Silver City, NM; October 31, 2011 With the recent retirement of former Wilderness District Ranger Al Koss, Gila Forest Supervisor Kelly Russell has announced the Acting District Ranger. "I am very pleased to welcome Kendall Brown as the Acting Ranger on the Wilderness Ranger District (RD) and expect that his prior work experience on the Gila National Forest and his existing relationships with community citizens in Grant County will serve the District and the Forest well," states Forest Supervisor Russell.

Prior to his current temporary assignment as Acting Wilderness District Ranger, Brown is employed at the Glenwood Ranger District as District Range/Recreation staff and will return to this position when the new District Ranger is selected. Brown came to the Forest over a year ago from the Coronado National Forest in Tucson, Arizona, as Forest Range Program Manager.

Brown is a New Mexico native and is excited to be back and working on the Gila. " I am especially excited to be returning to the Ranger District where I got my start in the Forest Service and am looking forward to seeing familiar people and places as well as getting to know new ones. I also look forward to the learning opportunity of serving as the Acting District Ranger and getting to know folks in the Mimbres Valley, Gila Hot Springs, and surrounding area," says Brown.

His Forest Service career started in 1992 as a summer seasonal wilderness patrol/trails on the Wilderness RD at which time was located at Gila Center about 5 miles south of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. He also worked on the Luna, Glenwood, and Wilderness RDs as a seasonal employee in fire management, range, and wildlife. After earning a BS from WNMU and MS in Wildlife/Rangeland Ecology from Oklahoma State University, he worked three years on the Santa Fe NF and seven years on the Coronado NF.

Brown's spouse, Ellen, also a New Mexico native, works for the Forest in Fire Prevention/Education. "During our spare time, we enjoy spending time with our two boys doing outdoor activities in beautiful southwest New Mexico," adds Brown.