Sally Wisely reports as BLM Colorado’s new State Director

DENVER The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced that Sally Wisely has assumed the position of the agency’s state director in Colorado. She previously was BLM state director in Utah.

"I'm honored to join BLM Colorado, which has such a proud tradition of effective stewardship and conservation of our public lands and natural resources," said Wisely. "I look forward to the challenges ahead as we continue to cultivate the concept of multiple use management of our public lands."

The BLM manages 8.4 million acres of public lands in Colorado. These lands are managed for a multitude of uses including, recreation, energy development, mining, wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. Along with managing the public lands, BLM oversees 27.1 million subsurface-acres for mineral development in the state.

"The Colorado State Office has earned an outstanding reputation for cooperative conservation with the many constituents, stakeholders and customers that we interact with on a daily basis," observed Wisely. "I want us to maintain and enhance those partnerships by emphasizing our willingness to listen to the concerns of others and engaging in productive two-way communication avenues. I believe that open, honest, proactive communication is critical for us to efficiently manage our resources while maintaining a healthy environment and strong economy."

Wisely was the BLM Utah State Director since May 1999. Prior to that, she served as the BLM Alaska Associate State Director from November 1994 to May 1999. She also served as the BLM Area Manager in Durango, Colorado from 1987 to 1994. She has a Master’s Degree in Outdoor Recreation from the University of New Mexico and is from Atchison, Kansas.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land — 261 million surface acres — than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.

-BLM-