If you’ve driven along the Hungry Horse Reservoir or camped near Swan Lake, you have Shawn Boelman to thank. As Assistant Forest Engineer for the Flathead National Forest, he’s spearheaded projects that restored campgrounds and improved the surface of more than 100 miles of backwoods roads. Now he’s being honored as the Northern Region Managerial Engineer of the Year.
Boelman joined the U.S. Forest Service in 2003 after working for the Bureau of Reclamation in New Mexico and Billings. As a program manager, he’s led many projects, large and small, relating to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“Shawn works every day to make this forest a better place while also keeping an eye on the horizon towards making the Forest Service a better resource for the nation,” said forest supervisor Chip Weber.
Shawn, who is married with two children, will receive the award at the annual Northern Region engineering meeting on March 1.