For Release: September 22, 2005
Contact: John Dearing (916) 978-4622 or Doran Sanchez (951) 697-5220
CSO-05-09

Steven Borchard Named Desert District Manager for Bureau of Land Management

Steven J. Borchard has been selected as the new Desert District manager for the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) vast, 10.5 million-acre California Desert District in Southern California. BLM State Director Mike Pool announced the appointment of Borchard today in Sacramento.

"Steve brings incredibly valuable experience in land management on the national, state and local levels," said Pool. "His demonstrated ability to build positive working partnerships makes him a perfect fit for the desert, where partnerships are the basic foundation of our management efforts in this complex and diverse region. I know he will help us continue to advance this collaborative approach to address the many challenges facing the Desert District."

Borchard is currently a BLM Congressional Fellow assigned to the U.S. Senate to work on public land policy issues. He is a 1976 graduate of the University of California in Davis, California with a degree in soil and water science. Upon graduation, Borchard went to work as a soil scientist in Idaho and then moved to BLM's Winnemucca, Nevada office. He transferred to the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Northern California in 1977 to work with a variety of state and federal agencies on soil surveys, wetland mapping and conservation planning.

Borchard returned to BLM in 1993 as a natural resource specialist in BLM's Redding office. He was the BLM project manager for the Trinity River Restoration project, serving as the vice-chair of the Trinity River Technical Coordinating Committee, a 19-member multi-agency, multi-government, multi-tribal group that planned and directed the $7 million per year restoration program.

He was appointed the riparian and wetlands program leader for BLM in Washington, D.C. in 1998 and was promoted to the deputy group manager for rangeland resources in 2001.

Borchard is scheduled to assume his California Desert District manager duties in January 2006. He replaces Linda Hansen, who served in the position for more than three years, and is retiring. Until Borchard arrives, Rob Roudabush, currently group manager of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System, Washington, D.C., will serve as acting district manager.

The Desert District is comprised of public lands in the lower third of California, including the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA), created by Congress in 1976 to protect the desert's special values. The CDD also includes 300,000 acres of scattered parcels in the south coast area.

-BLM-

California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825