About Our Office ...

The Ponderosa Area office is located in Deary, Idaho.  The Area duties include natural resource management of state owned lands, as well as regulatory responsibilities, including private land forest practices and fire suppression. The Ponderosa Area encompasses approximately 71,000 acres of endowment lands, of which 66,000 acres are timbered.  The Fire Protection District encompasses approximately 732,000 acres.  The Area has eleven permanent employees, five eight-month employees, four summer employees, and two seasonal scalers.

About Our Staff ...

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Area Manager - Sam Charles started with the Department (IDL) in 1980 on the St. Joe Supervisory Area. During his career with IDL he has filled such positions as Woodland Forester, Senior Forester, Forest Area Manager and, most recently, Lands Resource Supervisor. 

Robert Barkley is the Private Forestry Specialist.  In 1992 he was hired as a timber Resource Specialist for the Department‘s Ponderosa Area.  He is now responsible for Forest Practices issues, Stewardship Forestry Programs, and private forestry assistance.

Eric Berard, Lands Resource Specialist - Forest

Barry Lerandeau-Hillman started working seasonally with the Department of Lands on the St. Joe Area in 1989 and became a Resource Specialist, Sr. in 2005 for the North Zone of the Ponderosa Area.  Besides his experience with the IDL, he has also worked as a private contractor and as an intern for the Oregon Department of Forestry.  Previously, he worked with our office and the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department as the McCroskey Park timber Resource Specialist.

Mark Lesko is a Lands Resource Supervisor, Forest. Mark received his degree from the University of Idaho and started out with IDL in 1984 as a Resource Aide in the Floodwood, where among other things he practiced axe throwing and cross cut sawing. Mark worked for two years on the Clearwater Area as a Resource Technician, and then for 18 years on the Ponderosa Area as a Resource Specialist, Sr. Most recently Mark has worked as a Private Forest Specialist on the St. Joe Area.

Jerry Northrup is one of our Resource Supervisor/Timber for the Ponderosa Area and supervises the management of approximately 15 million board feet annual harvest.  He has been at the Ponderosa Office and IDL since 1995.

Alisa Schotzko is a Lands Resource Specialist, Forest and has been working with the Department for three years as a Forest Practices Advisor at the St. Joe and Maggie Creek Area offices.  We are excited to have her on board as part of the timber management team at the Ponderosa Area. 

Nikki Shockey, Administrative Assistant

Casey Strong - Assistant Fire Warden

Jason Svancara, our Fire Warden, started work for the Department in August 2005.  His duties include fire suppression, fire prevention, prescribed fire, hazard management and assisting with timber management.

Margo Welch was employed by the Department in 2001 and is the Senior Resource Specialist for the Mica Unit.  She transferred from the Craigmont Office in 2002 where she worked as the as the co-op forester for IDL and Idaho Department of Fish and Game. She supervises the Resource Technicians and Foreman/Timber.

Ryan Westacott, Lands Resource Specialist, Forest

Jake Willard, Resource Specialist, Sr. as of 2004 began working for the Ponderosa Office in 1998.  He is an expert on GIS, teaches other specialists our new FS Cruise program and manages State land in the Ponderosa South Zone.