Carolyn Upton
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Class: |
1985 |
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School: |
East High School |
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Inducted: |
2024 |
Carolyn Upton-Forest Supervisor at the Lolo National Forest – Class of 1985:
Carolyn Upton grew up in Western New York, where her family has been for generations. Although she moved away, she feels a history with this area and an appreciation for the people and the community. Carolyn attended Williamsville East High School and graduated in 1985. She was a member of the varsity swim team,
involved with student government, and a hand on the stage crew. She is appreciative of her time at Williamsville East and the memories she has.
After high school, Carolyn spent four wonderful years at Vassar College. From there, she took a bold step and moved west to complete a Masters Degree in Natural Resource Management at Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado. While at CSU, she was a graduate student intern sponsored by the US Forest Service. That internship blossomed into a 35-year career. Her duty stations include: Denver, Colorado; Glenwood Springs,
Colorado; Coeur D’Alene, Idaho; Walker, Minnesota; Laramie, Wyoming and now in Missoula, Montana. Every duty station has been her favorite!
Carolyn’s career has evolved from positions doing economic analysis and forest planning, into one of leadership and supervision. In her current position as Forest Supervisor for the Lolo National Forest, she is responsible for the management and program execution of all activities on the 2.3 million acres of the Lolo National Forest in western Montana. She supervises nearly 400 people in six offices throughout the area. Programs include wildfire management, public recreation, timber harvest, watershed improvement, fuels reduction, and wilderness stewardship.
Carolyn has been supported throughout this journey by her husband and two sons, who participated in many youth sports and activities that required great distances in sparsely populated states to attend sporting events. She can proudly say she has been to every ice sheet in Wyoming and Montana!
Public service is a core value of Carolyn’s. It is a central tenant in her work as well as in many community activities she has supported throughout the years. She is fortunate to be in a position now where she can mentor and develop the next generation of land and resource stewards. She encourages people in their professional and personal lives to consider land stewardship and engage where and how they can.
She believes, “we are stewards of the future.”