Spotted Bear ranger named Forester of Year

The Flathead Chapter of the Society of American Foresters has honored Deb Mucklow with the 2016 Field Forester of the Year award.

Mucklow has worked for the Flathead National Forest since 1988 and became the district ranger at Spotted Bear in 1999. The Field Forester of the Year Award recognizes excellence in the field, application of forestry, an understanding of forest science and the adaptive management process to achieve landowner objectives and insure forest sustainability.

“Even though she finds herself behind the desk dealing with the administrative day-to-day of running a ranger district, she never misses the opportunity to get on a horse or strap on a backpack and get out on her district to see what is going on,” her colleagues wrote in nominating her for the award. “She is well acquainted with the land she is charged with managing.”

The award was presented to Mucklow on Dec. 9 by chapter chair Brad French. As the leader of a forest district comprising 80 percent congressionally designated wilderness, Mucklow has been honored with multiple local and national wilderness awards.

She has been recognized by the Inter-agency Grizzly Bear Council for her work on the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem recovery plan, has received the Flathead Chapter Citizen Forester of the Year award in 1996 and has been an active chapter member throughout her career.