[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12998-12999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DENNIS JAEGER

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam President, today I wish to 
recognize and honor the public service of Mr. Dennis Jaeger as the 
deputy forest supervisor for the Black Hills National Forest. He has 
been asked to serve as the new forest supervisor with the Medicine Bow-
Routt National Forest and will shortly be assuming those duties. I want 
to recognize him for the exceptional service and leadership he has 
provided in working for the Black Hills of my Home State of South 
Dakota.
  A graduate of St. Mary's High School, Bismarck, ND, Jaeger earned a 
bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the United States 
Military Academy at West Point, NY, in 1982. He served 7 years Active 
Duty in the U.S. Army and retired from the South Dakota Army National 
Guard in 2010 as a lieutenant colonel.
  Jaeger started his Forest Service career as a civil engineer on the 
Rio Grande National Forest in Monte Vista, CO, followed by working as 
district engineer on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and 
Thunder Basin National Grasslands on the Douglas Ranger District in 
Wyoming. In 1996 he became the works program officer for the Angell Job 
Corps in Yachats, OR, and in 1998 was selected as the center director 
of the Boxelder Job Corps Center in Nemo, SD. In 2007 Mr. Jaeger 
assumed the duties as the deputy forest supervisor for the Black Hills 
National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming.
  Jaeger is an avid skier, hiker, and enjoys mountain biking. He and 
his wife Carole have three wonderful children.
  There have been a number of key accomplishments on the Black Hills 
National Forest that Jaeger has helped facilitate, including guiding 
the successful merger of the Tribal Youth Natural Resources Crew with 
the Boxelder Job Corps Center Crew to become the Youth Natural 
Resources, YNR, Crew. The YNR Crew is much better organized, provides 
unique work training and education, remains very diverse and 
productive, and improves the land. The YNR Crew received a Regional 
Forester's Honor Award in 2013. Dennis, as a key member of the Forest 
Leadership Team, helps guide one of the largest forest restoration 
programs in the United States. The Black Hills Forest received the 
Regional Forester's Honor Award for its timber program in 2013 and the 
Chief's Honor Award in 2013 for its Mountain Pine Beetle Response 
Project.
  Dennis has served as the Agency Administrator on two very large and 
complex fires in 2012, White Draw and Myrtle. Dennis interacted 
professionally with several Federal, State, and county cooperators and 
the National Guard and private citizens under very difficult 
circumstances.

[[Page 12999]]

  Dennis is known for his positive, ``can do'' attitude, his 
outstanding customer service, and his passion for the Forest Service 
mission and the well-being of employees and the public he serves. He is 
highly visible and respected by the Federal delegation, tribes, the 
National Forest Advisory Board, State officials and many stakeholders.
  I am proud to recognize and honor Dennis' service to the U.S. Forest 
Service and am delighted to join with his family and friends in 
congratulating him on this promotion to forest supervisor.

                          ____________________