Michigan has nearly a million acres of national forests kept under the watchful eye of the Huron-Manistee National Forests service.
The Cadillac-Manistee district holds about 250,000 of those acres; now, under the watchful eye of a new district ranger.
Scott Peedle took on his role as the new district ranger just this month and already he has big plans to preserve and educate everyone on the forests.
“I really love the area, I grew up in this area, it’s kind of my home town, my back yard, and it really gave me the opportunity to just be out in the Forest, managing the resources that I love, the woods and the water,” Peedle says.
A Northern Michigan native, Peedle graduated from Pine River Area High School in 1992. Now, he’s excited to be back in the Huron-Manistee National Forests exploring and working with specialists that help preserve and educate.
“I’ve been very impressed with the staff that I work with, the resource specialists are technically proficient and professional with what they do and they’re so passionate about the resources,” Peedle says.
Not only does he want to keep the integrity of the forests, but he wants to teacher others how to as well.
Peedle says, “One of my biggest goals is to really educate the youth, I think it’s very important to educate our young folks and explain the importance of conservation.”
He plans to do that by relocating the Cadillac-Manistee district office to a more central location, the Former Chittenden Nursery built in the 1930s.
Molly Allen, acting public relations manager, says “I think we have a great opportunity here to bring in the public to be able to experience this really cool historical site.”
Peedle says he hopes to continue his mission of creating sustainable national forests. “I just truly love the area and I want to do what’s best and I want to make sure it’s there for my kids and future generations to come.”
The Cadillac-Manistee district office plans to move to their new location at the Former Chittenden Nursery in Wellston this summer.
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