HELENA - John Wardell, director of the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Montana office, is dead after tumbling down a mountainside Thursday in a climbing accident near Libby.

He had worked for the EPA for 33 years, including 25 years as head of the Montana office.

Wardell presided over most of the major federal environmental cleanups in state history, including much of the work reclaiming historic mining and smelting in and around Butte, lead abatement in East Helena and the historic cleanup of the town of Libby, where hundreds have died of asbestos-related diseases.

He came to Montana shortly after the Clark Fork River Superfund sites were listed, said Julie Dalsoglio, deputy office director of the Montana EPA office.

"He was the director on Berkeley Pit, the Milltown Dam removal, the Clark Fork River clean-up, Libby," she said. "And he was very instrumental in building environmental capacity in Indian Country."

Wardell, an experienced climber, and a friend were climbing Snowshoe Peak, elevation 8,700 feet, in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area near Libby on Thursday, according to Dalsoglio. The two had ascended the peak and were on their way down, she said.

They had already cleared the most difficult, technical parts of the descent, she said. Wardell slipped on bear grass and tumbled some distance.

Dalsoglio said she wasn't sure of the exact distance.

"He was unconscious at that time," she said.

The other hiker tried to stabilize Wardell and then returned to Libby for help. Crews made several attempts to rescue Wardell, she said, beginning at about 8 p.m. They used helicopters and search and rescue teams on the ground.

"We got confirmation this morning around 12:45 that the body had been found and he was deceased," she said.

Representatives of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office were not releasing details of the recovery as of press time Fri-day.

Wardell leaves behind a wife, Sandy, of Helena and a son, Christopher, 28, of Denver.