ALASKA—April in Juneau is about renewal. Winter’s darkness shrinks among growing daylight. Docks host the first of the cruise ships. Whales return to their feeding areas. Spring has arrived in Alaska’s capital city.

In early April, nearly 100 of the Forest Service’s newest employees gathered at Centennial Hall for a three-day, in-person orientation about the agency. Here, employees, hired to support the Alaska Region and its Tongass and Chugach national forests, learned about the Forest Service’s history, workforce, mission, values, relationships and priorities. 

“We hired about 175 new employees last year,” said Regional Forester Chad VanOrmer. “With so many new hires, offering a robust Forest Service orientation for them made sense, and doing it in Juneau was a given.”

Orientation-goers were from the regional office in Juneau; the three Chugach ranger districts—Seward, Glacier, and Cordova—the Anchorage-based supervisor’s office; Tongass ranger districts Craig, Hoonah, Juneau, Ketchikan/Misty Fjords, Petersburg, Sitka, Thorne Bay, Wrangell and Yakutat; and the Tongass supervisor’s office in Ketchikan.
The in-person orientation included special panel discussions on the agency’s strategic priorities.

Employees Mitchell Ferrell, Chloe De Camara and Niovis ‘Nio’ Ash joined host Jordan Lewis on Action Line to discuss their perspective on the National New Employee Orientation. When questioned about their take-aways and favorite key moments, all three employees had different answers.

Regional Environmental Coordinator Mitchell Ferrel said, “Coming from the Department of Defense side, learning about the Forest Service trainings, the introduction I’ve had on tribal relations and the history of the tribes here in Alaska has been really informative and the best part of our sessions.” Like last year, a tribal partner panel with guest speakers from tribes and corporations based in southeast and southcentral Alaska took center stage on day three of the orientation to share the unique and inspiring story of Alaska’s Indigenous peoples.

Áak’w Kwáan Tribal Spokesperson Frances “Fran” Houston, from Juneau, offered the first day’s traditional welcome. Panelists included Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton-Reese of the Wrangell Cooperative Association, Executive Director Dawn Jackson of the Organized Village of Kake, Executive Director Eric Morrison of the Salamatof Tribe and Chairman Joe Nelson of Sealaska.

Events were not constrained to Centennial Hall. The first day ended with a walking tour of Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail) along Juneau’s waterfront. Special Uses Permit Administrator Chloe De Camara enjoyed the tour, hosted by the Sealaska Heritage Institute. De Camara explained, “I just thought that was so special, and now I’ll never look at a totem pole the same way.” She continued, “I feel like I’m really getting that lived experience right now of what it means to be a Forest Service employee in Alaska.”

Whether new or established in their careers, the orientation attendees also brought up the informative presentation by the Work Environment and Performance Office. Administrative Staff Officer Niovis ‘Nio’ Ash said, “It was really great to learn about what the Work Environment Performance Office does and what resources and tools are available so I can share that with my team.”

Many employees were surprised by how active WEPO is in the Forest Service. Recreation Management Specialist Meghan Chamberlain praised not only WEPO’s work, but also their success. Chamberlain stated, “I’m impressed by the number of resources available to us and appreciate working for an organization that supports its employees in that way.”

An agency is as great as the employees that comprise it. After April’s New Employee Orientation, it is clear new employees offer the passion and dedication to further the Forest Service’s excellence. Thank you to the employees whose hard work made the event possible. Here’s to new beginnings.