Recognizing Kurt Nelson

Floor Speech

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Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I am honored today, along with my esteemed colleagues, Senator Mike Crapo and Senator Jim Risch, to recognize the retirement of Kurt Nelson from the U.S. Forest Service. After 45 years of service as a United States Forest Service employee, Kurt retired on June 3, 2023.

Kurt started his career on June 4, 1978, in the Carson National Forest as a Wildlife Biologist. He was quickly reassigned to the Chugach National Forest as a Wildlife and Fisheries Biologist. In 1985, he was promoted to District Ranger in the Cordova Ranger District until August of 1988, when he accepted the Forest Staff Officer position in the Payette National Forest. In 1994, he joined the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project as Terrestrial Science Team Co- leader. The ``Columbia Basin'' Project was a monumental project that still impacts how forests and irrigation projects are managed today.

In 1995, Kurt accepted the Ketchum Ranger District position in the Sawtooth National Forest and since then he has served the community, elected officials, partners, and agencies across the Wood River Valley. Kurt has served as Agency administrator on fires all over the region and has spent countless hours sharing his wealth of knowledge with new employees on fire assignments.

His knowledge and leadership during fire season was invaluable, most notably for the Castle Rock Fire 2007 (48,000 acres), Beaver Creek Fire 2013 (113,000 acres), and Sharps Fire 2018 (65,000 acres). Each of these three fires were Type 1 long duration fires during peak August visitor seasons, which required up to 2,000 fire personnel and resulted in no serious injuries and only one home lost. There was, however, a severe impact to the local economy and the evacuation of several thousand people. Because of Kurt's excellent leadership, the agency received strong community support throughout the fires' durations and the following debris flows that damaged trails, bridges, and roads.

Kurt's leadership has also led to outstanding partnerships with the local community, a few of which include the 5BRC Coalition, Wood River Trails Coalition, National Forest Foundation, and Blaine County. Combining public and private support has allowed the Ketchum Ranger District to successfully rebuild over 100 miles of trails, rebuild several miles of road, and relocate roads out of riparian zones prone to washout and flooding. Kurt's assistance in developing these partnerships was instrumental in restoring iconic structures, developing recreational trails, and providing resources to local tribes.

There are several significant projects in the Wood River Valley area which can be attributed directly to Kurt's leadership and community relationships: the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project, the restoration of the iconic Pioneer Cabin, development of the world renowned Osberg Ridge Trail, and the Adams Gulch adaptive sports trail and trailhead which allows people of all abilities to enjoy mountain biking.

I thank Kurt for his loyal service to the Forest Service and to Idaho. We appreciated working with him. I hope he enjoys his well- deserved retirement.

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