Plumas National Forest Announces Supervisor and Leadership Changes

QUINCY — Plumas National Forest employees were informed this week that Rick Hopson will be the new Forest supervisor. This is the latest of several leadership changes on the Forest over the past three months.

Hopson served as the acting forest supervisor on the Plumas for the past 120 days. Next week he is briefly returning to his position as deputy director of the Ecosystems Management staff for the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region in Vallejo, California. Hopson returns to the Plumas National Forest to officially start as forest supervisor Sunday, February 9.

Hopson’s assignment as acting forest supervisor started in September 2024. Forest Supervisor Chris Carlton began a temporary assignment as a deputy regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service Intermountain Region in Utah in September and accepted the position there in late October. Hopson applied for and was recently offered the Plumas National Forest supervisor position, announcing his acceptance to Forest employees early this week.

“I’ve greatly enjoyed getting to know the employees and communities of the Plumas National Forest over the past few months and I am excited to be returning in February as the Forest supervisor,” Hopson said. “There is great work occurring here on the Forest and I am looking forward to furthering those efforts while continuing to build productive relationships with our partners and community members.”

Hopson’s background includes work as a district ranger on the Eldorado National Forest, regional hydrologist in the Intermountain Region and hydrologist positions in California including on the Sierra and Inyo National Forests and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

Hopson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science degree in Forest Hydrology from Oregon State University. In his free time, he enjoys exploring national forests, practicing yoga, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

The Plumas National Forest and Hopson welcomed a new deputy forest supervisor in late October. Plumas Deputy Forest Supervisor Caitlin Ostomel comes to the Forest from San Diego where she was the director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Navy’s Southwest Region Installations Command, coordinating all public information and communications functions for 10 shore installations and 17 Navy Reserve Centers throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Prior to that, she worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in a variety of roles and on numerous emergency assignments, including some of the most destructive natural disasters of the past 20 years.

Ostomel holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and French from the University of Southern California and University of Nevada, respectively, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University.

Originally from Reno, she has lived and/or worked overseas in the Czech Republic, France, Switzerland and Zambia. In her free time, Ostomel and her husband enjoy introducing their toddler and dog to the joys of recreating on the water, hiking and spending time in nature.

“I’m excited to join such an experienced and dedicated team on the Plumas National Forest and learn more about natural resource management while working closely with employees and partners on issues that are important to our local communities,” Ostomel said. “It’s even better that this adventure is in a part of the country that will always be home and that I can share the beauty of the seasons and make great memories in the ‘Lost Sierra’ with my family.”

Since late October, additional leadership changes occurred in four other critical staff areas.

Forest Fire Management Officer Aaron Grove retired at the end of October, following a few months in a temporary assignment as a district ranger on the Inyo National Forest. Forest Fire Planner Martin Senter is concluding a four-month assignment as acting forest fire management officer soon and Forest Fuels Officer Ryan Bauer will be starting a temporary assignment in the position. The permanent position is being advertised with plans to fill it by this spring.

In late November, Forest Natural Resources Staff Officer Felipe Cano accepted the forest supervisor position on the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. The local staff officer position is also in the process to be filled.

In December, Mount Hough District Ranger Joe Hoffman transferred into the Plumas National Forest engineer position which has been vacant for several months. Staff at the Mount Hough Ranger District are rotating as the acting district ranger until the position is filled. For those needing to contact the acting district ranger, please call the Mount Hough District office at 530-283-0555.

“There is a tremendous amount of change occurring within the leadership on the Plumas National Forest right now, especially in critical positions that are important to the work we do and issues that are important to our communities,” Hopson said. “We are working to get the vacant positions filled and appreciate the patience and understanding of our partners, communities and employees as new leadership gets settled in over the next few months.

For more information on the Plumas National Forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/plumas or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USFSPlumas.