background and service-oriented approach to the communities served by the Bitterroot makes Matt a wonderful addition to our team.”
Anderson, who grew up in rural Iowa has been a district ranger in Alaska on the Tongass National Forest for six years. He also served in details as Forest Supervisor on the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah and Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Tongass.
Prior to being a District Ranger, Matt worked for the BLM as a field manager, associate field manager, and planner in Wyoming and Colorado. He started his natural resource career in a variety of seasonal positions with the BLM and Idaho Fish and Game including fighting fire, doing wildlife surveys, marking timber, and working in recreation. He has also worked on ranches, in construction, and commercial fishing.
Matt graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s of Science and received a Masters of Public Administration from Colorado University at Denver. He was a very successful collegiate wrestler at Iowa, and was part of two national championship teams for the Hawkeyes. Another passion of Matt’s has been sled dog racing. He finished the famous thousand-mile Iditarod race across Alaska in 2007.
Matt and his wife Blaire, who is an elementary school teacher, enjoy anything outdoors — hunting, fishing, cycling, skate-skiing, and hiking with their silver lab. They have a daughter Aleah and son Asher.
“My family and I are thrilled to be moving to the Bitterroot,” Matt said. “Because of the communities, schools, and outdoor opportunities, it’s a place we have wanted to call home for a long time and where we’re excited to raise our kids. The people and communities remind Blaire and me of where we grew up in rural Iowa with the added benefit of mountains, forests, and rivers.”
Anderson went on to say, “My experience has been when the agency and communities get aligned, a lot of work can get accomplished in managing the forest, improving forest health, and contributing to local jobs and the economy. I’m interested to hear from as many people as I can about what their interests are for their National Forest. I plan to be out and about listening to what insight folks have about the history of the Bitterroot and future of managing these lands and how we can best do that together.”