MURPHY, NC, December 18, 2017 - The U.S. Forest Service has selected Brandon Houck to fill in as Acting District Ranger on the Cheoah and Tusquitee Ranger Districts of the Nantahala National Forest beginning January 8, 2018.
Houck will temporarily replace Angela Gee, who has accepted a District Ranger position on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado which started December 11. The Forest Service is in the process of hiring a permanent replacement for Gee.
"Working in North Carolina has been an incredible experience," Gee said. "I met and worked with a lot of wonderful people who care deeply about our National Forests. While I look forward to my new position, it was hard to say goodbye. I'll truly miss working with the National Forests in North Carolina."
Houck is currently a zone wildlife biologist on the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. He is responsible for developing and leading the Shoshone Landscape Aspen and Early Seral Habitat project. Before working for the Forest Service, Houck served for 14 years as Western Director of Conservation Operations for the National Wild Turkey Federation.
"I'm really looking forward to this challenging new responsibility of supporting the Nantahala National Forest," Houck said. "I'm most excited about engaging with the local communities to find out what people value about their National Forest, and how we can work together."
Born and raised in Kansas, Houck graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and received an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Mississippi State University.