By Ty Walker
The Mountain Times
There’s a new ranger in town and he plans to be here for a good long while. In fact, he’s already been working for the Zigzag National Forest District for 13 years as a supervisory fish biologist.
Greg Wanner officially became a ZigZag ranger April 21 but has been acting ranger since mid-January. His predecessor, Nicholas Seibel, was ranger for less than a year before stepping down to take a project manager position with the Mt. Hood National Forest Service.
“I plan on being here for a while,” Wanner said. “I’m very vested in the Zigzag District. I have a lot of passion and investment in this district. I have been here for 13 years. I’m very invested in this community and vested in the forest.”
As ranger, Wanner oversees all recreational activities and management of the Zigzag District, which covers 250,000 acres on the south and west side of Mount Hood. That includes a partnership with the Portland Water Bureau to manage the Bull Run Watershed, which provides water to a million Portland customers.
The Zigzag District Ranger has the huge and complicated task of managing one of the region’s largest recreation programs. Its 549 summer cabins are the most of any ranger district in the nation. There are also 30 developed campgrounds, three ski areas including Timberline Lodge, over 600 miles of trails and two wilderness areas.
Wanner said the district’s fish program is nationally renowned for its stream restoration work. The former supervisory fish biologist certainly has something to do with that.
“Being a ranger, it’s a huge responsibility, working closely with the public, with partnerships,” Wanner said. “It’s really complicated, not a normal 40-hour-a week job. It feels like I am on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I am really tapped out.”
Wanner said that one of his top priorities is helping develop a wildfire crisis strategy plan that would make Mount Hood more resilient to wildfires. Working closely with other forest leadership, such as the Mt. Hood Corridor Wildfire Partnership, the team is thinking about the best ways to manage a mountain in a temperate rainforest rich with natural fuels.
Wanner grew up in North Dakota and now lives in Hood River with his wife and 12-year-old son. He spends the little time off he has enjoying the outdoors: rafting, backpacking, fishing, gardening and skiing.
Wanner’s passion for working with partners to restore watersheds initially drove him to work for the U.S. Forest Service. His inspiration now has broadened to growing partnerships to make forests resilient to climate change, which includes wildfires and flooding. He supports well-managed recreational opportunities for everyone.