A Tribute to Roger Siemens

Many of you probably read Roger Siemen’s obituary in the Whitehall Ledger (Jan.12) or in the Montana Standard. Facebook has some complimentary posts that many of you will find interesting. Roger led a full life with many accomplishments.

One of Roger’s accomplishments that I appreciated was the work he did from Whitehall as District Ranger of the Jefferson Ranger District, Deerlodge National Forest. Roger was district ranger for about 10 years during the 1980s. Roger said that if district rangers concentrate on three issues they can’t go wrong. The two issues I remember were prescribed fire and public access.

He was a strong advocate of multiple-use management. Through Roger’s direction and perseverance, the Jefferson Ranger District completed management plans that included prescribed fire, grazing management, travel management, timber management, and other uses. Completing these plans, not an easy task, involved public involvement and environmental analysis. These plans provided approved projects that were implemented under Roger’s tenure and by other district rangers that followed him.

Roger was a strong proponent of public access. He said that the public wants to be able to get to their public lands and to be able to use them. Two accesses that resonate with me are the Dry Boulder Lakes Road and the Mill Canyon Road, both on the northwest side of the Tobacco Root Mountains. Acquiring these accesses required obtaining an easement through private land, surveying the right-of-way, locating and designing a road, and installing fences, cattleguards, and signs. These actions required constant vigilance and nurturing. When you drive up Mill Canyon or to Dry Boulder Lakes, thank Roger Siemens. I always will.