Superior National Forest Supervisor Jim Sanders
As 2011 comes to a close, so does the U.S. Forest Service career of Jim Sanders, 58, supervisor of the Superior National Forest. Sanders announced his retirement in November, effective at the end of the year.
Sanders had a 36-year career with the Forest Service, working in Idaho, Washington state, Washington D.C., and Montana before coming to the Superior National Forest.
Sanders has been Superior National Forest supervisor for 15 years, the longest serving supervisor in the history of the 102-year-old national forest.
Under his tenure the Superior National Forest saw the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) blowdown, contested timber harvests and several fires, including one of the largest forest fires in Minnesota’s history, the 2011 Pagami Creek fire. He has also been involved with lawsuits regarding the Chain of Lakes BWCAW permits, South Fowl snowmobile trail access, and the current Travel Management Plan.
In a statement when he announced that he was stepping down, Sanders wrote, “I have been afforded an amazing career that has taken Pat and me from the mountains of northern Idaho to the shores of the Columbia River in eastern Washington, to the Yellowstone area in Montana, to Washington D.C. and to Lake Superior and the Superior National Forest.
“In addition to working for the Forest Service I have also spent time with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Congress.
“It is now time for me to step aside and allow someone else the opportunity of a lifetime that I have had here with you on the Superior National Forest. I now want to spend my time and attention with my family…. We plan to stay in Duluth to enjoy, at a more relaxed pace, all the area has to offer.”
No replacement for Sanders has been announced yet, but Tim Dabney will be the acting supervisor.
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