Kootenai Forest gets new leader

A new supervisor has been picked for the Kootenai National Forest.

Northern Regional Forester Faye Krueger on Friday announced the  selection of Chris Savage, who is currently the assistant director of watershed, fish and aquatic ecology programs at Forest Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. He is scheduled to start work in Libby on June 2.

“I think Chris is an incredible fit for the forest supervisor position in Libby,” Krueger said. “One of the things that stood out to me was his collaborative work with the community on forest and salmon habitat restoration projects during his time in Alaska. Also, during his time in Washington, D.C., he played a major role in the development of a public-private partnership between the Forest Service, Coca-Cola and the National Forest Foundation to help initiate watershed restoration work in areas around the country.”

Savage says he’s looking forward to returning to a region where he spent five years of his Forest Service career. He worked 80 miles to the west in Sandpoint, Idaho, as a hydrologist for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

“I feel very fortunate to be heading to a forest with so many dedicated and passionate employees, and being in an area where the national forest plays an important role,” Savage said. “Our public lands area highly valued for creating jobs and providing outstanding recreation and I’m very excited about the opportunities the Kootenai National Forest offers the neighboring communities.”

Prior to his position in Washington, Savage spent seven years on the Tongass National Forest in Alaska as a district ranger. In addition to his time on the Idaho Panhandle, he worked seven years on the Ashley and Boise national forests as a hyrdrologist. He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in watershed science.

He will succeed Brad Powell, who retired in February.