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WARREN, Pa. – The USDA Forest Service announced that recent retiree Joseph Langianese was recognized with the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations Director’s Impact Award.
Langianese was recognized for his decades of dedicated service as a collateral duty Forest Protection Officer and eight years of service as a Forest Service Reserve Law Enforcement Officer in the Allegheny National Forest.
Langianese was a Forest Protection Officer from 1982, when he joined the Bradford Ranger District, until 2021 when he retired from the Marienville Ranger District as a recreation manager with 40 years of service conserving the resources of and protecting the people visiting national forests.
“This award is a welcome surprise,” Langianese said during the award ceremony. “It is an honor to be recognized for what to me was just doing my job.”
“Langianese served as a mentor to both law enforcement officers, forest protection officers, and other forest employees,” said Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Jason Haberberger, who nominated Langianese for the award. “He has consistently displayed a willingness to go beyond the call of duty to care for the land and serve the people.”
“This award is a well-deserved and fitting tribute to Langianese’s lifelong commitment to educating the public, helping them to become better stewards by encouraging them to be more accountable for their actions, and protecting the resources of the Allegheny National Forest,” said Marienville District Ranger Rob Fallon.
“Our Forest Protection Officers serve the role of part-time deputies for our Law Enforcement Officers. They take on this role in addition to their normal duties, as foresters, wildlife biologists, technicians, and other specialties. To be successful, they must be passionate about protecting the forest resources and interacting with the public, they must be willing to be an ambassador for the Forest while also being willing to confront members of the public who are breaking the laws that govern the use of the Forest.
“They must be respectful and able to demonstrate consistent, calm, and sound judgment in every encounter. Langianese has proven exemplary in every instance and conducted himself with the utmost professionalism and concern for the safety of the public visiting the Allegheny National Forest.”
Forest staff gathered at the Supervisor’s Office in Warren to see Langianese accept the award as part of a virtual national ceremony that included Forest Service presenters and nine other award recipients from across the nation.
