| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 244-3097 |
BLM Colorado State Director to Swear In Grand Junction Rangers (04-06-10)
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — BLM Colorado State Director Helen Hankins will be in Grand Junction this Friday to swear in two new law enforcement rangers.
A brief ceremony will take place at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, April 9, at the Grand Junction Field Office at 2815 H Road in Grand Junction.
Rangers Ken Lloyd and Bryce Stewart both finished their training and joined the Grand Junction Field Office in the last six months. Both completed 17 weeks at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, and 12 weeks in BLM’s national field training program.
Lloyd began his official duty in November after spending nine years as a park ranger with the Army Corps of Engineers in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast. He has a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. Lloyd is responsible for law enforcement in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
Stewart served as a deputy sheriff and a parole officer in Montana prior to joining the BLM. He has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Criminology from University of Montana, Missoula. His primary responsibility is law enforcement in the newly designated Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.
BLM Rangers are responsible for conducting high visibility patrols, public contacts, and enforcing federal laws and regulations. BLM Rangers assist local county and city police departments, other federal and state land management agencies. A high priority is providing for the safety of BLM employees and public land users.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. 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 public lands.
2815 H Road Grand Junction, CO 81506