[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5063]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO CRAIG BOBZIEN

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the outstanding 
service of Black Hills National Forest supervisor, Craig Bobzien, as he 
retires from the U.S. Forest Service. Craig was placed in charge of 
managing the Black Hills National Forest in May 2005, and for more than 
10 years, the Black Hills National Forest has been under Craig's direct 
supervision.
  Craig began his path to South Dakota as a 1973 graduate of Raytown 
South High School in Raytown, MO. After high school, he pursued his 
bachelor's degree in forest science at Colorado State University and 
then went on to a serve in many roles in conservation and forestry. 
Previous to his appointment at the Black Hills National Forest, he 
served in other capacities for the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho, 
Montana, Washington State, and at the U.S. Forest Service headquarters 
in Washington, DC.
  Since being appointed to oversee the Black Hills National Forest, 
Craig has been its longest serving supervisor. Over his tenure of 
almost 11 years, Craig has done an exceptional job as a steward of the 
Black Hills National Forest's 1.2 million acres in South Dakota and 
Wyoming. He managed those 1.2 million acres of forestland during some 
of the toughest fire seasons in recent memory.
  Craig's leadership during the Rocky Mountain Region's devastating 
pine beetle epidemic has been instrumental as he coordinated with other 
Federal, State, and private stakeholders to combat one of the largest 
epidemics of this pest since the 1900s. Craig initiated the first 
large-landscape management area in the Black Hills National Forest for 
mountain pine beetle treatment, which has set an example of topline 
management others are now following.
  Over the years, I have appreciated the cooperation of Craig and his 
team of over 300 employees in our efforts to assess and address the 
many threats to the health of the Black Hills.
  Craig, thank you for your service to South Dakota and our Nation.

                          ____________________