Two new District Rangers will begin their leadership
roles on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests in April. Forest
Supervisor George Bain selected Andy Gaston to manage the Chattooga River
Ranger District and Ben Battle to oversee the Oconee Ranger District. Both
new Rangers are coming in to their new jobs following the retirement of
their predecessors.
Ben Battle reports to work on April 11. He attended Alabama Agricultural
and Mechanical University where he completed bachelor?s degree in forestry
management and a master?s degree in plant science. Ben began working with
the USDA Forest Service in 1998 as a Forestry Summer College-Employment
Program participant on the Carson National Forest in Taos, N.M. Since that
time, he has held positions in Florida as an assistant recreation program
manager, in Alabama as a forester trainee and a resource assistant ranger,
and in Arkansas as a deputy district ranger.
?I am very excited about the opportunity to build upon existing
relationships and to continue to move the district in a direction that
embraces community involvement and customer service,? Battle said. ?This
is a dream job for me and I bring with me a deep sense of appreciation and
optimism about what the future holds for the Oconee Ranger
District.?Battle is a native of Tuskegee, Alabama. He?s married and has
three children; a 6-year old, a 3-year old and one 15-month old.
Andy Gaston starts his new assignment on April 24. Originally from
Georgia, he graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor?s
degree in science in 1987. During his 24-year government career, Gaston
has worked with the National Park Service in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park and the Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Hartwell. In 2000,
he joined the USDA Forest Service as a wildlife biologist on the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. From there, he went to the Cherokee
National Forest in Tennessee where he worked for 6 years as natural
resource manager on the Ocoee-Hiwassee Ranger District. He now is the
acting district ranger there.
?I grew up next door to the Chattahoochee National Forest, and some of my
earliest and favorite outdoor experiences were on the forest? said Gaston.
?The Chattahoochee is a very special place for me and my family, and I?m
excited to have this opportunity to work with former partners and build
new relationships with people who care about this special public resource.
We look forward to moving back to Northeast Georgia.?
Gaston and his wife, Becky, have four daughters ages 19, 16, 9, and 7. The
two youngest daughters were born in Clarkesville, Ga.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health,
diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet
the needs of present and future generations. Encompassing around 867,000
acres across 26 counties, the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests
provide the finest outdoor recreation opportunities and natural resources
in Georgia. Featuring nearly118,000 acres of designated Wilderness, more
than 800 miles of recreation trails, and dozens of campgrounds, picnic
areas, and other recreation activity opportunities, these lands are rich
in natural scenery, history and culture. The Chattahoochee-Oconee National
Forests is part of the Southern Region, with the Forest Supervisor?s
office in Gainesville, Ga., managing four District units in Blairsville
(Blue Ridge District), Lakemont (Chattooga River District), Chatsworth
(Conasauga District), and Eatonton (Oconee District).