Bob Dalrymple, Wrangell's district ranger retires after almost 40-year career

Bob Dalrymple said he first became interested in forestry when he was in the Boy Scouts. It was a fairly linear career trajectory. He said he knew what he wanted to do since high school. He attended forestry school at Colorado State University, and got his first job with the Forest Service planting trees in 1975. In 1982 he came to Southeast Alaska for seasonal work, and fell in love with the area. He said that he worked on Prince of Wales and in Petersburg for many years, then went south for a little bit, but discovered that he wanted to return to Southeast.

"Pretty quickly I learned down there that I think Southeast Alaska got into my blood, so I came back and I was fortunate enough to apply for and get the ranger job here in Wrangell," he said.

Dalrymple has served as Wrangell's district ranger since 2010. However, after 39 years of work, he has decided it's time to retire. His retirement became official back in January but the community threw a big retirement party for him last weekend.

"I've got almost 40 years in," he said. "I love the job, there are things I was happy to have gotten accomplished, it was just time to do something different."

When he came to Wrangell in 2010, Dalrymple said the community was a bit different. Everyone was still trying to recover from the mill closing and the timber industry collapsing all over Southeast Alaska. With 97 percent of the borough being forest, he added, it was a big job to take on. Over the years, he has watched Wrangell diversify and change. A big aspect of his job, he said, was public relations with the community. He said that he is proud of his district and the people in it.

"I think the district has always been good," he said. "I kind of think they would have been fine with or without me. I can't say that I can take credit, there's really good folks up there. So, yeah, they're going to continue to do a great job."

Another big aspect of his job as district ranger was to encourage economic sustainability in his part of the Tongass National Forest. He said that the Forest Service has several algaculture sites, has made investments into road systems around Wrangell, and often partners with the Wrangell Cooperative Association on various projects. They also work to make the Wrangell district a welcoming and exciting location for tourists. They have worked to improve hiking trails, have dedicated three new recreational cabins in Dalrymple's time as ranger, and have seen many improvements to the Anan Wildlife Observatory, with more planned in the near future.

"The opportunity, here in Wrangell, to be district ranger is definitely the highlight of my career," he said. "It's been a challenging job, but it's been a great community to work with. They're very direct, which I appreciate. They tell you what's on their mind but they're also willing to work with you."

Though he is now retired, Dalrymple said he plans to stay in Wrangell and keep involved in the community. He is still very interested in forestry and economic sustainability, he added, but does not have any master plan as to what he wants to do with his time now.

"You could always throw something in there about needing to improve my golf game," he said with a grin. "Most retired people talk about that."