I owe my career in the Forest Service to woman
pioneers such as Wendy Herrett (HCN, 12/6/04: Transforming the
Forest Service: Maverick bureaucrat Wendy Herrett). Yet I disagree
that discrimination has ended and that ecosystem-based approaches
are valued.
I joined the Forest Service in 1983. I was
the first female in a research management position. In 1991, I was
one of 11 women who filled positions in the Forest Service in
California (Region 5) at the end of the Bernardi consent decree for
hiring women. None of us was ever promoted. In the last three
years, Regional Forester Blackwell has given directed reassignments
to two staff directors and two forest supervisors (including me):
three women and one minority male. Since 1992, seven male and no
female Forest Supervisors were promoted non-competitively in Region
5.
In October 2003, I was the last of the 11 women of the
“class of 1991” remaining in the Forest Service. In January 2004,
Regional Forester Blackwell reassigned me to the regional office in
Vallejo. Thankfully, I was able to choose early retirement and stay
in San Diego to continue conservation leadership in the community.
“Mavericks,” as Herrett refers to those who are “looking
to solve problems, willing to change the game a little,” are being
weeded out. The Forest Service is returning to its culture of
conformity and loyalty.
Anne S.
Fege
San Diego, California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Turning back the clock.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
