Superior Forest Ranger moving to Alaska

MINERAL COUNTY – Mineral County is losing a Forest Service employee who has spent the last four years championing the cause of reforming land management practices that would have a wide array of benefits for the region. And it turns out, Mineral County’s loss is Ketchikan, Alaska’s gain.

That’s where Forest Service Ranger Tawyna Brummett is going to take over as Deputy Forest Supervisor for the largest national forest in the entire country. For the last four years, Brummett has occupied a position in Mineral County that put her in a position to work on behalf of the public, working tirelessly to engage the community, stakeholders, Mineral County officials and others in land management issues.

Brummett recalled her first week in Mineral County in the summer of 2011 as District Ranger as one in which she had to immediately handle the kind of crisis her work since has tried to prevent.

“My very first day of work we had 14 lightning started fires,” Brummett said. “We had people headed out to all those fires and it was chaos going on. It was a crazy busy time.”

Brummett said, when she reflects on her time in Mineral County, the thing she was most proud of was continuing the tradition of collaboration between the Forest Service and the community.

“I’m proud of the relationship the district has with the community and I’m just a small part of that,” Brummett said. “I didn’t create that. That was already here. I think we were able to keep an open mind with how to handle things.”

Brummett credited the team she works with at the Forest Service with much of the success in accomplishing a wide variety of projects in the area during her tenure in Mineral County.

“These guys are such work horses,” Brummett said. “I’ve never worked with a group of people who were such hard workers. Nothing compares to the work ethic these people have and the pride they take into their tasks every day. Everybody takes service to the public very seriously.”

While her new position is a promotion and she said she was excited about her new opportunity, Brummett said she was going to miss the community of Superior and Mineral County.

“One of the first things I noticed about this place is people here take a really active approach to change,” Brummett said. “They know that the Forest Service plays a really big role here and the people here are really committed to putting the community in a better place. Folks here are so determined to make something good happen and they are so involved. I think it’s great. I really want to thank the community for welcoming me and my family. It really meant a lot to me. This was a place that felt like home and I hope to be back someday.”