Scott Snelson has been selected as the new Spotted Bear District Ranger and will start his tenure on Dec. 10. He replaces Deb Starling Mucklow, who retired earlier this year after a long career with the Forest Service.

“Snelson brings a wealth of leadership, knowledge and skills to the Forest,” Forest Supervisor Chip Weber said. “His background is a wonderful fit for this diverse and complex district.”

Snelson currently serves as the Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Dillon.

Before moving to Dillon, Snelson was the district ranger for the Laurentian District of the Superior National Forest in the Arrowhead Region of Northern Minnesota. As district ranger on the Superior, he oversaw large scale vegetation management and restoration programs.

Snelson also served as a District Ranger in the White River National Forest of Colorado, where he oversaw a complex mix of wilderness, restoration, vegetation management, mining, gas and oil permitting, and high-profile ski hill operations.

Snelson previously spent 16 years in Montana, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Montana State University in biological sciences. Early in his career he worked as a Forest Service trail crew foreman in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and as a firefighter.

Snelson’s wife Heidi is a Northwest Montana native, the daughter of a district ranger in Northwest Montana. Heidi is an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast. She served as a para-educator with the Sitka School District, and was a botany technician for the Forest Service in Colorado. The couple has two adult daughters; the older is a forestry graduate from the University of Montana in Missoula, and the younger works for the Montana Heritage Commission.

“Thankfully, we’ve had some great leaders step up and fill in as the acting Spotted Bear District Ranger,” said Weber. “Seth Carbonari, the Spotted Bear Fire Management Officer, just finished a four-month detail, and Gordon Ash from the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest will be filling in for the next few months until Scott arrives.”