Kootenai National Forest Welcomes Two New District Rangers

Libby, MT, April 7, 2025— Kootenai National Forest Supervisor, Chad Benson, is pleased to announce two new District Rangers to the Forest. Nikia Hernandez will begin as the District Ranger on the Three Rivers Ranger District in Troy, MT and Mark Foster will take over as the Rexford/Fortine District Ranger in Eureka, MT.

Nikia is replacing Sam Martin, who is retiring after a successful 25 year career with the Forest Service. Nikia is currently the Program Manager for the Kootenai Complex Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape. He brings a breadth of experience to this position, ranging from a Zone Fire Management Officer on the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon to a District Ranger on the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington.

Nikia has spent over 20 years of his career on the Kootenai, with most of it in fire and fuels management. He began his fire career with the Montana DNRC in Kalispell, MT before joining the Forest Service as a smokejumper. In 2000, he accepted his first permanent position with the agency and moved to Libby, MT. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource Management from the University of Montana. When not at work, Nikia can be found biking the local roads and trails, flyfishing the Kootenai, woodworking, and traveling the world. 

In Eureka, Mark will be filling behind Seth Carbonari, who is now the Kootenai Deputy Forest Supervisor. Mark is currently the District Ranger for the Medicine Wheel District of the Bighorn National Forest in Greybull, Wyoming. Before serving as the District Ranger, Mark was the environmental coordinator on the Shoshone National Forest, with a detail stint on the Bridget-Teton National Forest as a District Ranger. Mark has a diverse background working in law and forestry, having spent several years as an attorney in private practice before joining the Forest Service in 2020. 

Mark is moving up to the area with his two hounds and looking forward to exploring and fishing hard to access places, hunt the backcountry, and enjoying the wild places and wild resources of our National Forests and public lands. 

“We are all looking forward to these two great additions to the Forest,” said Chad Benson. Both Mark and Nikia will begin on their respective districts May 5th, 2025.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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