NEWS RELEASE USDA Forest Service Washington, D.C.
Release No. FS-0540	Contact:	Press Office, (202) 205-1134

FOREST SERVICE NAMES NEW WATERSHED, FISH, WILDLIFE, AIR AND RARE PLANTS DIRECTOR

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2005 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth today appointed Anne Zimmermann as the director of the agency’s office for watershed, fish, wildlife, air and rare plants. Zimmermann is currently the deputy director of the office and has served as its acting director for the past year.

“As acting director, Anne has demonstrated outstanding national leadership for the many programs of the watershed, fish, wildlife, air and rare plants staff area,” said Bosworth. “She has also done an excellent job of developing internal and external partners to support the agency’s objectives in these program areas.”

Zimmermann began career with the Forest Service in 1979 as a wildlife biologist on the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. She held biologist positions as well as other natural resource positions on the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana and the National Forests in Alabama. On Montana’s Lolo National Forest, she served as a deputy district ranger and later as a district ranger. She then returned to the southeast as deputy forest supervisor and then forest supervisor of the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. Zimmermann also served for several years on a Type I incident command team out of the southern region--one of the agency’s top firefighting teams.

“It is a privilege and an honor to accept this great responsibility,” said Zimmermann. “I am very excited about the challenges and opportunities that my wonderful staff, our partners, and I will face in the near future.”

Zimmermann, a Virginia native, holds a bachelor’s in forestry and wildlife from Virginia Tech and a master’s in wildlife ecology from Purdue University. Her appointment is effective immediately.

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