Payette National Forest Welcomes New Public Affairs Officer

McCall, Idaho– The Payette National Forest has selected Laura Pramuk as the new Forest Public Affairs Officer. She will begin her tenure on the Payette National Forest on April 14, 2008. She is moving from Boulder Colorado where she worked for the Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest in public affairs.

Laura Pramuk the new Payette National Forest Public Affairs Officer

Laura, originally from Kentucky, graduated from Tulane University and studied economic development and international relations. She received her master's degree from the University of Kentucky in public administration and began her career as a city planner in Lexington, Kentucky, reviewing zoning and land development plans for county government. She and her family relocated to Colorado for her husband’s career and soon thereafter she entered the Foreign Service and began working overseas for the Department of State as a Cultural and Public Affairs Officer. Over the course of the next 7 years she worked and lived with her family in Panama, Uganda, and India managing exchange and educational programs, media activities, and cultural events in U. S. embassies and cultural centers. Many of these programs and events focused on the environment, economic development, and governance.

Pramuk returned to Colorado and began working for the U.S. Forest Service in Boulder as a public affairs specialist for the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest with emphasis on the National Fire Plan, the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic, and recreation initiatives. During the last six years she also worked closely with mountain communities in three Ranger Districts on issues related to fire, fuels reduction, and roads.

Ed, her husband of 25 years works for the United Parcel Service as a Corporate Liaison and is an accomplished guitar player and songwriter. Laura enjoys yoga, photography, her two Huskies, and writing fiction in her spare time. She is an avid hiker and is looking forward to exploring Idaho's back country and special places. Pramuk and her husband have two children, a daughter who will graduate from high school this spring and an older son who lives in Kentucky.

"I am so grateful and excited to have the opportunity to serve on the Payette National Forest, Pramuk said, " and I look forward to becoming a part of the community and building on the wonderful relationships the Forest has with the residents of McCall, surrounding communities and groups that care about the Payette. "Many challenging land management issues will need to be addressed over the next few years and I hope to use my expertise so that as a community of communities we can deal with these issues in a way that is both good for the land and sensitive to the needs of people."