PORTLAND, OR- Pacific Northwest Regional Forester Glenn Casamassa announced the selection of Meta Loftsgaarden as the new Mt. Hood National Forest Supervisor. Loftsgaarden joins the Forest Service from the State of Oregon and currently serves as the Executive Director for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, a state agency that supports community-based conservation, habitat restoration, and improved water quality.
She will begin working in her new position in early October.
“The depth and breadth of Meta’s experience in natural resources, land management and conservation issues will be an important asset in her work on the Mt. Hood National Forest,” Casamassa said. “This is a forest that sits at the intersection of western Oregon’s urban and rural communities, where thoughtful and strategic land use and conservation are critically important to preserving open space while supporting the region’s growing recreation economy.”
Loftsgaarden’s career experience includes numerous leadership positions supporting local economies, communities, and science-based restoration and conservation.
Prior to joining OR Watershed Enhancement Board, she worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on partnership and policy issues including farmland protection, working forestland easements, and strategic conservation.
In Montana, she promoted economic and natural resource policies as the head of the state’s agriculture Marketing and Business Development Bureau and as the Governor’s office deputy communications director.
Loftsgaarden has a Masters of Public Administration from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Science from Montana State University.
“I appreciate the opportunity to join the outstanding team on the Mt. Hood National Forest,” Loftsgaarden said. “This iconic forest represents so much of what we in Oregon care about – the environment, outdoor recreation, and strong local natural resource economies. I look forward to helping support the work of our Forest Service employees and partners as we sustainably manage this incredible resource.”
Mt. Hood National Forest spans more than one million acres of forested mountains, lakes, and streams in Oregon’s Cascade Range and surrounding foothills. It provides drinking or agricultural irrigation water for about a third of the state’s population and is one of the most visited national forests in the Pacific Northwest. For more information visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/mthood/.