Lattin takes new position with Pintler Ranger District

The Lincoln Ranger District is losing another familiar face in February as Natural Resource Specialist Josh Lattin moves on to a similar position with the Pintler Ranger District on the Beaverhead-Deer Lodge National Forest.

Lattin, who has managed the Lincoln Ranger District's recreations program since the late spring of 2014, is set to begin work in Philipsburg Feb. 16.

Although he would like to stay in Lincoln, Lattin said he applied for the new job to help advance his career with the Forest Service.

"The federal system is kind of set up on that general schedule," Lattin said. "To get to the next step you a lot of times have to move."

Although his new position carries the same job title and basic responsibilities, he said it counts as a promotion since the Pintler District is quite a bit busier.

"I'm sure I'll be shaking my head, missing Lincoln, when I'm looking at all those campers at Georgetown Lake," he said.

For Lattin, the timing also seemed right to make a transition.

"We finished up a lot of big projects for Rogers Pass and the mountain bike trails," Lattin said. "We're just beginning a five-year cycle of Great American Outdoor Act funds, which is going to start all new projects. I didn't want to leave projects halfway done to move to a new job."

Under Lattin's supervision, the district also completed a number of new OHV trails, connectors and trailheads in 2020, as part of the Upper Blackfoot non-winter travel plan. However, he said implementation of the travelplan is something the district will be continuing to work on well into the future.

Lattin said he'll be leaving the Lincoln Ranger District's Recreation program in good hands as Forest Moulton, the wilderness trails specialist, takes over his duties for the next three months. Moulton will be aided by Chelsea Catalano, who has been handling campgrounds, developed recreation and cabins since coming on as a full-time employee last year.

"It's a nice transition of staff who have a good idea of what the job is. Forest has been working side-by-side with me for quite a while. We actually had him write some of the grants last year for the recreational trails program, and he was successful with it," Lattin said Moulton drove a lot of the mountain bike trail construction as the contact for both the mountain bikers and the contactor building the trail. "He's got a good skill set; he's ready to keep running with it."

Lattin thinks Moulton will likely take over the job permanently.

Once Lattin beings his new job, he expects to be living in the bunkhouse at the ranger station in Philipsburg for a while, as he and his family work out the details of their eventual move He said a lot depends on the housing situation there, and for the foreseeable future his wife Sue is looking at keeping her business, Red Mountain Yoga and Massage, open here.

"It will be a transition," he said.

Regardless, he said they'll be keeping the connections they made here alive.

"I've enjoyed it here. Beautiful country, still plenty to explore," he said "I'm sure I'll be back. I'm going to come back and camp at Pine Grove and ride the new trails."