Scott Fitzwilliams, the 15-year supervisor of the White River National Forest — the most trafficked forest in the country spanning 2.3 million acres — is resigning.
In a letter to White River employees and partners, Fitzwilliams on Thursday said it was “a very difficult decision for me given the challenges we are facing right now; but it’s the right thing for me to do at this point in my life.”
“The highlight of my 34-year career has been working with all of you. The last 15-plus years has truly been my dream job,” Fitzwilliams wrote. “It wasn’t always easy but rewarding in so many ways. I cherish the communities of this Forest. You have all been such great partners and so supportive over the years — and I think we accomplished many great things.”
Fitzwilliams, 60, has captained the White River since 2009, balancing recreation and conservation in the Rocky Mountain forest that ranks as not just the busiest, but the largest economic engine of any forest in the country.
The White River National Forest — with its 11 major ski areas, eight wilderness areas and four reservoirs — regularly hosts more than 17 million visitors a year. The forest supports more than 22,000 jobs, with forest-dependent workers in its communities — like Aspen, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Eagle, Glenwood Springs, Meeker, Rifle and Vail — earning $960 million a year, according to the Forest Service’s economic analysis of its top 111 properties. The forest’s annual impact of $1.6 billion in its communities ranks as the highest in the agency.
And the White River has been exceptionally busy, with recreational visitors nearly doubling in the past decade. Fitzwilliams navigated that tsunami of visitation — and the increasing economic role of his forest — with innovative programs and ideas that have become a model for other forests.
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3:50 AM MDT on Jul 29, 20228:45 AM MDT on Jul 31, 2022He recently began speaking up about the need to better fund a forest that produces so much for its communities, calling on federal lawmakers to pass the Ski Hills Resources for Economic Development Act — or the SHRED Act — which would allow forests to retain as much as 75% of the fees paid by ski areas in their boundaries.
The White River’s ski areas — like Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Snowmass and Vail — send the federal treasury more than $20 million a year as revenue-based rent for public lands. The SHRED Act would allow the White River to keep as much as $17 million of that, which would almost return the forest’s annual budget to where it was in the late 2000s, before wildfire costs ravaged the agency’s disbursements to individual forests.
“We see all this economic activity and money flowing out of the forest but none is flowing back in. This forest, it’s a machine and it’s a producer for us,” Fitzwilliams told The Sun in 2022. “It’s really taking care of us and it’s really giving us a lot. Maybe it’s time to give back.”
Recently Fitzwilliams has worked closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local residents around Sweetwater Lake to develop a unique plan that would have the state manage the Forest Service land with improved recreational access. After a bit of a challenging launch of the project, Fitzwilliams spent many long hours meeting with residents in the remote Sweetwater community, making sure their concerns were addressed as the project moves forward. Many of those meetings involved Fitzwilliams surrounded by not-quite-pleased residents fretting about crowds in their quiet corner of Garfield County.
Fitzwilliams often told the residents he wanted Sweetwater to be a cornerstone of his 34-year Forest Service career. His legacy includes helping habitats recover from devastating wildfires, creating unique housing programs on public land adjacent to pricey mountain towns and developing the Front Country Ranger Program, which uses local funding to support a team that cleans up and patrols heavily trafficked regions of the forest.
His resignation comes as the Trump administration dismantles federal agencies. The elimination of more than 3,400 jobs at the Forest Service — including 150 workers in Colorado — followed the Forest Service’s budget crunch and a warning last fall that the agency would not be hiring seasonal, on-the-ground workers for the coming year. On Wednesday, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore told employees he was stepping down.
“As part of a broader effort to reduce the size of the federal government, we parted ways with colleagues we worked alongside who successfully contributed to our mission, and who were valued members of our Forest Service team,” Moore wrote. “If you are feeling uncertainty, frustration, or loss, you are not alone. These are real and valid emotions that I am feeling too.”
Other forest supervisors in Colorado are hinting that they may soon resign, following Fitzwilliams. (Fitzwilliams’ letter said he was working with Forest Service officials on the transition for the White River “until a permanent forest supervisor and deputy can be hired,” suggesting that White River Deputy Supervisor Heather Noel was also resigning.)
Kathy Chandler-Henry, a recently retired 12-year Eagle County commissioner who serves on the Colorado River District Board, said the loss of Fitzwilliams “is a tremendous blow not only for the White River but the entire state.”
“He is such a thoughtful and competent leader, always looking out for the needs of the lands and communities in the White River National Forest. I saw first-hand what a difference his leadership made in the Lake Christine and Grizzly Creek fires, and he was a good partner to Eagle County on issues from Sweetwater Lake to housing to the Front Country Ranger Program,” Chandler-Henry said on Thursday. “Those skills and commitment aren’t replaceable. This gutting of the Forest Service and other land management agencies will have long-range negative impacts on our land and water, the wildlife and our economy. Fire season is coming up and we’ve lost someone with seniority, respect, and ability to manage complex situations. I understand and respect Scott’s decision but am devastated to see him go.”
Fitzwilliams declined to comment. His letter to partners and colleagues said he could be out of his office as soon as Friday “or a week or two from now.”
“The White River is a national treasure and helping steward these resources and serving our communities has been a blast. I am proud of the work we accomplished and am going to dearly miss these amazing resources,” he wrote. “But what I will miss the most is working side by side with all of you innovating, creating and solving problems.”
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