Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2005

Source: Smithsonian Institution

How participants were selected

In order to choose participants in the festival, approximately 430 employees and partners of the Forest Service around the country were interviewed and videotaped. These interviews are a delightful snapshot in time of the agency and its people on the eve of the Forest Service Centennial. The Forest Service and the Folklife Festival deposited the original videotapes in the archives of the Forest History Society for long-term preservation. We are in the process of transcribing the 85 or so interviews of people who were selected to participate in the festival and will make them available through this site.

The Participants

Susan Adams, Oxford, Mississippi; Research Fisheries Biologist [PDF]
Susan Adams wades, snorkels, and uses boats in studying the behavior and ecology of fish, crayfish, and amphibians in streams and rivers in the Southeast and Montana as part of her duties at the Southern Research Station, Center for Bottomland Hardwood Research.

Alvin "Ag" Anderson, Cloverdale, Oregon; Firefighter and Ranger [PDF]
“Ag” Anderson went to work for the Forest Service the day after he graduated from high school in 1942, and apart from a stint in the Navy, stayed with them until his retirement in July 1977. Ag reflects on what changed and what remained constant over more than thirty years as a firefighter and ranger for the Forest Service in Oregon.

Berneice Anderson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Patrol Commander [PDF]
Berneice Anderson is Patrol Commander for the Forest Service's Eastern Region, which covers twenty states. She holds degrees in criminal justice and sociology, and previously worked as a Law Enforcement officer in the Wayne National Forest (Ohio) and Shawnee National Forest (Illinois). She has also served on the Regional Multicultural Team as the coordinator for the African American Special Emphasis Program.

John Anhold, Flagstaff, Arizona ; Forest Entomologist [PDF]
John Anhold travels around Arizona assessing the state's five national forests. He is particularly concerned with the threats that insects, noxious weeds, and invasive species pose to the forests' health and well-being. Anhold's father, a retired Forest Service employee, taught his sons the art of Dutch oven cooking, which Anhold and his wife Linda Wadleigh, also a Forest Service employee, continue to practice.

Donna Ashworth, Flagstaff, Arizona ; Fire Lookout Tower [PDF]
Donna Ashworth has spent 21 years working as a fire tower lookout at Woody Mountain Fire Lookout in the Coconino National Forest. Over the course of her career, Ashworth has become an expert at distinguishing forms of smoke and at quickly pinpointing the location of wildfires. Now she can easily tell whether a distant plume means trouble or is just the westbound diesel train leaving Flagstaff .

Barbara Balen, Calaveras Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest : District Heritage Specialist and Interpretive Program Manager [PDF]
Barbara Balen works closely with local Native American communities on the protection, traditional use, and interpretation of botanical and archaeological resources.

Billy Ball, Lufkin,Texas: Criminal Investigator [PDF]
Billy Ball was hired as a criminal investigator for the Forest Service in January 1974 and worked in that capacity until December 1997 when he reached mandatory retirement age. In his years as a criminal investigator Ball saw beautiful land and ugly human behavior as he worked almost everywhere in the United States on cases involving archaeological disputes, drugs, arson, and more.

Ian Barlow, Nez Perce National Forest, Idaho ; Wilderness Ranger, Forest Service Packer [PDF]
A recent recipient of the Forest Service Chief's Award, Ian Barlow works as a wilderness ranger and animal packer at the Nez Perce National Forest. Barlow is an expert in the use of many kinds of traditional tools, including crosscut saws and axes. His familiarity with rigging methods for moving large or heavy objects is invaluable in areas of the forest where motorized equipment is prohibited.

Joy Barney, Stanislaus National Forest ; California, Interpretive Ranger [PDF]
Joy works as part of an interpretive team on the Stanislaus National Forest . She especially enjoys presenting programs about wildlife and ecosystems to younger visitors, and makes liberal use of music and storytelling to get her messages across. Her interactive program topics include the water cycle, fire cycle, and resource protection.

Dan Bauer, Washington, D.C. ; Chief of the Border Security and Drug Coordination Branch in the Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior [PDF]
Dan Bauer formerly served as the Forest Service's National Drug Program Coordinator and Acting Assistant Director for Homeland Security. His career with the Forest Service began in 1976 as a firefighter in Montana, before he shifted to law enforcement.

Robert Beckley, Technology and Development Center, Missoula, Montana ; Project Leader & Photographer, Former Smokejumper [PDF]
Beckley discusses his varied roles in the Forest Service, including a smokejumping career that was cut short when he broke his back in five places during a jump; and his part in cutting edge projects at the Technology and Development Center, "a kind of unknown part of the Forest Service that is just incredible."

Jeffrey Bryden, Law Enforcement Officer, Moose Pass, Alaska ; along with K-9 "Flash" [PDF]
Since Jeff Bryden was "knee high to a gopher," as he puts it, he has wanted to work in natural resource law enforcement. Today, he is a Lead Law Enforcement Officer in the Chugach National Forest. Chosen as Officer of the Year, Bryden modestly attributes the credit for his success to his canine partner, Flash, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Flash is the first dog employed by the Forest Service to detect fish-and-game smugglers.

Angie Bulletts, Kaibab Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest . Fredonia, Arizona ; Technical Service Branch Leader [PDF]
As a member of the Kaibab Band of Paiute American Indians, Angie Bulletts is honored to manage and care for her ancestral lands in her professional career. At the Festival, Bulletts demonstrates the making of cradle boards, one of the many traditional Paiute crafts inspired by the natural resources of the Kaibab plateau.

Larry Burkhart, Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan, and Shawnee National Forest, Illinois ; Retired Forest Service Employee [PDF]
Burkhart's experiences as a ranger include participating in the restoration of lighthouses and relations with the Native American communities.

Jerry Burns, Helena National Forest, Montana ; Retired Law Enforcement Officer [PDF]
Burns has been a law enforcement officer on several national forests. He describes his experiences with illegal immigrants, motorcycle events, Rainbow Family gatherings, and his role in the apprehension of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.

Robert Burt, Green Mountain National Forest, Rutland, Vermont ; Forest Silviculturist [PDF]
Burt discusses his long career in the Forest Service, the changes he has seen, his forest planning work in the Green Mountains, and his experiences in Siberia working in cooperation with Russian foresters.

Cindy Carpenter, Brevard, North Carolina ; Sounds of the Forest [PDF]
Since 1992, Cindy Carpenter has been the Education and Interpretation Program Manager, responsible for field trips, public programs, and special events, at the Cradle of Forestry in America Historic Site, located in North Carolina 's Pisgah National Forest . She has played the guitar for 35 years and sings "Songs of the Big Outdoors."

G.W. Chapman, Alamogordo, New Mexico ; Retired Forest Service firefighter on the Lincoln National Forest [PDF]
After a catastrophic wildfire in the Capitan Mountains in 1950, G. W. Chapman rescued a badly burned bear cub who soon became one of America 's most recognizable symbols. After efforts to reintegrate the cub into its native habitat were unsuccessful, the Forest Service chose to augment the animated version of Smokey Bear with this living symbol.

Andy Coriell, Sandy, Oregon ; Law Enforcement [PDF]
Andy Coriell met his wife, Forest Service archaeologist Kristen Martine (also a Festival participant), at a conference on the Archaeological Resource Protection Act. As a Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer, Coriell has a particular interest in archaeological sites because a large part of his job is knowing where these sites are in order to protect them from vandalism and looting.

Jim Denney, McKenzie River Ranger Station, Oregon ; Facilities Manager [PDF]
Jim Denney has worked for the Forest Service for decades, first as a firefighter during summers, now as a District Facilities Manager of the McKenzie River Ranger Station in Oregon . Denney is an accomplished artist who gathers inspiration from the vivid visual imagery of the land's transformation at the hands of humankind over the past several decades.

Philip Dobbins, Blanchard Springs Caverns, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas ; Guide Coordinator and Wild Cave Supervisor [PDF]
The wild cave tour at Blanchard Springs Caverns was begun in 2000 and is the only tour of its kind in the Forest Service. It consists of taking people in the undeveloped part of the cave for four to five hours at a time. At the time of this interview over twenty-five hundred people had taken the tour.

Tim Eldridge, Missoula Montana ; Manager, Smokejumper Visitor Center [PDF]
The Smokejumper Visitor Center receives approximately 20,000 visitors each summer. In addition to arranging tours for schools, tour groups, and Congressional and foreign delegations, Eldridge is also responsible for the Center's displays, exhibits, and commercial operations.

Kelly Esterbrook, Bend, Oregon ; Smokejumper [PDF]
In 1980, Kelly Esterbrook was one of the first six women hired to the Prospect Ranger District's hotshot crew, a group of highly skilled firefighters who tackle tough wildfires. In 1986, she became a smokejumper and for ten years enjoyed the camaraderie and adventure of parachuting out of airplanes to fight wildfires. After retiring from smokejumping, Esterbrook began working in the Willamette National Forest 's fire management office.

Jeremy Fried, Portland, Oregon ; Environmental Analyst [PDF]
Jeremy Fried is team leader for the Environmental Analysis and Research Team for the US Forest Service. The team collects and analyzes information about the entire country's forests, including private and government land. The project systematically measures the entire nation's forest lands acre by acre via ground crews, processes the information, and offers findings freely to the public. Fried presented the history and scope of the Forest Inventory Analysis Program, and explains the program's potential benefits.

Bill Glass, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Wilmington, Illinois ; Ecologist [PDF]
(With Marta Witt transcript)
The tallgrass prairie is one of the rarest natural ecosystems in the United States, and home to several nationally endangered plants. The challenge of restoring the Prairie to its original condition is difficult because the local ecosystem has been drastically altered, first by pioneers who converted the native prairie to farmland, and later by the presence of a U.S. Army munitions plant.

Ed Gross, Brookings, Oregon ; Retired soil scientist, Siskiyou National Forest [PDF]
When the Forest Service developed the Siskiyou Forest Plan in the 1980s, Gross realized the important role played by dead organic matter in a forest's regenerative cycle. It was because of his efforts that the eventual Forest Plan included recommendations to leave "large woody material" on the forest floor.

Gordon Grant, Corvallis, Oregon ; Protecting Forests and Wildlife Habitats [PDF]
Gordon Grant has always been interested in how rivers work and the role watersheds play in people's lives. He spent 12 years working as a white-water river guide before returning to school for his doctorate in hydrology and fluvial geomorphology. As a Research Hydrologist, he studies the effects of land use, dams, geology, and floods on river processes. At the Festival, Grant uses an experimental river, complete with live vegetation and floods, to give visitors a dynamic display of river processes.

Antonella Guinn, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas ; Visitor Information Specialist [PDF]
The Blanchard Springs Caverns, one of the few caves in the Forest Service system that offer tours to the public. Guinn arranges tours for the Caverns' 90,000 annual visitors. She is also responsible for producing educational programs about the caves, their history, and the bats and endangered species that live there.

Fred C. Hall, Portland, Oregon ; Plant Ecologist [PDF]
Fred C. Hall is a retired Senior Plant Ecologist for the US Forest Service. Hall studied the interaction between trees and ground vegetation, and explains the effects of exotic, noxious, and invasive vegetation on the Pacific Northwest's native plant life.

James R. Hammer, Wilderness and Trails Coordinator, Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests, Washington [PDF]
As the trails and wilderness coordinator on the Methnow Valley Ranger District, Hammer is responsible for ensuring all aspects of trail construction and maintenance. Over the years he has done everything including marking out where a trail would go on the ground, actual trail construction, and putting together contracts and budgets.

Elizabeth Hawke, Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pennsylvania; Horticulturist [PDF]
As the horticulturist of Gifford Pinchot's ancestral home, Hawke nurtures the historic gardens and landscape, a moat, and the Fingerbowl, the Pinchots' distinctive outdoor dining table. She also takes care of the grounds of the 102-acre estate, including the trees that were planted by Gifford and his wife Cornelia, large sloping lawns, forests, trails, paths, and roadways.

Charles Hillary, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin ; Physical Sciences Technician [PDF]
In his position, Charles Hillary implements new technology and computers for the Lab. He also conducts research in the pulp and paper division for the Postal Service recycling project, working on ways to remove inks, toners and glues from the paper to conform to standards for Postal Service suppliers. At the Festival, Hillary demonstrates simple ways for children and adults to make their own paper.

Jack Holcomb, Atlanta, Georgia ; Regional Hydrologist [PDF]
Jack Holcomb's professional career is with the Forest Service, but his passion is constructing guitars by hand, spending at least 250 hours on each guitar. Holcomb has worked with the Forest Service for 26 years and is currently the Regional Hydrologist for the Forest Service Southern Region in Atlanta. Holcomb displays several of his classical guitars and gives an in-depth presentation on the methods and materials he uses to craft his guitars.

Betty Holder, Fortine Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest, Montana ; District Ranger [PDF]
Holder discusses her background in surveying, and the unusual career path and education that led to her becoming a forest ranger.

Patrick Michael Karnahan, Sonora, California ; Former Interpretive Ranger, Artist, Musician, Songwriter [PDF]
During his 15-year tenure with the Forest Service, Patrick Michael Karnahan worked in six California forests, including the Stanislaus National Forest, where he still volunteers. Karnahan is a skilled painter; several of his canvases have appeared on the cover of Wildfire Magazine, and one of his paintings was selected for a postage stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. He has released 14 CDs with his Black Irish Band, and covers a broad repertoire of traditional American, Irish, and Italian folk music.

Robert Karrfalt, Lafayette, Indiana; Director National Tree Seed Laboratory [PDF]
Karrfalt discusses he National Tree Seed Laboratory's three major functions: to test seed quality, provide technical assistance to governments and individual growers, and maintain an international seed bank. One key component of seed and seedling testing is to certify that seeds or seedlings are suitably adapted for the planting area. Since 1972 the Seed Bank has shipped over 150 seed species to 95 countries in an effort to promote global reforestation.

Pat Lynch, Encampment, Wyoming ; Historian [PDF]
Though retired from the Forest Service, Pat Lynch maintains a "guard station" where he lodges Forest Service employees traveling through the area. Lynch is an expert on Forest Service history, and his guard station is furnished with an extensive collection of memorabilia, including uniforms, badges, and correspondence between Gifford Pinchot and William Kreutzer, the Forest Service's first Chief and first forest ranger, respectively.

Nanette Madden, Modoc National Forest, California ; Division Chief for Protection and Prevention [PDF]
One of the first female firefighters to work for the Forest Service, Nanette Madden currently works as Division Chief for Protection and Prevention on the Modoc National Forest, and as a technical specialist on a National Fire Prevention Team. Madden has received the Silver Smokey Bear Award for her work in wildland fire prevention.

Joe Meade, Chugach National Forest, Anchorage, Alaska; Forest Supervisor [PDF]
Joe Meade is visually disabled, and works with the help of a talking computer and his guide dog, Navarro. He began working with the Forest Service in 1977, and was later instrumental in ensuring that the Forest Service become a leader in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Throughout his career, Meade has helped ensure that national forests and public facilities are accessible for everyone's enjoyment.

Warren Miller, Peck, Idaho; Crosscut Saw Expert [PDF]
Warren Miller is nationally recognized as an expert in the use of the crosscut saw. While employed with the Forest Service, Miller worked as a wilderness ranger at the Nez Perce National Forest in western Idaho. Although he retired several years ago, he continues to teach several crosscut saw classes for the agency every year.

Mark Milligan, Tallahassee, Florida; Gifford Pinchot interpreter [PDF]
Based in Tallahassee, Florida, Landmark Systems makes global positioning technologies, handheld data recorders, GIS systems, and more, all created to help the forest and natural resource industries better manage the nation's forests. Mark Milligan, Chief Technology Officer for Landmark Systems, offers an informative imitation of Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the US Forest Service.

Heather Murphy, Leavenworth, Washington; Wildlife Biologist [PDF]
Heather Murphy surveys bird, mammal, amphibian, and mollusk populations for the Wenatchee River Ranger District on the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests . She keeps records of the tracks, feathers, fur, scat, bones, nests, plants, and organisms that she observes. On the side, she uses watercolors to illustrate her field notes. At the Festival, she shares her techniques for keeping nature journals.

Lezlie Murray, Girdwood, Alaska; Visitor Center Director [PDF]
Lezlie Murray serves as the Director of the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at the Chugach National Forest , the second largest national forest in the country. She and her team offer a diverse range of programs for visitors to Prince William Sound. It's hard to describe a typical "day at the office" for Murray. She does everything from teaching how to hike safely around bears to leading ice-worm safaris on the Byron Glacier Trail.

Leona Pooyouma, Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff, Arizona ; Human Resource Assistant [PDF]
Leona Pooyouma helps those who are seeking work with the Forest Service. In addition to her professional work, Pooyouma is a skilled Hopi wicker basket weaver. Using native plants and bushes found on the Hopi reservation, she weaves in the Third Mesa wicker style, transforming rabbit brush and sumac plants into works of art.

Marvin Pooyouma, Kaibab and Coconino National Forests, Flagstaff, Arizona ; Equipment Operator [PDF]
Marvin Pooyouma began his career with the Forest Service in 1972 as a member of the Coconino Hotshots, a firefighting crew. During the off seasons Pooyouma spent much time learning about Hopi teachings and traditions; now he is highly skilled in the art of textile weaving, which he learned from his grandfather and is currently passing down to his son.

John Poppino, Portland, Oregon ; forester and tree farmer [PDF]
John Poppino worked for the Forest Service in Estacada, Oregon for thirty-one years, and is President of Oregon Small Woodlands Association. In 1971, John inherited over one hundred acres of land which he now manages as the Lazy RB Tree Farm.

Michael Ritter, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin ; Assistant Director, Wood Products Research [PDF]
Michael Ritter leads the Advanced Housing Research Center at the Forest products lab. The AHRC conducts research into many aspects of wood-frame housing with an emphasis on maximizing durability and energy efficiency while enhancing the sustainability of our nation's forests. At the Festival, Ritter gives a tour of the Sustainable Resource House.

William Rosanelli, Montague, New Jersey ; Lead Interpretive Tour Guide, Grey Towers National Historic Site [PDF]
When school is in session, William Rosanelli teaches theology at a Catholic high school in New Jersey . However, during the summer Rosanelli is the Lead Interpretive Tour Guide at Grey Towers National Historic Site, once the home of Gifford Pinchot, the former governor of Pennsylvania and first Chief of the Forest Service. Rosanelli is very knowledgeable about Pinchot, Pinchot's family, and Forest Service history.

Nathan Schiff, Stoneville, Mississippi ; Entomologist, the Center for Bottomland Hardwood Research [PDF]
Nathan Schiff researches how insects spread fungal and bacterial diseases. His work has brought him to 43 countries, where he has worked with forestry groups and various non-governmental organizations to address the problem of insects killing trees. Schiff takes pride in an enormous collection that includes brilliantly colored butterflies and beetles the size of a human fist.

Herb Schroeder, Evanston, Illinois ; Forest Landscapes [PDF]
Herb Schroeder is recognized as an expert in environmental psychology, a branch of psychology concerned with understanding people's relationships with the environment. Working for the Forest Service's North Central Research Station, Schroeder conducts research in order to help land managers and planners better appreciate how human beings experience and value different environments.

Jane Smith, Corvallis, Oregon ; Botanist and Mycologist, Pacific Northwest Research Station [PDF]
Jane Smith studies the role of fungi in the forest ecosystem. Fungi are best known to humans in their edible mushroom forms, but mycologists know that the symbiotic relationship between fungi and trees is indispensable to a forest's survival.

Walt Thies, Pacific Northwest Research Station; Research Plant Pathologist [PDF]
Walt Thies discusses both his profession and his accomplishments in wood carving and wood turning. He displays some of the bowls, ornaments, and toys he has created, and discusses the natural characteristics and science of wood.

Lee Thornhill, Lakeside, Arizona ; Deputy District Ranger, Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests [PDF]
In addition to his regular duties, Lee Thornhill is part of an Incident Management team that responds to natural disasters like forest fires. The job is stressful and chaotic, and often requires long absences from his family and home. Still, Thornhill would never give up this extra work; he says he was hooked the moment he first smelled smoke.

Gail Tunberg, Albuquerque, New Mexico ; Regional Wildlife Program Leader, Southwestern Region [PDF]
Gail Tunberg is responsible for implementing the "Be Bear Aware" program. Created in response to increasing interaction between humans and wildlife, "Be Bear Aware" educates visitors on ways to minimize the possibility of confronting a bear. These include maintaining a clean camp, avoiding products that attract bears, and cooking in ways that don't invite bears.

Iris Velez, Washington, D.C. ; National Symbols Program, Conservation Education [PDF]
Iris Velez is manager of the National Symbols program which has responsibility for Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. Velez uses her extensive experience with different branches of government services to get the Forest Service's message to the public more effectively.

Lee Webb, Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests, Oregon ; Retired Wildlife Biologist [PDF]
Webb spent 29 years with the Forest Service, and helped develop the Land and Resource Management Plan for the Siskiyou, which resulted in the creation of over 10,000 wildlife sites and 19 botanical areas. Webb has always been especially interested in the Spotted Owl, and discussed the owl at the Festival.

Neil Weintraub, Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts, Kaibab National Forest Williams, Arizona ; District Archaeologist [PDF]
Neil Weintraub is charged with protecting, managing, and interpreting a broad range of artifacts and resources. Many of the artifacts he has uncovered near the Grand Canyon date back at least 4,000 years. Weintraub has also been heavily involved in efforts to discourage once-rampant looting near archaeological sites.

James White, Lufkin, Texas ; Engineering Technician [PDF]
James White left the private sector in 1984 to work for the Forest Service in the Lufkin, Texas Supervisor's Office as an engineering technician. In the almost twenty years between his arrival and his retirement in 2003, White has seen the evolution of the Forest Service's philosophy and methods.

Chuck Williams, Albuquerque, New Mexico ; Retired Technical Advisor to "Lassie" and other film projects [PDF]
Chuck Williams has a personal connection to two of the Forest Service's most recognizable icons. From 1968 to 1970, he served as technical advisor to the television show, Lassie. Whenever Forest Service rangers and Lassie were filmed, the show's producers relied on Williams to help shape dialogue and plot. Williams later created a public service spot, "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute," that introduced Woodsy Owl, who has since become America's official environmental icon.

Marta Witt, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Wilmington, Illinois ; Public Service Team Leader [PDF]
The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, which sits on land previously occupied by the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, once the Army's largest supplier of TNT. Efforts to restore the native ecosystem have been complicated by the presence of contaminants and by the dominance of non-native plant species.

Keith Wolferman, Missoula, Montana ; Smokejumper [PDF]
Keith Wolferman works as a squad leader at the Missoula Smokejumper Base. When a forest fire breaks out, squad leaders like Wolferman plan the aerial attack against the fire. They determine jump spots and release points based on calculations of wind speed and direction, and are responsible for plane and jumper safety.

Lynn Young, The Fiddlin' Foresters [PDF]
The Fiddlin' Foresters are the "official old-time string band of the USDA Forest Service." Consisting of Forest Service employees from the Rocky Mountain Region, the group has been playing together since 1994. The Foresters dress in vintage 1907 uniforms, and sing about the importance of resource conservation and public land stewardship. Their programs feature traditional songs from the southern Appalachians and the American West. The Fiddlin' Foresters have played at events such as the 2002 Olympic Games and the National Western Stock Show. The group recently received the Forest Service Chief's Award for its interpretive musical program. Its members include Jane Leche (guitar), Tom McFarland (guitar), Jim Maxwell (banjo), and Lynn Young (fiddle).

Pete Zavalla, Los Padres National Forest, Solvang, California; Tribal Liaison [PDF]
Pete Zavalla helps Native American groups obtain special use permits to interact with the forest in traditional ways. Zavalla became involved with the Forest Service in 1990, while thinking of ways to combat high youth unemployment on his Chumash reservation. He subsequently helped initiate a work program at the forest for teenagers from the reservation. (Interviewed with Tony Zavalla, below.)

Tony Zavalla, Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara, California; Firefighter [PDF]
Tony Zavalla is a fire engine operator at the Los Padres National Forest, where his father and brother also work. Zavalla began his career as a firefighter and was soon transferred to the Los Padres Hotshots, an elite group of firefighters called upon to battle the toughest blazes. Before he became a truck operator, Zavalla had the opportunity to spend one season on the same smokejumping team as his brother, J.P.

This project is supported by a grant from the USDA Forest Service.