Where are they now: Mason Boring

Ed Bangs, Gray Wolf Recovery Coordinator for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, often said in presentations that managing wolves is easy but managing people is difficult. If left alone, the species would regulate itself, but you could not exclude the various perspectives and viewpoint different communities brought to the issue. Former SAWS staff member Mason Boring learned a similar lesson about managing designated wilderness during his time with SAWS.

Mason spent 4 years on staff and 3 years serving on the Board of Directors. He began his time with the organization in 2016 as a Wilderness Ranger. After two seasons in this role, he transitioned to Wilderness & Outreach Specialist for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. A key component of both positions was interacting with the public and educating them on wilderness rules and responsibilities.

The summer of 2017 presented Mason with one of his most memorable experiences in stewardship education. That was the year that the path of totality for the solar eclipse passed directly over SAWS landscapes. Visitors from around the country, and even the world, flocked to the region to see day turned to night for a few fleeting moments. Mason and the other rangers knew that the high elevation of Bob Stratton Bald in Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness would attract a crowd, so they planned to spend numerous days out there dealing with visitor impacts.

Even though the expected high-than-normal use, they were surprised when 176 people showed up on eclipse day. “We were prepared for the very worst in terms of impact, so we made it a goal to make contact with every willing person that made their way to the bald,” Mason said. The Rangers spent time talking with visitors about “Leave No Trace”, inspecting cat-holes, handling small medical issues and championing wilderness. While the individual tasks were important, the interactions with visitors were really what made a lasting difference. Mason recollected, “We shared meals with strangers, exchanged stories, and made a mess of new friends. When the party was over and the mountain became quiet again, the only thing left behind was a capri-sun packet and a small sweatshirt. The work of a few SAWS Rangers paid off tremendously.”

Feeling the call to care for the land and serve people, Mason left SAWS to work for the US Forest Service. He first worked as the Winter Sprots Recreation Manager and Snow Ranger on Lolo National Forest in Montana and then moved to Idaho in 2023 to serve as the Dirtbike Trail Program Manager for the South Zone of the Salmon-Challis National Forest. He now applies the lessons he learned with SAWS in his role as Lead Trails & Wilderness Technician on the Ocoee-Hiwassee Ranger District of Cherokee National Forest. He also serves as the Region 8 Representative to the Wilderness Information Management Steering Team and is the Crosscut Saw Coordinator for Cherokee National Forest. On any given day, you are equally likely to find Mason building bridges, operating skid steers and excavators, swinging axes, riding dirt bikes, laying rock steps, playing in the dirt, preaching Leave No Trace, climbing trees, fighting wildfire, flying in helicopters, pulling saws in Wilderness, or cutting hazard trees.

“SAWS took a gamble on me and I am forever grateful. They organized some of the most crucial networking opportunities in my career and I was able to showcase my passion for sustainable recreation while stewarding our wildest corners of public lands,” Boring said. “If there's a tip I can lend going forward for Wilderness Rangers,” Mason commented, Approach public contacts almost as if you were attempting to make a new friend. Not in a manipulative way, but an earnest way - looking out for their best interests, offering sound advice and direction, staying prepared, being trustworthy with good character.”