Kern Valley Sun
District Ranger Dave Freeland announced his plans last week to retire from the U.S. Forest Service on Oct. 3, capping a 34-year career in public service. For the last seven years Freeland has been been responsible for the Kern River Ranger District on the Sequoia National Forest.
 Ranger Dave Freeland, who recently announced his retirement, holds a picture of him and his wife, Debbie, taken at the 2005 Whiskey Flat Parade. In 2005, the Forest Service reached the centennial mark, and the couple rode the Forest Service float decked out in full 1905-era attire. |
“Emotionally, it's hard. I'm going through withdrawls,” Freeland said. “But now that I've made the announcement, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from me. This isn't a job or a career; it's a lifestyle. I'll always have green blood.”
During his time with the Forest Service, Freeland has been responsible for the administration and management of nearly 665,000 acres of national forest land. And with a staff he describes as “great,” Freeland has managed up to 300 employees.
He graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Resources in 1973 and is immersed in the rich history and heritage of the Forest Service. Freeland speaks of Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service, with a reverent familiarity.
In fact, one of Freeland's guiding principles is Pinchot's mission statement written for the new agency in 1905, which states "where conflicting interests must be reconciled, the question shall always be decided from the standpoint of the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run."
Freeland's love of forestry is evident as he recites, with chapter-and-verse accuracy, the history of the Forest Service. They (President Theodore Roosevelt and Pinchot) sought not only to conserve disappearing natural resources but also to maximize the social benefits from those resources, Freeland said.
“I love being a ranger, but it's time to give someone else a chance. It's about new energy and new ideas,” Freeland said. ‘'ll have more time for Harley rides, but also more time to devote to the community,” he said. Freeland has been active in the Kern Valley Exchange Club, First Baptist Church of Lake Isabella, Kern Valley Hospital Foundation, Society of American Foresters, and is founder of the Kern County Public Agency Coordinating Group.
“Freeland's deep sense of community is evident,” said Margie Clack, long-time Forest Service public affairs officer and friend, “through his work, providing a variety of recreational opportunities and supporting numerous community and service projects.”
Freeland said he and Debbie love traveling to Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo, but the Kern Plateau remains his favorite destination.
“A group of us, including my 75-year-old uncle, are going to Wyoming on a hunting trip, and maybe I'll actually work on the 1956 Chevy pickup I bought, ” he said.
Freeland is not in a position to speculate on his replacement. “It will be nationally advertised. There could be a series of acting Deputy District Ranger for up to six months until the position is filled,” he said.
He does, however, have some insights for the person that will lead this part of the 192 million acres of national forest property. “As public servants, we have a national mandate and there diverse values that need to be represented. And it can be tough to represent them all equally,” Freeland said. “It can be challenging to implement the Forest Service's national policies and still be sensitive to the community's values.
“In land management, a person's extrenal communication skills are so important. We have to remember that we work for the public,” he said.
“You have to really listen to people, not just hear them, to mitigate different situations. You have to earn people's respect. Be honest with them. And don't make them come to you,” Freeland said. “Get out in the community. It takes savvy and a lot of public relations. It's all about relationships.”
Freeland helped lead the effort to combine the Cannell Meadow and Greenhorn Ranger Districts into the Kern River Ranger District.
Prior to this assignment, Freeland held the post of District Ranger on the Calaveras Ranger District on the Stanislaus National Forest and served nearly a year as Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Forest.
During his career, Freeland served as a Type I Information Officer on a National Incident Management Team traveling throughout the country. He spent nearly a month during the Yellowstone National Parks fires, working as an information officer.
From 1988 to 1992, Freeland completed the environmental impact statement and implementation plan for the north and south forks of the Kern Wild and Scenic River as a planner on the Cannell Meadow Ranger District in Kernville. He also served as the Deputy Incident Commander for the transfer of lands and associated recreation facilities from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the U.S. Forest Service in 1991.
Freeland also spent eight years as the Timber Managment Officer on the Greenhorn Ranger District and two years on the Hot Springs District as a small sales officer.
Prior to that, Freeland worked on the Tahoe National Forest for five years as assistant resource officer, working in recreation, range, wildlife and special issues. He began his career with the Forest Service in 1969, working as a seasonal technician while attending college.
“Often people forget about our spouces and all they have to put up with,” Freeland said. “With moving so often, it can be hard to make friends and adjust to a new community.”
Freeland said his first assignment “really tested my marriage,” as he and Debbie lived in an extremely isoltaed area. A generator served as the sole source of electricity and wild bears roamed the hills.
Debbie has no immediate plans to retire, but with their children living in Bakersfield, Freeland said there will be more time to spend with them. Son Andy, 27, is an appraiser in Bakersfield. Rebecca, 30, a Kern Valley High School graduate, and her daughter, Taylor, also live in Bakersfield. Rebecca works in the same office with her brother.
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