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Ashland ranger transferred Duffy moved to Applegate duties By Paul Fattig of the Mail Tribune ASHLAND -- Ashland district ranger Linda Duffy, praised by local residents for her leadership role in bridging the gap between the Forest Service and the community, is being transferred. Duffy revealed the leadership change on Friday to shocked members of the Ashland Watershed Stewardship Alliance, a diverse group with whom she had been working closely since March to come up with suggestions to counter the agency's proposed Ashland Watershed Protection Project. The controversial project is aimed at reducing fire hazards in the Ashland Creek watershed. "One thing that has been important to me is to work with you in a way that you will trust your government," Duffy said during a meeting with the alliance. "In the spirit of trust is sharing the truth. And the truth is that I have been removed from my job." Duffy was told Thursday morning by Mike Lunn, supervisor of the Rogue River and Siskiyou national forests, that she will be serving as liaison between the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management for the Applegate Adaptive Management Area in the Applegate Valley. She will be answering to what is equivalent to a district ranger in the BLM, Duffy said. Lunn informed her that she was being transferred because of "unacceptable performance," Duffy said. However, she was also told that she was given the new job because of her "exceptionable skills in working with the community," she said. Lunn could not be reached for comment. However, Steve Waterman, spokesman for the Rogue River forest, said it would be incorrect to describe Duffy as being fired. "Absolutely not," he said. "She's got wonderful community collaboration skills. Those fit well into our needs for the Applegate area." The transfer is a temporary reassignment, Waterman said. "She will also continue her leadership role in the Ashland watershed project," he said. The transfer is effective Dec. 4, he said, adding that the temporary change will be reviewed by the end of the federal fiscal year, which concludes Sept. 30, 2000. An acting ranger will be assigned in the interim, he said. Waterman didn't know if Duffy would eventually return as Ashland district ranger. "That issue has not been addressed," he said. Duffy, the district ranger for five years, is a Forest Service veteran of more than two decades. Friday was the deadline for public comments on the agency's draft environmental impact statement, or EIS, for the watershed protection project. The draft EIS is the result of an administrative appeal by Headwaters and the Rogue Group Sierra Club in 1998 of the agency's decision on how it planned to reduce what its perceives as a fire hazard. The final EIS is expected this winter. Basically, the alliance's 100-page proposal includes a public/private partnership designed to assist the agency in coming up with a plan to reduce the fire hazard in a way that is environmentally friendly. A public meeting on the group's proposal will be held early in December. Duffy told the alliance that she intended to continue working with them. "Nowhere in my career have I seen such a diversity come together with such intensity and passion, willing to take responsibility and accountability for the land you own," she said. "I encourage you to keep going," she added. "In whatever capacity I'm able, I want to work with you." Duffy's transfer undermines the work done by the community, observed alliance member Ruth Coulthard, a member of Peace House. "You have walked the talk," Coulthard told Duffy. "You put yourself on the line. . . . we'll go to bat for you in any way we can." Laurel Reuben, alliance member and former Forest Service employee, agreed. The alliance would continue to work on the project while offering support for Duffy, she said. Community members had formed a unique bond with Forest Service officials, a bond that had been made possible by Duffy's leadership, said Richard Hart, staff ecologist for Headwaters, an environmental coalition based in Ashland. "I'm shocked," he said of Duffy's transfer. ". . . But we aren't going to quit. This is really important to us." "My first gut reaction was anger," said Headwaters chairman Jim Moore. "We had been working with the idea that we had all worked together to make this thing a better solution. It's like having the wind kicked out of you. "Having said that, it's always good to take a deep breath and analyze where we can go from here," he added. "Our commitment is that we will continue this project. And we will continue to support Linda." The alliance's suggestions will be considered among the public comments, Duffy said. "I don't know what the forest (officials) will choose to do," she said. "But I know that Mike Lunn has come to you and said he was very supportive of this work. He had asked me to continue to work with you." Duffy asked the group to focus on the project instead of her transfer. "It's critical for this community -- to keep the conversation going," Duffy said. "This isn't pivotal on one person. It's pivotal on a group of committed people to move forward." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA