The Sierra National Forest is in crisis. For decades, we have watched fuel loads increase, access roads grow over, campgrounds sit closed, and communities face greater risk every fire season. The Creek Fire of 2020 was a wake-up call — one of the largest fires in California’s history, burning nearly 380,000 acres. Yet five years later, little has changed. Now, in September 2025, we have witnessed the loss of the Teakettle Experimental Forest in the Garnet Fire — a tragedy that could have been mitigated with proactive leadership.

Researchers have been warning about Teakettle for decades. They secured funding for prescribed burns, worked tirelessly to make their science accessible, and partnered with the Forest Service to get treatments done. They removed obstacles one by one — securing CAL FIRE funding, solving planning challenges — only to face new delays and resistance from leadership. Despite everything being lined up for a large-scale prescribed burn, Sierra National Forest leadership slow-walked the process until it was too late.

This outcome was a choice. Leadership chose inaction. They chose to delay rather than act with urgency. They chose to let fuels accumulate instead of removing them while it could still make a difference. As a result, centuries-old trees — some over nine feet in diameter — were incinerated. Teakettle, a crown jewel of old-growth forest and a world-class research site, is gone.

We cannot continue to accept this pattern of excuses, delays, and catastrophic losses.

Other forests in Region 5 face the same lawsuits, the same environmental reviews, the same funding challenges — yet they are completing fuel reduction projects, maintaining roads, and keeping public access open. Leadership makes the difference. A strong forest supervisor can set priorities, push projects forward, and work with partners to overcome barriers. Unfortunately, under the current leadership of Dean Gould, Sierra National Forest has fallen behind, leaving our communities, wildlife, and firefighters at risk.

This isn’t just about trees. This is about:

• Environmental Stewardship: True forest management isn’t just about listing species or locking up land — it’s about balancing protection with action. When we fail to manage fuels, we lose entire habitats in one fire season. Mega-fires wipe out wildlife populations and destroy the very habitat environmental policies aim to protect.
• Community Safety: Overgrown roads delay firefighting response times, putting lives and homes in danger.
• Economic Impact: Rural foothill communities rely on tourism, yet campgrounds and access points remain closed year after year.
• Rising Costs: Homeowners face skyrocketing insurance premiums because of repeated megafires — premiums many families can no longer afford.
• Heritage and Legacy: We are losing the forests we grew up with, and our children will never know them as we did.

We need leadership that acts with urgency, supports proactive management, reopens and maintains critical roads and facilities, and works to protect both the forest and the communities who live near it.

It is time for a change. After two decades under Dean Gould, it is clear that Sierra National Forest needs new leadership — someone who will stop hiding behind bureaucracy and start delivering results. For more information please visit the petitions website https://deanmustgo.com/

Sign this petition to call on the Regional Forester of Region 5 and the Chief of the US Forest Service to remove Dean Gould from his position and appoint a supervisor who will prioritize active management, community protection, and restoration of public access.

Our forests are one of America’s greatest treasures. Let’s act now to protect them — for wildlife, for people, and for future generations.