From seasonal worker to district ranger

Carey Case first arrived in Petersburg in 1998 as a 24-year-old seasonal Forest Service employee, and now, after 25 years of service in numerous roles within the district, she has been hired as the Petersburg District Ranger.

"I started working for the Forest Service in college in Washington State, and really liked working outdoors and getting to take helicopters and working in remote places," Case recalls. Her journey to Petersburg began when "RD Parks hired me and moved me up here. He asked me during my interview, 'Are you okay with planes? Are you okay with boats, helicopters, wildlife, remote areas?' And I just remember thinking yes, that's exactly everything I'm okay with. I just kind of jumped in and remember arriving in Petersburg and feeling really lucky."

Case's career path has ranged from laying out timber sales to working as a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) specialist, and a whole lot more.

In her new role, Case sees herself as both a leader and facilitator. "How I see the ranger job is you're providing structure and consistency for all the programs that you manage on the district," she explains. "I'm there to support them in doing all the on-the-ground work that they're doing, to provide some leadership and maybe a buffer to deal with some of the things that might bog them down."

The timing of this career advancement aligns well with personal changes in Case's life. "Iris is leaving for college this year, and so it'll be a good job for me to have as an empty nester," she reflects. "It involves travel. It's a big workload."

Case takes over leadership at a time when numerous significant projects are gaining momentum across the district.

The Keex' Kwáan Community Forest Partnership, now in its fifth year, continues to strengthen ties with the neighboring community of Kake.

Trail improvements are high on the agenda, with Petersburg Lake Trail work continuing and Three Lakes Loop Trail slated for upgrades.

"Three Lakes is slated for some trail work, and it needs it," Case explains. The Three Lakes project will focus on replacing some decades-old trail infrastructure. NEPA should be finalized this spring and trail improvements are expected to begin this summer, though Case notes it could extend across multiple seasons depending on the progress and conditions.

Another significant initiative is the Thomas Bay Timber Sale – the project which represents an important shift toward second-growth timber management in the area – is entering its contracting phase. "We're phasing into the contracting end of that right now ... starting to look at what that might look like, putting it out to bid," Case explains.

Recreation infrastructure is also expanding, with several new recreational cabins on the agenda. The Woodpecker cabin site project, which Case describes as "the big one," is currently in the design and site prep phase, though construction isn't expected until around 2026. Woodpecker Cabin will provide more road-accessible recreation opportunities, following the success of similar facilities on Wrangell Island.

The district expects to conduct substantial road maintenance this year, particularly on Mitkof Island's road system. "We have a road maintenance plan we're looking at for Mitkof Island," Case notes. "Obviously, subsistence use is a big one, and so having those roads accessible is a big deal." The engineering team continues to address seasonal challenges like fall washouts while also coordinating with other district priorities.

Case emphasizes a holistic approach to project planning in the district, where different types of work are coordinated for efficiency. "If we're going to an area, maybe to do road work, looking at, is there culvert work, or any other kind of work? Are we looking at the need to treat invasive plant species, trying to package our work in a way where we're kind of getting the most bang for our buck," she explains.

The district has also just finished relocating all staff out of the Federal Building in downtown Petersburg out to the Forest Service offices at Scow Bay, while a two year long renovation of the historic building is underway. Interior work on the downtown renovation kicked off this week.

Case will be busy and so will her team, but that won't stop her from making significant contributions in the community outside of her role as district ranger.

"I think forest service folks are great volunteers. We volunteer for a lot of stuff, and I feel like our job provides us some flexibility to be community members that can volunteer in a lot of different realms," she explains. "We do have some training where we can help with search and rescue. Folks often do that. Or we have wilderness first responder training. People volunteer for the fire department in different ways. Or when we have kids at school, we get involved with volunteering in the school system." This integration of Forest Service employees into the community fabric is something Case sees as fundamental to the agency's success in Petersburg.

For example, last October, Case was re-elected to continue serving on the Petersburg School Board.

And Case will continue with her work as a local landscape photographer – which is good news for the many fans of Wild Iris Photography. Case's Petersburg landscape calendars are top sellers at shops around town and during artist events like Oktoberfest. Her large landscape prints adorn the walls of many Petersburg residences, and readers of the Pilot will recognize her name as the contributor of quite a few landscapes that have graced the Pilot's covers over the years.

Looking ahead, Case sees her roots that have grown in Petersburg as an asset in her new role. "Having worked for a lot of different rangers, I think it's good to have somebody that's going to be here for a while, and that has a knowledge of the local area," she reflects.

The fact that she's the first ranger in recent memory to have come up through the Petersburg District represents a meaningful shift, one that she hopes will add stability and longevity to the position.

This combination of local experience and leadership responsibilities positions Case well to guide the Petersburg Ranger District through its next chapter.

And while the district's main office undergoes renovation, Case wants the public to know she remains accessible at their temporary location. "We are out at Three Mile. If folks need to access us there and need to get a hold of me and would like to talk to me in this role as ranger, I'm always available. And if I'm not in office, for some reason, I'm traveling for work or out in the field, I will get back to them."