USFS Names McNichol as District Ranger

In a press release dated April 28th, the USDA Forest Service announced it has selected Elizabeth McNichols as the new James River and Warm Springs District Ranger.  McNichols has served as the Acting District Ranger for these districts for the past 3 months, following the retirement of District Ranger Pat Sheridan.   McNichols will oversee approximately 350,000 acres of National Forest System lands in Virginia.  Combined, the two districts consist of five counties containing over 242 miles of trails, six campgrounds, and 300 miles of roads. McNichols reports for duty on May 1.

McNichols comes to Virginia from the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan where she worked as the Resource Information Specialist. Throughout her career McNichols has served in diverse roles in the Forest Service including service as a Forester early in her career, as a Geographic Information System (GIS) professional, and recently as Acting District Ranger in various forests across the country. Since 1985 McNichols has served in fire incident management teams in leadership, crew member, and GIS specialist roles.  McNichols began her Forest Service career as a forestry intern on the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan.

She received a bachelor of science in forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and recently completed a one-year Forest Service leadership training program.

Acting Forest Supervisor Job Timm said “With over 30 years of Forest Service experience, Liz brings a wealth of knowledge to the district. Her dedication to working with communities and maintaining positive partnerships makes her a great fit for the James River and Warm Springs Ranger District.”

Ranger McNichols said. “I’m excited to work closely with the local communities, district staff and the public,”

Stay tuned to Allegheny Mountain Radio for a more in depth interview with  Ranger McNichols.