Curtis Booher was recently selected as the District Ranger for the Flaming Gorge/Vernal Ranger District on the Ashley National Forest in Manila, Utah.
Curtis described his new assignment as a “dream come true” and stated, “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to serve at such a national treasure”, citing the Uinta Mountains, the Green River, the boundless landscape and gorgeous Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
Initial goals for Curtis in his new role as District Ranger include sustaining and enhancing forest restoration, collaboration, tribal consultation and recreation management. He added that he is looking forward to working with the local communities, businesses and partners in providing a multitude of opportunities, experiences and services.
Curtis has a combined background in natural resource management and public safety. He spent much of his early career as a firefighter and law enforcement ranger with the National Park Service and California State Parks. He also worked for state and municipal agencies as an investigator and detective. He returned to natural resource management with the Bureau of Land Management in 2010 as a ranger in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada, and as lead river ranger on the Deschutes and John Day Rivers in Central Oregon. He has also served as an acting deputy district ranger and recreation manager on the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in NE Oregon, and a natural resource specialist on the Six Rivers National Forest in northern California. Curtis most recently served as a district ranger on the Coronado National Forest in Arizona.
Curtis received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in social science/organizational administration with a minor in natural resource management. Curtis and his wife Maureen have six grown children and six grandchildren. They are looking forward to hiking, hunting, fishing, boating and kayaking with their family, and making new friends and acquaintances in the area. Curtis and his wife Maureen are enjoying the brisk weather and beautiful scenery as they settle into Manila, Utah with their two dogs.