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Forest Service acting ranger warns of staff gaps, planned prescribed burn and infrastructure needs
Summary
Sherrette Bonilmo, a range specialist who identified herself as acting district ranger for the Blending Orange Ranger District, updated the Daggett County Commission on staff departures, continuing fire restrictions, a potential prescribed burn in October and a request for excess dirt to support a Red Canyon water-line project.
Sherrette Bonilmo, who introduced herself to the Daggett County Commission as “a range specialist for the Blending Orange Ranger District” and the district’s acting ranger, told commissioners the district is short-staffed after a recent departure.
“Brian Lisonbee accepted another job, so he’s no longer here,” Bonilmo said, and she described a temporary pause in hiring; the district will rely on short-term detailers or interim staff until a permanent supervisor is named. Bonilmo said the Forest Service’s hiring and organization remain in flux and warned it could be months before the staffing picture stabilizes.
Bonilmo also reported the Forest Service is still under fire restrictions and that lifting them will depend on incoming moisture. “We’re still on fire restrictions,” she said, while noting the state has already lifted restrictions for parts of Utah and the forest will consider similar action if conditions allow.
The acting ranger told commissioners the agency is considering a prescribed burn in October as part of landscape and fuels management, and said campground water systems typically begin being shut down by mid-September. On infrastructure, Forest Service maintenance asked whether county surplus dirt would be available: the agency plans to install a new water line at Red Canyon that will require substantial fill because of difficult rock conditions.
Commissioners and Forest Service staff also discussed grazing schedules and forage conditions. Bonilmo said most permittees are expected to meet their off-dates, and recent rains have produced some localized regrowth, though she called this one of the poorer years for range growth in parts of the district.
Bonilmo closed by asking the commission to stay engaged about staffing and recreation issues as regional reorganization proceeds; she said law-enforcement support is improving as a new officer completes field training. The Forest Service said it will update the county as plans for any prescribed fire, staffing changes or major maintenance operations solidify.
