Photo: Surveying the damage at the Catwalk National Recreation Trail, Tracy Weber (right), the new RHELM staff officer for the Gila National Forest, and Recreation Technician Robert Shanks (left).

SILVER CITY, N.M. – The USDA Forest Service Supervisor's Office has promoted Tracy Weber into the position of Recreation, Heritage, Engineering, Lands and Minerals (RHELM) staff officer for the Gila National Forest.

Weber, originally from Idaho, is a longtime resident of Silver City, New Mexico. He and his family are actively involved in the community. After graduating from Silver High School, Weber enlisted in the U.S. Navy submarine service for eight years.

Upon completion of his commitment to the Navy he attended Western New Mexico University, while at the same time landing his first engineering job with Engineer's Inc. During his tenure with the firm, Weber earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University.

"My family has developed deep ties to this community," said Weber. "We love it here and my wife and I have enjoyed raising our children here."

In 2002, Weber accepted the position of project design engineer for the Gila National Forest. Through hard work and effort, in a few short years, Weber secured the position of project design engineer for the U.S. Forest Service Southwest Region 3 office, covering all 11 forests in Arizona and New Mexico.

In his new position as the RHELM staff officer, Weber will oversee many aspects of the Gila National Forest, which include the forest transportation system of roads and trails, watershed restoration, construction and maintenance of forest facilities and recreation areas, the lands and minerals program, and the cultural and heritage resources program.

According to Forest Supervisor Kelly Russell of the Gila National Forest, "This is a very challenging position covering so many program areas. It's an important job and Tracy has proven himself."

One notable high-profile project will be the restoration of the Catwalk National Recreation Trail on the Glenwood Ranger District. The trail, destroyed after flash flooding, is one of the most popular sites on the forest.

"We've tried very hard to keep the Catwalk open and accessible to the public, despite one natural disaster after another. We are keenly aware of the economic impact to Glenwood and the surrounding communities and are working closely with Federal Highways to rebuild it after the flooding of September 2012. That storm severely damaged the community of Mogollon as well as most of the hanging structure and trail system in the Catwalk National Recreation area."

Throughout his career, Weber has had a wide variety of work experience in the engineering industry, which includes the mining industry, the Forest Service and owning his own consulting business. Weber is licensed as a Professional Engineer in both New Mexico and Arizona.