Dusty Vaughn Named Mount St. Helens District Ranger

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Pacific Northwest Region

Vancouver, Wash., (April 7, 2025)— Dusty Vaughn has been named as the new District
Ranger of the Mount St. Helens District on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest
Washington. 

Dusty holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master's of Science degree in Recreation
Ecology. He has been recognized with awards such as the 2024 Aldo Leopold Award for Overall
Wilderness Stewardship and the 2021 Chief’s Award for Applying Knowledge Globally. 

Dusty is a collaborative leader with an accomplished background in wilderness stewardship,
recreation management, and public service. As a National Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers
Specialist for the USDA Forest Service’s Washington Office, he worked with diverse
stakeholders, managed national programs, and contributed to the development of policies and
resources to support field units. Dusty’s experience includes serving as a ranger for the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, fostering community partnerships as the Recreation Specialist as well
as the Public Service Program Area Leader on the Groveland Ranger District of the Stanislaus
National Forest, and detailing as the Acting Director of the interagency Arthur Carhart National
Wilderness Training Center in Missoula, Montana. He is a founding Core Team member and cohost
of the annual National Wilderness Skills Institute which brings wilderness and wild &
scenic river stewards together from across the nation to participate in virtual learning sessions. 

Vaughn succeeds Mount St. Helens District Ranger, Jon Gellings, who is joining the Custer
Gallatin National Forest in Montana as the District Ranger on the Bozeman Ranger District. 

Dusty is excited to join the Mount St. Helens National Monument and Ranger District and the
Gifford Pinchot National Forest. His wife, son, daughter, and dog are all looking forward to new
adventures and living closer to family. They will be relocating from the Washington D.C. area
and Dusty will be taking over at Mount St. Helens in late June.

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