By Patric Hedlund

A new permanent district ranger for the Mt. Pinos District of the Los Padres National Forest will arrive before the end of May. Roy Morris served as interim ranger in 2013 from July through November.

“It is a big plus,” to have already worked here, Morris said in an interview on Monday, April 14, adding that he and his wife will relocate from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Morris said he was glad to get a five-year permit for Pine Mountain Club’s equestrian string to cross through USFS land last year. He hopes to build strong relationships with the Mountain Community, including the Sierra Club, Morris said.

“I want to build relationships with the local communities and to refurbish some of our resources,” such as amenities in Mt. Pinos campgrounds, he added.

A top priority is to educate mountain residents to avoid causing wild bears to become habituated to human dwellings for food. He recalled taking a law enforcement officer to a local home with bears loitering in the yard, waiting for the homeowner to feed them.

This is part of the April 18, 2014 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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