News Release

For Release:  Dec. 2, 2008      
Contact: Jeff Fontana (530) 252-5332 or Kathy Stangl (707) 825-2310
CA-N-09-16

BLM Hires New Manager for Headwaters Forest Reserve

Chris Heppe, a north coast resident with a strong background in natural resource management, has been named manager of the Headwaters Forest Reserve near Eureka.
 
"Chris has a strong background in restoring watersheds, managing landscapes and ecosystems, developing partnerships and leading staffs," said Lynda Roush, manager of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arcata Field Office.   "These skills will be important as the BLM and its partners continue implementing the Headwaters Management Plan."
 
Prior to joining the BLM, Heppe oversaw the geological services branch at Redwoods National Park.  The branch manages watershed restoration, monitoring, and erosion prevention programs.
 
Heppe was an environmental scientist with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency for 11 years before joining the Park Service.
 
Heppe is a veteran of the Peace Corps, having worked in Paraguay as a forest specialist.  He holds a master's degree in environmental management and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences.

He replaces Kathy Stangl, who is now the BLM’s assistant field manager in Arcata.
 
The Headwaters Forest Reserve, public land managed jointly by the BLM and California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), includes nearly 7,500 acres of redwoods and Douglas-fir forests.  The reserve is set aside to preserve ecological and wildlife values, particularly the stands of old-growth redwood that provide habitat for the threatened northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet.  The reserve also protects stream systems that provide habitat for threatened coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead.
 
More information, including the Headwaters Management Plan, is available at www.blm.gov/ca/arcata.

-BLM-

Arcata Field Office     1695 Heindon Rd.     Arcata, CA  95521