It takes time and sacrifice, rather than transfers and promotions, to get to know one. And that the careerists have given up. But for young people, often with young children, the moves can be hard. And ambitious professionals may move four or five times in their first 10 years. By this time, the places have become a blur.
Communities are interchangeable.
Dislocated and displaced, the professional land manager finds stability in the Service itself, and has become dependable, predictable, and flexible, all in exchange for belonging. In the agency, despite hordes of grad students and mountains of scientific data, the emotional bond is weak, the loyalty unforged. The personal goal is higher numbers and fatter checks. Quantity is all. Instead of rising from ground-level, the values trickle down, from chiefs who sell their souls to undersecretaries, and from deputies who suck around Congress, hustling timber dollars.