By GEORGE ROGERS
of The Gazette
As expected, Michael Dombeck is on his way out as chief of the U.S. Forest Service. He has resigned as of Saturday but probably would have been fired.
Dombeck was born in Stevens Point in 1948, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and taught zoology at UW-SP from 1971-73.
He tangled often with timber and mining interests and "is stepping down because of differences with the Bush administration over the agency's future," according to The Associated Press. Chris Wood, Dombeck's chief aide, said, "It was made clear in no uncertain terms that the administration wants to take the Forest Service in another direction." But, said Wood, "it is very cordial."
Dombeck did not spell out his future plans. Phil Janik, the agency's chief operating officer, will be acting chief.
In a column I wrote, appearing in The Gazette Jan. 19, I said Dombeck's life expectancy as Forest Service chief was limited.
I also wrote, "Dombeck is seen by many as fresh air in an organization whose main goal had been cutting trees. Logging is no sin, but Dombeck sees other values in the forests that need protection. That has put him at odds with timber interests and others, including Western politicians who believe the government should keep its nose out of natural resource issues, unless it's federal money for big water projects."
While Forest Service chief Dombeck spoke several times at UW-SP and during one appearance emphasized that his agency was in the water business, too. He called the Forest Service "the world's largest water company." He said, "The cleanest water in the United States is flowing off forested land," and, "It is my belief that the single most valuable commodity of the national forests is water."
While he was chief, he declared, "Watershed health will be the overriding priority in all future forest plan revisions."
He acknowledged that the public doesn't understand the importance of clean water. Only two out of five people, Dombeck said, even know what a watershed is. "One in 10 thinks it's a shed at the water treatment plant where they store the bottled water. Another five percent think it's a pollution event."
Recreation, said Dombeck, is another important role of the forests. The national forests, he said, provide more outdoor recreation than the national parks do.
Dombeck spent his youth in the Hayward area and worked as a fishing guide for 11 summers.
His degrees from Stevens Point were in biology and education. He also has a master's in zoology from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate in fisheries biology from Iowa State.
Dombeck began his career with the Forest Service in 1978, starting as a fisheries biologist. His Forest Service biography says he is "noted for research contributions on muskies and lake habitat management. In addition Dombeck has authored and edited numerous popular and scholarly publications, most notably the book 'Watershed Restoration: Principles and Practices.'"
He and his wife and daughter live in northern Virginia.