Former defense contractor and retired Air Force Lt. Col Scott McDonald has been hired as the program director for Black Forest Together.McDonald said he has been transitioning for the last 11 months for this position, and feels that his management skills and defense contractor experience will be an asset to the organization. He also has been a volunteer firefighter with the Black Forest Fire Department and managed the Firewise program as well.ìThey (Black Forest Together) have already done a great job with just the volunteers they have here, but a full time person can stay on top of projects and keep up with all the administrative stuff,î McDonald said. ìI have the challenge of living up to what they have already started.îThe position was made possible through a grant from the Pikes Peak Community Foundation. A part-time grant writer position was also allocated under the grant, and McDonald hopes to have the resources to hire a full-time grant writer in the future. The grant has paid for both positions for the year. He still needs volunteers. ìThere isnít a talent out there that we canít use,î he said.McDonaldís main focus will be forest recovery and restoration. ìWe will be working with people that lost their homes to the fire,î he said. He welcomes visitors to their office at the Black Forest Together Resource Center off Black Forest Road, or contact him at 719-495-2630.
