White Mountain National Forest Supervisor
Derek Ibarguen

Derek Ibarguen, who took over last summer as supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest, sees the forest as a ‘major contributor’ to the economy of the region.
(Courtesy photo)

Forty-five-year-old Derek Ibarguen, a Farmington, Maine, native with an 18-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, took over as supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest last summer.

Ibarguen has a deep background in outdoor recreation and is familiar with the Whites, having worked as a seasonal employee on the forest’s Androscoggin District from 1995 to 1999.

Q. What are the unique challenges of public land management?

A. Trying to balance the decisions that are in front of us with what people’s expectations are, and what they can expect when they come to a national forest, a healthy forest where all their resources are protected and they can have a great recreational experience. And to really hear from our communities and our partners, to understand the things that they’re concerned about and the things that they’re really looking for in benefits. (You) do your best to deliver on those because it’s the people’s forest.

Q. What do you see as the key challenges for the WMNF?

A. One of the main challenges and opportunities is the number of people who have discovered the White Mountain National Forest. There are people who have never enjoyed their public lands, or have never been in the White Mountain National Forest before who now realize how wonderful it is. The potential is there for them to contribute in some way, advocating for public land and understanding its value and communicating that to others.

Q. Can you name a success or two of which you’re particularly proud?

A. I have been successful in developing new partnerships, actually helping to grow new organizations that are solely driven to be stewards of a particular forest unit, to be able to expand our capacity to then help us deliver on our mission, and work together to deliver on that mission. I think it’s important to continue to foster and enhance our partnerships with folks to do these things together.

Q. As a new forest supervisor, what do you see as management priorities here?

A. First and foremost, it’s relationships that we have internally but also with our communities and partner. But the overriding priorities that guide me are providing a sustainable and enjoyable experience, and the second would be fulfilling our forest management responsibilities for providing a healthy and resilient forest, and then, lastly, managing our ecological integrity.

Q. How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted your priorities and affected the way work gets done throughout the U.S. Forest Service system?

A. Speaking about the White Mountain National Forest, I couldn’t be more proud about the way people have stepped up to create plans, to figure out how we could still deliver our mission and still provide customer service. We figured out how to mitigate things and protect our employees and the public, and provide services.

There was increased use over the summer. It was an impact to people really trying to scramble to make sure we could provide the level of service that we needed to keep up with all the demands that were out there. Our folks are always up for figuring things out and rising to the occasion.

Q. What do forest visitors need to know about how things may be different due to the pandemic?

A. People really need to plan well, particularly when you’re coming to campgrounds or trailheads. There could be limited parking during high-use times. There could be full campgrounds when they expect to find a campsite. Making sure that they’re utilizing the reservations system, that they’re really doing their research on how to stay safe if they’re going out to the backcountry to hike. There could be lots of people on the trails, so we want people to follow “Leave No Trace” guidelines and pick up after themselves. As far as planning, people can look at alternate times to visit, maybe a lower-use day. That could be helpful to match whatever type of experience they’re looking for. We have a lot of good stuff on our website (fs.usda.gov/whitemountain) for recreating safely.

Q. According to a 2017 report from the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation on U.S. Forest Service lands contributed more than $13 billion to the national economy and supported 205,000 jobs annually. Clearly, the White Mountain National Forest is an important contributor to those numbers.

A. It obviously is a major contributor, and those are the kinds of conversations we have with our communities and our partners, recognizing how much of an economic benefit this whole White Mountains region is for people’s livelihoods, for their recreation experiences.

Q. What do you know today that you didn’t know when you started working in the outdoors?

A. In order to make good decisions and a path forward, there have to be good relationships, compromise and balance in your decisions. You really have to be open to many points of view in order to get to a decision or a direction on something that meets as many of the needs of people coming at you with requests as possible, and it’s not always easy. To navigate complex problems, there is rarely a simple solution.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A. I’m really looking forward to meeting people in person, because I know the New England culture, and the culture is to get together and talk about things and work on solutions that are of mutual interest. I really appreciate that about the New England culture, just growing up here. There’s a really strong interest in cooperation and working together to find that solution or to accomplish something, and it’s really cool to be back and participating in that. I never thought I’d be moving back during a pandemic, but, yeah, I’m glad to be here.

Go to NHBR.com to read more of this interview