Tory Kendrick to serve as acting Lincoln District Ranger

Lincoln, Mont. – Beginning in mid-January, Tory Kendrick will take on the role as the Acting District Ranger for the Lincoln Ranger District for 20 days.

It's a new challenge," said Kendrick, who has been the Base Manager for the Missoula Smokejumper Base for the last five years. "I've been with the forest service for 25 years. It's something I've always wanted to do."

Kendrick visited Lincoln last week to spend time with departing Ranger Michael Stansberry to get a feel for the ranger station and the district. He also took time to visit Sculpture in the Wild.

"The move to a Ranger position is a different challenge, so I'm interested in connecting with the land and the community," he said. "I think Lincoln's a pretty unique opportunity because the Forest Service and the community work hand-in-hand in a lot of different aspects."

Kendrick plans to make a few more trips from Missoula before his first day, although he may work part of the time from Missoula, due to the situation with COVID-19. "I probably will be up there quite a bit, as much as I can," he said. "That's my goal."

In his job at the Smokejumper Base Kendrick supervises some 70 smokejumpers as well as the tanker base, the business office and visitor center at the Aerial Fire Depot. He has also served as the operations lead for the Missoula Smokejumpers, been a member of the National Wildland Fire Diversity Committee, served as the regional Incident Medical Unit lead and as the Region One coordinator for the national Ram-Air parachute transition.

"Kendrick has exemplary leadership skills and places a strong value on relationships," said Forest Supervisor Bill Avey. "He is innovative, compassionate, and dedicated to caring for the land and serving people. We look forward to the leadership he will continue for the Lincoln Ranger District and Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest."

Kendrick said he's likely to apply for the Ranger position here full time, but is still considering his options. Much of his career has been in fire and aviation management. He has served as a smokejumper, on a hotshot crew, on engine crews,and in fire leadership roles. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Management.

Kendrick noted he has a family history related to both the Helena area and to being a district ranger. His grandfather, who trained at Ft. Harrison with the First Special Service Force during World War II, served as a district ranger for 23 years in the White Mountains.

The Helena Lewis and Clark National Forest announced Kendrick's selection as interim ranger Dec. 15. Stansberry is slated to depart Jan. 15 and begin his new role as the Forest Supervisor at Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest Jan. 17.