Welcome to two new political appointees at the Forest Service! Here’s a link to the announcement and below are the new Senior Advisors to the Forest Service.
Ken Verheyen Appointed as Senior Advisor, U.S. Forest Service
Ken Verheyen serves as Senior Advisor for the U.S. Forest Service. Ken spent over 40 years building a values-driven, industry-leading, world-class technology service company. Leveraging his operational expertise, Ken led the company to build a strong reputation of excellence in customer service and innovation across the life science, aerospace, food and beverage, and multiple government sectors. Ken is an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastically supports responsible stewardship of our amazing national forests.
Layne Bangerter Appointed as Senior Advisor, U.S. Forest Service
Layne Bangerter serves as Senior Advisor for the U.S. Forest Service. Layne created and operates a successful farm and ranch operation in Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. He previously worked on the first Trump campaign and in the Administration, serving at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Deputy Associate Administrator, and later serving at USDA as the Idaho Rural Development State Director. Layne has an extensive federal service résumé and policy experience, having worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA-APHIS, and 14 years with the U.S. Senate. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Range Resource Mana
I guess there are two obvious questions.. 1) who are these people? and 2) is having politicals at the Forest Service unusual?
I’ll take the last one first. Certainly politicals are not unusual after all there are designated political jobs, like Undersecretary and that person’s support.
Politicals located at the Forest Service? From the Clinton Admin, I remember Chris Wood and Mark Gaede, who seemed to be around the Yates Building.. I don’t know if they had offices there, nor the details of their appointment. During the Obama Admin, I was called in to the Chief’s section of the Yates 4th floor and in the corner office (one of the few with walls). I was supposed to meet someone from information at USDA who was apparently stationed there to keep an eye on the FS and who was going to dress me down about this blog. Note: I would have stopped doing this at the time if anyone had listened to me and been helpful about getting a glide path out.
Point being, I’m not sure how unusual it is to have politicals imbedded with career folks in the WO. I don’t know the exact details of their appointments, but they were certainly around and influencing policy and probably learning about the work and the career folks. I’d be interested in hearing from folks who worked in other Admins in the WO.
So it’s not particularly new or unusual to have politicals in the Yates mix.
That leaves us with “who are these people?”
Ken Verheyen appears to have retired from a company called Astro-pak
Years later, Carl’s son, Ken Verheyen, became the CEO of Astro Pak and set his sights on an enormous feat – to guide Astro Pak to a position of industry leadership through delivering excellence. Mr. Verheyen built a leadership team to scale the business and position it for its next phase. In January 2025 The Stephens Group purchased Astro Pak and looks to continue to build on the amazing legacy of the company. Astro Pak is one of the largest and most respected precision cleaning & surface treatment technology contractors in North America. Astro Pak hopes to sustain its growth while never losing sight of our most important purpose – delighting our customers with excellence.
There’s probably more info about him at Bloomberg if anyone has a subscription.
He apparently lives in southern California (Costa Mesa?)
He wrote a book (I’m going to read it and report back here.)
Layne Bangerter seems to be more “one of the usual suspects”, more recently the USDA Rural Development Idaho State Director.
Layne Bangerter comes to the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) with 33 years of federal service, most recently from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At the EPA Bangerter served as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Intergovernmental Relations, where he facilitated interactions with state and local governments, and coordinated those activities with 10 EPA regional offices around the nation.
He also previously served as State Director for Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment for U.S. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho from 2003 to 2017. In this capacity, he represented Senator Crapo on various issues involving federal agency oversight and legislation. Additionally, he worked various roles for the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the USDA from July 1985 to April 2003 as a Wildlife Biologist.
Layne was the Donald J. Trump Campaign Director for the State of Idaho. He was a valuable member of the Trump campaign team throughout the West, orchestrating efforts and traveling with Vice Presidential Nominee, Mike Pence. He was also a Donald J. Trump Delegate to the Republican National Convention. Following the election, he served on the Trump/Pence Transition Team from November 2016 to January 2017.
Layne initially was sworn into the Administration on January 21, 2017 as a member of the President-Elect’s Transition “Beachhead Team” for EPA. He led this team at the EPA for the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations and the Office of Water.
Layne was born to American parents in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He grew up in Alpine, Utah and attended college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife and Range Resource Management. He has had a passion for hard work from a young age. He has worked in home construction, farming, ranching, and agribusiness. His love of family, natural resources, sports, agriculture and private property rights are what drives him.
Layne and his wife, Betsy, have been married for 34 years; they have eight children, and 10 grandchildren. He is the owner of a Farm, Ranch, and Land Company in Melba, Idaho. The Bangerter family focus their lives on service to their church and country.
Layne is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. He is an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. His interests include camping, hunting, fishing and horses.
As State Director, Layne will use his leadership experience to oversee RD programs in a customer-focused manner to restore prosperity in rural Idaho.
Apparently he tried to run for lieutenant governor in Utah in 2024 but apparently did not meet the residency requirement (5 years) because he had been working for USDA RD in Idaho.
Here’s an AI summary of a meeting (I am skeptical of AI in this case, but you can also watch the full meeting if you are interested.)
In a recent government meeting in Utah, discussions centered around the challenges facing rural America and the role of government in supporting local communities. Layne Bangerter, a prominent voice in the meeting, emphasized the need for a shift in focus towards preserving rural livelihoods and addressing the burdens of excessive regulation.
Bangerter expressed concern over the increasing complexity of federal regulations, which he described as “regulatory slavery.” He argued that these regulations, while intended to protect the environment and public interests, have instead made it difficult for rural residents to maintain their farms and ranches. He noted that many small dairies have been replaced by larger corporate operations, leading to a loss of community and family-run businesses. “If you don’t allow rural America to stay on land, they are going to split it up,” he warned, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
The discussion also touched on the importance of government support in rural development. Bangerter, who previously held a position with the USDA, shared his experiences in providing grants and assistance to small communities facing infrastructure challenges. He underscored the necessity of affordable housing and reliable water systems to sustain rural populations. “We could go in and remedy that,” he said, advocating for a government role that prioritizes the immediate needs of local residents.
Moreover, Bangerter called for a reevaluation of the government’s responsibilities, suggesting that many functions should be delegated to state authorities. He argued that the federal government should focus on essential services like maintaining infrastructure and protecting individual liberties, while allowing states to handle other matters.
The meeting highlighted a growing concern among community leaders about the future of rural America. As discussions continue, the emphasis remains on finding solutions that empower residents to thrive on their land and preserve the unique character of their communities.
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The concerns of someone who used to work in USDA Rural Development are not surprising. If we are looking for signals, we might think that this is a way of encircling the Forest Service in the broader USDA mission.. something like the common argument for not moving the FS to Interior.
What else can we say? They are both older white guys, so no fiery young true-believer types.
One is from California and one from Utah, so there’s spatial and some cultural diversity.
Verheyen would seem to mostly relate to the Forest Service through recreation, so that might be good news for recreation folks, as the Chief also talks about how important that is.
Verheyen probably brings a fresh set of organizational eyes, but may stymied in improvement efforts by government red tape.
Bangerter knows about the way things work and probably has ideas how to change them, which may also run into the usual obstacles.
Other information or direct experience with either of these folks?
From more jargon on website posts and the marketing for his book Verheyen is a born again success-oriented evangelical and Bangerter is Utah Mormon, BYU range degree, career in agric-ranching and conservative politics. Probably pretty similar utilitarian outlook on natural resources. You are right, always outside influences on FS at DC level but I have never heard of a “senior advisor.” Thanks for the info, I look forward to your book review.
Well, when I saw politicals hanging around the WO, as a WO drone, I did not feel empowered to ask them what their titles were! And we didn’t have The Smokey Wire to ask the broader community.
Ken Verheyen is buds with USDA Undersecretary nominee Michael Boren. Both own ranches in the Sawtooth NRA. Verheyen is a member of the Sawtooth Conservation and Recreation Alliance, which is a landowners group that has crossed swords with the FS over private property rights.
If Shultz is the apple-of-the-eye of the Administration, hand-picked to replace a career SES, why then would he need apparatchiks? Could it be a trust problem? Competence problem (Obama’s first undersecretary – Harris Sherman, was placed in a PIP by Vilsack near the end of the first term), or something else?
The deputy undersecretary appears weak, based on my familiarity, and is dependent on Forest Service staff to do her job at NRE. Strangely, the confirmed undersecretary Boren is still toiling away at Interior, most likely to inculcate him with the transfer mission.
So, back to the apparatchiks.
A friend of mine has known Layne Bangerter since 1995 & would not trust him if he were standing on a stack of Bibles.
In the Words of my friend:
“Layne Bangerter was the USDA Wildlife Services (APHIS) trapper in Idaho when Babbitt released his Canadian wolves over near Salmon in January 1995. Everyone but the enviros & the Idaho Outfitter organization very strongly opposed wolves being dumped in our state.
Within a few days, one of the Babbitt wolves was found dead in a pasture beside a dead calf the wolf had killed. The wolf had been shot from a county road at 350 yards. The shooter was never found, but USFWS LE went utterly crazy. They wanted to arrest every Lemhi County resident who owned a gun – which included everyone over the age of 8.
The owner of the dead calf, Mr. Hussey, was a highly decorated WWII veteran who came home from war, gave away all his guns & never again picked one up. This old bachelor lived off by himself & helped anyone who needed help. He was a highly regarded community member.
That morning, when he went out to check his cattle (which were starting to calve), he discovered the dead calf & wolf. He immediately asked the local veterinarian for help. The veterinarian, Bob Cope, was also a highly respected member of the community & trusted by all.
Cope knew there would be hell to pay for this precious wolf, so he notified Layne to be a witness as the government trapper (USDA – APHIS Wildlife Services). Cope had his wife run the video camera as he did an autopsy on the calf. He determined the sex, that there was mud between his toes (meaning he was born alive & able to stand), and there was colostrum in his belly (meaning he was strong enough to stand & suck his first meal). Cope never touched the wolf.
Then Cope told Layne to call USFWS to get that damn wolf off Mr. Hussey’s land. Soon, the USFWS LE showed up, having a meltdown. They blamed Mr. Hussey, Cope, his wife, & the entire community, informing them that it would be a $250k fine & 20 years in prison. They hauled off both the calf & the wolf & sent them to the federal lab in Ashland, OR.
When the lab report came back, the calf had miraculously changed sex, had no mud on its hooves & no colostrum in its belly. In fact, the calf had never drawn a breath & was stillborn. The Feds determined the wolf was within its rights to eat an already dead calf & and whoever had shot the wolf was a murderer. The federal LE informed the Sheriff by phone that they were going to arrest Mr. Hussey & the Sheriff said, “over my dead body.”
Meanwhile, Cope was mad as a scalded dog over the false lab report. He called Layne & said, “This is BS & you know it. You were a witness.” Layne backpedaled into last month. He determined he had to support the feds or risk being fired. Cope gave him a severe tongue-lashing, but to no avail. Layne was finished in Idaho.
The Sheriff had raced to Mr. Hussey’s home to tell him he wouldn’t allow the feds to arrest him. When the 2 fed LE showed up, the Sheriff made Mr. Hussey stay in his house while the Sheriff met them at the closed gate to the yard. They had a serious yelling match & at one point, the feds put their hands on their pistols, saying they would arrest the Sheriff. The Sheriff stated they would have to kill him to get to Mr. Hussey. Later, the Sheriff said he honestly thought they were going to kill him. They finally backed down & left.
The entire community & state were in a massive uproar over it. My boss had assigned me to this as soon as Cope called. I went over to Salmon to talk with everyone & relay information to the boss.
It turned out that no one was ever arrested & no one ever confessed to the magnificent shot. However, there was a Congressional hearing & the Sheriff announced this entire incident had turned him from a lifelong Democrat into a Republican!
Both Cope & the Sheriff ended up as Lemhi County commissioners at different times. And every time Cope came to a Boise meeting/convention in which Layne attended, representing Senator Crapo, Cope would yell out in his thunderous voice, “There is that lying, two-faced son of a b*tch, Layne Bangerter.” I personally saw this numerous times & always thoroughly enjoyed the horrified look on Layne’s face.
Layne tried to mount a Congressional run a few terms ago. He asked (my friend) in a crowd of legislators to support his run. My friend said, “I will never support you. You proved back in 1995 that you lie & cannot be trusted.” He turned red & left. He never tried again in Idaho.
Tom Schultz will have to watch his back constantly. Layne is a fox in the hen house, loyal to only himself.”
And so it goes in the “puzzle palace.”
Hi Joe, it’s a small world. Cope was on the RACNAC (Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee) representing NACO and I remember him from that.
I had a hard time deciding to approve this comment, because it’s a negative story about a person who isn’t here.
At the same time, I have heard the same story from other trusted sources. And you told the story very well.
Then there’s the internet layer.. this is the kind of thing we would warn each other about on phone calls. The internet makes it possible to do so publicly. Anyway, maybe especially after reading the Ken Verhayen book, I wondered about whether I should approve it. Anyway thank you for sharing it.