PEDRO- The Ironton office of the Wayne National Forest has a new district ranger, and there is a bit of history in the selection.

Gloria Chrismer was officially named to that post last Friday, and is believed to be the first woman to have that position.

She succeeds Mike Baines, who relocated in February to the Monongahela National Forest in northern West Virginia. Chrismer has been interim district ranger at the Ironton office for the last

six weeks, until a permanent choice was named.

A native of Crockett, Texas, Chrismer came to this area from the Mark Twain National Forest in Salem, Mo. She has been with the national forest service 12 years.

The historical significance of her selection is not something Chrismer has spent a lot of time thinking about.

"Things have changed in the national forest service and it was about time, I guess," Chrismer said. "It will be interesting to see my name up there on that sign (at the district office)."

As district ranger, Chrismer is responsible for supervising the Lawrence County portion of the Wayne National Forest. She will also serve on the leadership team of the WNF as a whole.

"My biggest goal is to work with the community. There are a lot of ways the forest service can complement the community and (we can) work together to make it stronger," Chrismer said. "I think we can come up with ways to accomplish our goals together."

While she has visited Ohio in the past, this is her first experience in living here. Lawrence County has already made an impression, she said.

"I am awed by the beauty and amazed by the number of people who are impacting the land. This lets me know how much more important national forests are to our country," Chrismer said. "And I've met some of the friendliest people here, and I've lived in a lot of places. It's a joy to find out that people in Ohio are so friendly. They don't get the credit they deserve for that. I've been here six weeks, and I've met a lot of nice people."