Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
An Interview with Art Wirtz |
Catalog Number |
2021.074.058 |
Object Name |
Recording, Video |
Scope & Content |
An Interview with Art Wirtz >>Oral history interview with Art Wirtz, March 14, 2023, Gilbert, AZ >>Interview summary: Art Wirtz was born in Ames, Iowa, in 1949, and, despite growing up far from the woods, developed an affinity for the outdoors through Boy Scouts and family trips to western national parks. He initially pursued a degree in clinical psychology at Iowa State University but switched to forestry after three years, attending a "total immersion" summer camp in Ontario, Canada. Wirtz’s early Forest Service experience began with a seven-month job in timber sale preparation on the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. A key mentor, Jerry Elson, helped him get a seasonal job as a fire crew foreman on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, where he quickly gained experience fighting 31 fires in one summer, utilizing creative initial attack methods like a pontoon boat and facing a 12-hour hike into a major fire. Wirtz's career diversified with a combination role as a contract administrator and Public Information Officer (PIO) on the Prescott National Forest before he secured his first permanent, professional forester position on the remote Beaverhead Ranger District of the Gila National Forest. The Beaverhead post was heavy in timber and fire, where he received extensive training, joined Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams, and successfully navigated a confrontation with a logging contractor that resulted in the contractor’s legal prosecution for threatening a federal officer. Later in his career, Wirtz was detailed as an Information Officer during the 1988 Yellowstone fires, communicating with international media from Europe, Japan, and Australia about the park’s fire management strategy. Throughout his service, he focused on improving administrative efficiency for employees and intentionally learned practical skills like skiing, motorcycling, and dog mushing to better connect with the diverse users of his districts. PASTE LINK BELOW INTO BROWSER TO WATCH INTERVIEW https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y1m9xFrcZxNvpKwvXV9upiYNyayh-PSf/view?usp=drive_link |
Additional File |
Click here to view transcript. |
Year Range from |
2023 |
Year Range to |
2023 |
People |
Wirtz, Art |
Subjects |
Lincoln NF Tonto NF Prescott NF Gila NF Mark Twain NF Superior NF Coconino NF |
Search Terms |
Fire Forest Management Fire Crews Oral History Timber Recreation |
Catalog date |
2023-04-06 |
Collection |
Oral History |