"Will's unusually broad and varied background has prepared him well for the top leadership post on the Cleveland National Forest, and he is very deserving of this promotion," said Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Bernie Weingardt. "With wide-ranging assignments including Hotshot firefighter, District Ranger and Peace Corps forester, Will brings with him a wealth of knowledge. He has also shown great success in working with tribes, various interest groups and diverse cultures. His abilities and experience will be of great value to the employees, public and the land."
Saint Vincent RPCV Will Metz will be the new Supervisor of the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego
Will Metz Named As Cleveland National Forest Supervisor
A photograph of new Forest Supervisor, Will Metz.
VALLEJO, Calif., Aug. 23, 2007--Will Metz, currently Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Six Rivers National Forest (NF) in northwestern California, will be the new Supervisor of the Cleveland NF in San Diego, US Forest Service officials announced today.
"Will's unusually broad and varied background has prepared him well for the top leadership post on the Cleveland National Forest, and he is very deserving of this promotion," said Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Bernie Weingardt. "With wide-ranging assignments including Hotshot firefighter, District Ranger and Peace Corps forester, Will brings with him a wealth of knowledge. He has also shown great success in working with tribes, various interest groups and diverse cultures. His abilities and experience will be of great value to the employees, public and the land."
Metz, 51, was born and raised in a small farming community in upstate New York. In 1977, after graduating from SUNY Morrisville with an A.A.S. degree in Natural Resources Conservation, he headed west to California for his first FS job as a crewleader for a Young Adult Conservation Corps program on the Los Padres NF. From 1979 to 1987, he worked on the Six Rivers, Shasta-Trinity and Los Padres NFs across California in a number of firefighter positions, as an engine crewmember, Hotshot crewmember and in helitack, including helitack lead crewperson. He also worked in timber preparation and silviculture. During that time, he graduated from Humboldt State University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management.
In 1988, he took a leave of absence from FS to join the Peace Corps as a forester on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. Returning to FS in 1990, he served as recreation staff officer and then a forester on two ranger districts of the Los Padres. During that time, he had several FS international forestry assignments, developing mangrove management plans in the Pacific Islands.
In 1999, he became the acting Monterey District Ranger on the Los Padres NF. He accepted a District Ranger position on the Osceola NF in Florida two years later, and returned to California in 2003 for his current position on the Six Rivers NF. Since then, he has also taken temporary assignments as acting Forest Supervisor of the Six Rivers and Plumas NFs.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be going to the Cleveland National Forest," Metz said. I especially look forward to working with the exceptional group of employees there, as we meet the challenges and opportunities facing our public lands in southern California. I also have a great appreciation for the publics we serve there, and will be eager to continue and expand upon our collaborative parternships and stewardship programs with local communities and cooperators."
"In many ways, I view this new assignment as a return to my initial FS roots," Metz added. "Having started my career in southern California and returning periodically over the years in a variety of positions, I have a strong connections and commitment to conserving and protecting the outstanding natural resources on the Cleveland National Forest."
Metz will be joined by his wife Jasmin, whom he met while in the Peace Corps. In addition to his work, he enjoys salt and freshwater fishing and playing his guitars. Metz's reporting date is Sept. 30. He replaces Tina Terrell, who became Supervisor of the Sequoia NF in March.
