After a 23-year multidisciplined career in the U.S. Forest Service that has taken him to multiple western states, Rob Davies is the new Hungry Horse-Glacier View District ranger.

“I’ve had a nice long career,” Davies said. “I’ve been in a lot of western states ... not by plan, it just kind of happens.”

The 54-year-old came to the Flathead Valley in October from the Gallatin National Forest at West Yellowstone, replacing retired Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera. Davies is pleased with his new post.

“Being in an area with such amazing outdoor opportunities, I have a million hobbies ... Being able to raise my kids in an area with such incredible opportunities is definitely exciting,” said Davies, who has a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son with his wife Joyce.

Another attraction to the job is being in a leadership position.

“I really like working with people. This staff, the employees here, are just outstanding,” said Davies, noting that having a strong, problem-free staff isn’t always guaranteed. “People don’t like to leave here. People tend to stick around, and it’s really nice to have that expertise. That longevity makes everything go easier.”

Davies spent most of his career outside Forest Service management. He started at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Colorado before going to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where he worked on water quality and fisheries management. That sparked him to pursue a second degree in fisheries science; that led to fisheries positions on the Ochoco National Forest in Oregon and the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah.

While in Utah, Davies immersed himself in a joint project with the state on restoration of native Colorado River cutthroat trout.

“I love developing the relationships that lead to joint projects,” he said.

Davies returned to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, this time taking up a position in hydrology.

“It’s a completely different discipline,” he said. “I was exposed to a lot of timber harvest activity, a lot of complicated water-quality issues.”

After six year there, he transferred to the Gallatin National Forest for a resource assistant position that involved managing recreation, wilderness and special uses.

“Everything up to 2007, I had worked in the science world,” Davies said, adding that the job at West Yellowstone presented new challenges with some similarities to the district ranger position at Hungry Horse.

Both places have extensive snowmobile and cross-country skiing trail networks. Both are proximate to wilderness areas and Hegben Reservoir has similarities to the numerous Forest Service campgrounds and boat launches on Hungry Horse Reservoir.

“The Forest Service mission is to serve the public and protect resources ... I really learned about serving the public,” Davies said. He partnered with a variety of organizations for large snowmobiling and cross-country skiing events that drew commerce to the region.

Forest Service lands and facilities can be “really important” to driving commerce, Davies said. “We have great opportunities here.”

Although he’s been on the job just a few months, Davies can see challenge s on the horizon. The Flathead National Forest will be pursuing a Forest Plan revision with a public outreach effort getting underway in the spring.

“That’s a huge effort and we’re really trying to establish the collaboration partners and as many people as possible,” he said.

The Flathead also will be pursuing a new Wild and Scenic River management plan for the North, Middle and South forks of the Flathead river system.

The current plan, he said, is outdated and is focused only on floating.

“There’s camping, day use, fishing access ... a lot of other recreational activities that aren’t addressed very well,” he said.

The Forest Service will work with Glacier National Park, among other partners, in developing a draft plan to be rolled out sometime this summer or fall.

The Hungry Horse-Glacier View District and the Spotted Bear Ranger District are starting an analysis for a large-scale timber management project that will straddle both districts east of Hungry Horse Reservoir.

And Davies expects ongoing challenges for the Forest Service nationwide in operating with less funding and fewer people in the future.

“There’s a real struggle to try to figure out how we can keep up the quality of work we do with less funding and less people,” he said.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.