Flathead Forest taps Botello as new supervisor

A longtime Forest Service leader is set to take charge of the Flathead National Forest in 2024.

Anthony Botello was named supervisor of the 2.4-million acre Flathead Forest on Monday. He has been the deputy forest supervisor for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in northeast Oregon since April 2020. His anticipated start date is Dec. 31. 

Botello replaces Kurt Steele, who in June resigned from the Flathead Forest’s top post after nearly 3 1/2 years at the helm.

“I am honored to be joining the Flathead National Forest and the Northern Region,” Botello said in a press release. “The thought of helping steward the world class resources and landscapes on the Flathead and working with community and tribal partners here is incredibly exciting. My family and I are eager to get to the Flathead Valley and join the forest and the community.”

Botello began his Forest Service career in 1988 on the Sierra National Forest, according to the release. He spent the majority of his 35-year tenure with the Forest Service in central Idaho, and has also held positions in California, Oregon, Utah and Montana. He has been in leadership roles for almost half of his career.

He started as a wilderness ranger and soon became a backcountry animal packer on the Rogue River National Forest. He was a snow ranger and permit administrator that led to being a part of a Forest Service Incident Management Team that hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games at Snowbasin Resort in Utah. He also spent several years as an active firefighter, experienced sawyer, helicopter crew member and wildland fire crew boss.

Botello graduated from California State University, Chico with a degree in natural resources management – recreation management. He met his wife, Alexandra, while at Chico.

Outside of work, Botello said he enjoys playing baseball, coaching and officiating, and that he plans to take part in Northwest Montana’s hunting, fishing and outdoor opportunities.

Botello will be the Flathead Forest’s third supervisor since 2019. Prior to Steele, Chip Weber led the department for nearly a decade.

Steele left the Flathead Forest to take a post at the federal agency’s regional office in Missoula. His departure came amid contentious debates over use of the forest, including efforts to expand Holland Lake Lodge in the Swan Valley.