San Juan National Forest Supervisor David Neely will retire later this month after two years on the job.
Steve Hattenbach, currently the deputy regional forester for the Southwestern Region based in Albuquerque, will assume the SJNF’s top job. It was not immediately clear when he will take over.
Neely took over leadership of the 1.8 million-acre forest in February 2023. The SJNF is divided into the Mancos-Dolores, Columbine and Pagosa ranger districts and includes Chimney Rock National Monument and four designated wilderness areas. It also includes Purgatory Resort, which operates on Forest Service-owned land under a special-use permit.
The U.S. Forest Service would not confirm Neely’s retirement, which was widely circulated among forest staff and shared with The Durango Herald by multiple sources familiar with Neely’s decision.
A career Forest Service leader, Neely came to Southwest Colorado most recently from a policy position with the agency in Washington, D.C.
Neely came to be widely respected by local leaders during his tenure on the San Juan, which included a prolonged legal battle with Purgatory Resort over access to water in the East Fork of Hermosa Creek and a conflict with a group of self-proclaimed “free landholders” who laid claim to 1,400 acres of national forest land near Mancos.
His departure comes as Forest Service staff are being reduced, with more cuts expected through reductions in force. Nationwide, thousands of employees have been fired or have resigned. In Southwest Colorado, federal workers who manage public lands have been fired with little explanation, prompting frustration among remaining staff across land management agencies.
Neely’s last day is expected to be this week or next.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
