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Scott Ludwig is on temporary assignment as acting ranger for the Dillon District of the White River National Forest.
SUMMIT COUNTY — Scott Ludwig may only be on a temporary 90-day detail as acting ranger for the Dillon District, but he plans to hit the ground running.
“This is a sensitive spot for the Forest Service,” Ludwig said, acknowledging that his new post is a hot seat of sorts.
Ludwig said Summit County residents are engaged in local Forest Service decisions, with a heightened community awareness that calls for constant collaboration.
One of the biggest challenges is maintaining the momentum in the ongoing efforts to lessen fire and safety risks from stands of beetle-killed lodgepole pines.
Ludwig said a contractor is removing trees from the Heaton Bay campground in hopes of re-opening the popular site this summer.
It’s not yet certain if the agency will meet that goal, but he expects to know within the next few weeks.
Ludwig said he also has some major ski area projects on his plate, including a parking lot expansion on national forest land at Copper Mountain and the proposed development of lift-served skiing on Peak 6 at Breckenridge.
Ludwig said the issue of parking and safety at Arapahoe Basin is also high on the radar screen for the agency.
A-Basin’s recent expansion into Montezuma Bowl has exacerbated the existing parking shortage, and the combination of trucks and pedestrians on Highway 6 is a potential disaster, he said.
Water is another major area of focus for Ludwig, who comes to the Dillon District with a strong hydrology background.
Besides working on water issues at the agency’s regional office.
Ludwig has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, building community water systems and working on watershed restoration.
That experience will help as he works with local governments to finalize plans for the enlargement of Old Dillon Reservoir.
“As an agency, we’re going to play a larger role in this water situation,” Ludwig said, referring to potential climate change impacts to regional and national water supplies.
“More people are looking to go high on national forest land” to headwaters streams to capture water for storage when it’s available, Ludwig said.
Ludwig earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Natural Resources management at Ball State University and completed a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Management at Denver University in 1999.
He’s worked for the Bureau of Land Management on whatershed projects in New Mexico and was involved with deactivating and decommissioning nuclear facilities at Rocky Flats.
Previous Forest Service experience includes a stint with the Arapahoe/Roosevelt National Forest, where he developed an abandoned mine program.
He also managed the Forest Service side of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the I-70 corridor.
In a press release announcing Ludwig’s appointment to the local post, the Forest Service touted the high level of grassroots involvement on the Dillon district, singling out groups like the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District and Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness for their volunteer efforts.
Ludwig has been married to his wife, Pat, for 17 years.
The couple has two children, ages 16 and 12. In his spare time, he rides his bike, makes backcountry turns on a snowboard and tries to go diving whenever he can.
Ludwig’s detail to the Dillon District runs through the end of May.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
“This is a sensitive spot for the Forest Service,” Ludwig said, acknowledging that his new post is a hot seat of sorts.
Ludwig said Summit County residents are engaged in local Forest Service decisions, with a heightened community awareness that calls for constant collaboration.
One of the biggest challenges is maintaining the momentum in the ongoing efforts to lessen fire and safety risks from stands of beetle-killed lodgepole pines.
Ludwig said a contractor is removing trees from the Heaton Bay campground in hopes of re-opening the popular site this summer.
It’s not yet certain if the agency will meet that goal, but he expects to know within the next few weeks.
Ludwig said he also has some major ski area projects on his plate, including a parking lot expansion on national forest land at Copper Mountain and the proposed development of lift-served skiing on Peak 6 at Breckenridge.
Ludwig said the issue of parking and safety at Arapahoe Basin is also high on the radar screen for the agency.
A-Basin’s recent expansion into Montezuma Bowl has exacerbated the existing parking shortage, and the combination of trucks and pedestrians on Highway 6 is a potential disaster, he said.
Water is another major area of focus for Ludwig, who comes to the Dillon District with a strong hydrology background.
Besides working on water issues at the agency’s regional office.
Ludwig has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, building community water systems and working on watershed restoration.
That experience will help as he works with local governments to finalize plans for the enlargement of Old Dillon Reservoir.
“As an agency, we’re going to play a larger role in this water situation,” Ludwig said, referring to potential climate change impacts to regional and national water supplies.
“More people are looking to go high on national forest land” to headwaters streams to capture water for storage when it’s available, Ludwig said.
Ludwig earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Natural Resources management at Ball State University and completed a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Management at Denver University in 1999.
He’s worked for the Bureau of Land Management on whatershed projects in New Mexico and was involved with deactivating and decommissioning nuclear facilities at Rocky Flats.
Previous Forest Service experience includes a stint with the Arapahoe/Roosevelt National Forest, where he developed an abandoned mine program.
He also managed the Forest Service side of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the I-70 corridor.
In a press release announcing Ludwig’s appointment to the local post, the Forest Service touted the high level of grassroots involvement on the Dillon district, singling out groups like the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District and Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness for their volunteer efforts.
Ludwig has been married to his wife, Pat, for 17 years.
The couple has two children, ages 16 and 12. In his spare time, he rides his bike, makes backcountry turns on a snowboard and tries to go diving whenever he can.
Ludwig’s detail to the Dillon District runs through the end of May.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
