By Mary Alice Murphy

"I want to earn your trust," Gila National Forest Supervisor Adam Mendonca (pronounced men-dohn-sah €”it is Portuguese), said. "I consider myself from Silver City, although I was born in Truth or Consequences. My father, a school teacher then and now principal, moved the family here to Silver City when I was about 3 years old. I graduated from Silver High School."

He attended college at Northern Arizona University where he received a degree in forestry. "As part of the forestry program, we were required to choose an emphasis," Mendonca said. "I completed the additional 16 required hours in forest restoration.

"While going to college, I began as a seasonal firefighter for a summer job," he said. "I really liked it. When I graduated I was hired on the Black Range as an Assistant Engine Captain. My next stop was on the Lincoln National Forest as an Assistant Fire Management Officer.

"The community of Ruidoso was ranked as the number one at risk community for fire danger in the state of New Mexico, so I got involved with hazardous fuels reduction and the National Environmental Policy Act process," Mendonca said. "We were trying to treat acreage south and west of town. I was the lead, and with a team, we were successful in getting the project completed.

"I was asked to become the NEPA planner on that district," he continued. "That changed my career, and I began looking at the Forest Service and how I could help improve it. At that point, I started to become interested in being a line officer in management."

His next stop was in Afton, Wyo., where he served as District Ranger on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

"I love to fish, but I love the sun more," Mendonca laughed. "I decided to get back to the southwest. My aim was Arizona or New Mexico. I took a position as Deputy Forest Supervisor in Monte Vista, Colorado, for the Rio Grande National Forest. I could see New Mexico from there."

By then, he had decided he would apply only for positions on the Apache-Sitgreaves or Gila National Forests.

"The Gila job opened up and I jumped at the opportunity," Mendonca said. "In my opionion, the Gila is unique among national forests, not only because of the Gila Wilderness, but also because of its broad diversity of habitats and topography."

He noted he had strong competition for the position. "When I was offered the position, I ran around grinning for weeks. I was shocked and thrilled to get this job. I view the Gila as having great opportunities. The Gila is a large forest with relatively minimal private inholdings. This provides great opportunities for ecological restoration to improve the health of the landscape."

"We have to remember that our decisions impact the surrounding communities. I want to improve the health of the forest while meeting the needs and wants of the residents. This requires a balance between ecological and economic management. Small towns like Glenwood, Reserve and Quemado rely on the forest for their economic health. We must recognize these connections.”

"Part of this balance requires us to form partnerships," he continued. "In current times, there are more demands on public lands for a lot of reasons, but our budgets don't always allow us to meet these demands."

"One way we can move toward meeting these demands is to articulate why specific decisions are made." Mendonca said. "We need to take these extra steps to let the public know how their public lands are being managed. How we engage folks really matters."

Mendonca wants people to consider the Forest Service as part of the community. One practice he has is to wear his uniform every day. "That way people can identify me and it gives us the opportunity to have a conversation."

He has been on the job for approximately three weeks. However, one topic that is already a high priority for implementation and public engagement is travel management. Mendonca stated “the forest is working hard to finish all the needed elements to implement travel management but I think the national standards for the maps are lacking, so I want to engage the public on what kind of maps people want."

"Start by talking to me," Mendonca said. "It will be a way for me to work hard to earn your trust."

Mendonca makes the move to Silver City with his wife Charlie and their 7-year-old son.