Jeffrey Vail pulled his phone from his uniform pocket and began snapping pictures of the newly restored Gabrielino Trail, the sweeping mountain vista serving as a quintessential postcard backdrop.

The tall, handsome supervisor of the 700,000-acre Angeles National Forest never departed from his usual stoic demeanor during a 45-minute walk-and-talk Friday. But his stop to preserve a memory was a sign he would miss his job managing the most-visited forest in the country.

Vail leaves Tuesday to become the U.S. Forest Service’s deputy director for recreation, heritage and volunteer resources in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve leaned a tremendous amount about what it is to lead and collaborate,” he began. “But this job – ” he paused to chuckle, “- and this forest is much bigger than any one person.

“You hope to make a difference and recognize you are here for a short time; that there are other people poised who will step in and lead as well.”

Taking his place will be Jerry Perez, California director of the Bureau of Land Management.

Perez has 30 years experience working for the U.S. Forest Service with stints as deputy regional forester for the USFS’s Intermountain Region in Utah, forest supervisor of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky and the Stanislaus National Forest in California.

He earned a law degree from Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and litigated cases for the Forest Service in Washington, where he worked with Vail.

Perez, who starts on Oct. 14, was described by Vail as “a really pleasant person to work with,” “a great leader” and “the right person to carry the forest forward in the years ahead.”

“The Forest Service hit a home run with this hire,” Steve Ellis, a former BLM deputy director of operations told E & E News in their Greenwire report on Aug. 20.

Oil and gas

News reports have said the Trump Administration has been shaking up the BLM leadership by moving out directors from Alaska, Colorado and New Mexico and reassigning them outside the agency, potentially clearing the way for more oil and gas exploration on BLM lands.

One of the accomplishments Vail leaves behind is the completion of a management plan for the 346,177-acre San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, which fits inside the forest but is about half the size.

The monument adds more protections, he said, reflected in the plan’s prohibition on gas and oil exploration.

Mining is also prohibited, including so-called recreational mining in the monument’s creeks and rivers that can damage ecosystems and destroy already dwindling populations of endangered fish.

“There really aren’t oil and gas deposits here to develop anyway,” Vail said. “So in that way there is not really a controversy as far as resource extraction.”

Monument

Developing a management plan to fulfill President Barack Obama’s vision for the monument he designated in October 2014 became the task of the San Gabriel Mountains Community Collaborative, a wide-ranging group representing hunters and gun owners, cities, utilities, environmental and recreational groups and business owners.

“I hold Jeff in high regard,” said Daniel Rossman, a member of the Collaborative and The Wilderness Society’s California deputy director. “He worked very hard to shape the trajectory of the new monument by engaging diverse communities.”

Glendora Mayor Pro-Tem Judy Nelson, also a Collaborative member, said Vail always attended their meetings and answered every question.

“He was approachable. He listened. He was highly committed to doing the best job possible for the forest,” she said. “He is an outstanding role model for others as to what an exemplary leader is.”

Vail pointed to partnerships with school districts resulting in an increase in class trips to the forest. He wants Perez to engage citizen scientists in wildlife surveys and continue programs started under his watch by bringing artists-in-residence to capture the forest’s beauty on a canvas or digital photo.

In terms of a better transportation, he points to the establishment of the first permanent bus shuttle from Pasadena’s Memorial Park Gold Line Station to the Cobb Estate at the trailhead of the Mount Wilson Toll Road, which winds into the forest and up to Mount Wilson, where telescopes that unraveled some of the mysteries of the universe remain today.

The National Forest Foundation has collected more than $6 million in corporate donations for trail restoration, invasive plant removal and rebuilding of overrun picnic areas as a result of Obama’s designation and Vail’s leadership, said Ed Belden, the foundation’s Southern California program manager.

“He (Vail) deserves some credit for these partnerships,” Belden said. “Without the Forest Service moving projects forward we would not have been nearly as successful without him.”

At the end of his hike, Vail joked about some of the names given places by founders a century ago.

Crystal Lake, about 25 miles north of Azusa, has dwindled to pond status because of recent droughts and global warming.

“It is a bit of a stretch to call it a lake and it certainly doesn’t look crystal these days,” he said with a smile.

He also said the area’s improved campground, amphitheater and dance hall can be used more effectively to bring arts and entertainment to the Monument.

“I’m very optimistic about the future,” he said. “This can be and should be a premiere urban outdoor recreation area — an example to the nation and the world.

“Ultimately we will get there.”