After mid-April, we won't be seeing the familiar helmet-clad figure of our Six Rivers National Forest Supervisor, Tyrone Kelley, riding his bicycle home through Eureka after work. Nor can we expect to see him at those sometimes contentious fire-safety meetings in our mountain communities. He's moving to Vallejo for a new job: director of engineering at the Forest Service Pacific Southwest's regional office, says a news release from Six Rivers National Forest. 

Kelley's had a busy tenure here on the North Coast since taking the supervisor position in 2006. He's invested much time in particular working with tribes and others to create more cooperative fire management approaches in the communities abutting forest lands. 

“The job has been challenging and rewarding," he says in the news release. "I have had the great fortune to work with dedicated employees, communities and tribes as well as local governments. Looking back at the last seven plus years I have truly enjoyed my tenure as Forest Supervisor and I will miss all the relationships we have forged. I am looking forward to the new challenges ahead as Director of Engineering for the Region.”

The news release notes that Kelley is returning to his roots; he spent his first 20 years with the Forest Service working as an engineer. You can read more about that in the Journal's 2007 profile of Kelley, "The Man from Alabama."