by a focus on wildlife protection, riparian and aquatic resources and InFish. Dombeck worked closely with then Forest Service Chief Jack Ward Thomas to increase the two agencies' accessibility to public land users, and to promote ecosystem-based management and watershed restoration on public land. United States Forest Service In 1997, Dombeck and the Forest Service Leadership team crafted a four-point agenda, known as The Natural Resources Agenda. It emphasized four major topics; watershed health and restoration, ecologically sustainable forest and grasslands management, recreation and a long-term forest roads policy. Dombeck emphasized the importance of clean water as a forest a product, appointing a task force of scientists and economists to the quantity and value of water flowing from the National Forests. He staunchly defended land conservation and science-based management in speeches delivered to U.S. Congress. Under Dombeck's leadership, the roadless rule was developed, which protected 58 million acres of the most remote national forest lands. Dombeck out laid his proposal for roadless area management in a speech in 2000. This provided the groundwork for enhancing and increasing Americans’ experiences in the nation's forests by protecting million acres of the remaining wildest places for outdoor recreation and protecting the health and quality of watersheds and ecosystems. His career in public service was recognized with the highest award in career federal service, the Presidential Rank-Distinguished Executive Award by President George W. Bush in 2001. He was the only person to have led the nation's two largest public land management agencies. Post Federal Service After retiring from federal service, Dombeck took a position as Professor of Global Conservation at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and was later named UW System Fellow, where he served from 2001 to 2010. He currently serves as executive director of the David Smith Post Doctoral Fellowship in conservation biology (since 2005), as a trustee of the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread (since 2002), and is a former trustee for Trout Unlimited and the Wisconsin chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Awards For his efforts in land conservation, Dombeck was awarded the Ansel Adams Award in 2010, the Aldo Leopold Restoration Award in 2009, an honorary doctorate from Haverford University in 2007, Conservationist of the Year by the National Wildlife Federation in 2001, US-IALE Distinguished Landscape Practitioner in 2019, and numerous other awards. References External links Michael Dombeck biography (Forest History Society) Michael Dombeck UW Stevens Point Archival Papers Michael Dombeck Clinton