DENVER — Scott Fitzwilliams, who for the past 15 years has supervised the White River National Forest, is resigning amid the Trump’s administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce.
“It is with a heavy heart I let you know that I will soon be leaving the US Forest Service,” Fitzwilliams said in a letter sent this week to Pitkin County commissioners. “This is very difficult decision for me given the challenges we are facing right now; but it is the right thing for me to do at this point in my life.”
In his letter, Fitzwilliams said he requested, and was approved, to take the deferred federal buyout offered by the Trump administration back in late January.
The move, part of the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce to save billions under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was backed by a federal judge earlier this month. Under the plan, federal employees can stop working and get paid until Sept. 30.
Fitzwilliams said that while his 15-year-stint hasn’t always been easy, it was nevertheless “rewarding in so many ways.”
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“The White River is a national treasure and helping steward these resources and serving our communities has been a blast,” he wrote. “I am proud of the work we accomplished and am going to dearly miss these amazing resources. But what I will miss the most is working side by side with all of you innovating, creating, and solving problems.”
While he said he didn’t know “exactly when we will be leaving,” Fitzwilliams said he was working on a transition plan to find a permanent candidate for the role. In the meantime, the U.S. Forest Service will now have to find someone with this skillset to fill the position in an interim role.
The White River National Forest – spread over 2.3 million acres of land – is home to eight wilderness area, including the Maroon Bells, Snowmass Wilderness, and Hanging Lake; 11 ski resorts (Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Snowmass and Vail), and 10 peaks over 14,000 feet.
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