SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Gila National Forest has announced that Diane Taliaferro has accepted the position as the new Silver City District Ranger and will assume her duties on Nov. 3, 2014.

"We are fortunate to have Diane on the Gila as she will bring a wide array of experiences to the forest," said Kelly Russell, Forest Supervisor.

Taliaferro comes from the Forest Service Region 3 office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she held the position of Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Program Manager.

Growing up in Helena, Montana, Taliaferro is a fifth-generation Montanan and a fourth-generation Forest Service employee. She received an athletic scholarship to Montana State University-Northern for basketball, volleyball and track.

Upon earning her teaching degree, Taliaferro moved to Whitefish, Montana where she began her career as a teacher and coach. While in Whitefish, the volleyball team won the state championship and Taliaferro was voted "Montana Coach of the Year." She continued her teaching career in both Chinook and Missoula, Montana.

During the summers, Taliaferro worked for the Forest Service in Regions 1, 2 and 4 as a seasonal employee in fire, trails, recreation and as a Wilderness ranger. She also spent some time as a ranger for the National Park Service in Alaska and, as a guide for Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School.

In 1996, after several years as a teacher, Taliaferro entered graduate school at the University of Montana's College of Forestry & Conservation. Earning a Master of Science degree, she began working for the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center during its initial creation and development phases.

Over the next several years, Taliaferro worked for the National Park Service, the Nez Perce and Gallatin National Forests. In 2007, Diane accepted a position in Region 3 on the Santa Fe National Forest as the recreation program manager.