The Eagle County Commissioners learned on Thursday that White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams has chosen to take advantage of the deferred resignation early buyout program for federal workers.
As a result, Williams will be on administrative leave until the end of fiscal year this September.
The White River National Forest, which overlaps a significant portion of Eagle County, is the It will now begin the process of finding someone who fits Fitzwilliams' General Schedule pay grade and can replace him in an interim role until a new district supervisor is permanently in place.
Fitzwilliams, on Thursday, did not respond to an email for questions.
All employees within the Forest Service received the "," sent out on Jan. 28, and within the White River National Forest, as many as 20 employees are suspected to have taken the deal, although official numbers have not been announced. Deputy Supervisor Heather Noel is reported to have taken the deal, as well.
During the targeting probationary employees, the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District lost four employees, two wilderness rangers, a trails ranger and a developed recreation ranger.
More cuts don't just have the potential to result in a reduction of public services or a closing of public facilities, but a slowdown of projects headed through the forest. The White River National Forest supervisor is the signatory official on all projects within the jurisdiction, which includes the ski areas of Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Sunlight, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Arapaho Basin.
Any project requiring a National Environmental Policy Act review, since , has required his signature. That includes some major projects, like Peak 6 in Breckenridge, McCoy Park in Beaver Creek, Bergman Bowl in Keystone.
The Forest Service cuts, however, have come along with an effort from the Council on Environmental Quality to roll back the NEPA process. A Council on Environmental Quality rule on Tuesday "removes the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) from the Code of Federal Regulations," as of April 11, according to the filing.
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