Two Deputies Resign From Forest Service; Craig Calls It Political Senator Says Reynolds, Reimers Opposed Anti-Logging Agenda

Two deputy chiefs of the Forest Service announced their resignations Thursday and a Republican senator said they were being forced out so the Clinton administration can pursue its anti-logging agenda.

Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck said in a letter to all U.S. Forest Service employees obtained by The Associated Press that deputy chiefs Gray Reynolds and Mark Reimers had announced their retirements effective Feb. 28.

But Reynolds said in an internal memo to his staff dated Thursday, also obtained by the AP, that Dombeck had told him on Tuesday “he wanted to move the agency in a new direction.”

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, a critic of the administration’s logging policy, said late Thursday he was upset that the two deputy chiefs had been “forced out.”

Environmentalists were supportive of Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman’s appointment of Dombeck in December as the new chief of the Forest Service replacing Jack Ward Thomas.

But they have complained that Clinton’s efforts to ease logging on national forests and make the agency more environmentally friendly won’t be successful as long as other senior Forest Service officials remain in place.

Craig, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee on forests, said members of his staff met with Dombeck on Wednesday and “there was no mention of today’s purge.”

“What troubles me is the apparent willingness of the Clinton administration to dismiss capable professionals within the agency’s career ranks so the administration can more effectively pursue its partisan agenda,” the senator said in a statement.

“Clearly, that agenda is at odds with natural resources professionals within the agency who have spent their careers pursuing sound resource stewardship policies based on their education and training - not politics,” Craig said.

The senator said that in conversations with Thomas last summer “I feared that today’s changes might be forthcoming.”

Dombeck was traveling and not available for comment, a Forest Service spokesman said Thursday night.

“This wasn’t a purge,” said the spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The new chief who is responsible for running a 35,000-employee organization wanted to move the agency in a new direction and bring in some new folks in key leadership positions.”

Part of the new emphasis is for the Forest Service to work collaboratively, “with regulatory agencies working hand in glove with the industry and conservation groups,” the spokesman said.

Reynolds is deputy chief for national forests, serving the agency for 35 years. Reimers is deputy chief for programs and legislation, serving the agency for 37 years.

Dombeck praised the two in the one-page memo to all employees. He included comments from the two, quoting Reynolds as saying he looked “forward to becoming a proud Forest Service retiree.”

However, the internal memo from Reynolds to his staff indicated retirement was not his first choice.

“The chief met with me Tuesday afternoon February 4 and said he wanted to move the agency in a new direction,” Reynolds wrote.

“He wanted to name new leadership for NFS (National Forest Systems) and asked what he could do for me. I am not mobile and am eligible for retirement. We agreed that I will retire close-of-business February 28.”

Reynolds could not be located for additional comment Thursday night. Reimers did not immediately return telephone messages left at his home.