Eastern Montana/Dakotas District Office
| Contacts: | Mark Jacobsen 406-233-2831 |
Mule Deer Foundation to Recognize BLM Miles City Field Office Biologists
Bureau of Land Management Biologists Kent Undlin, Bobby Baker and Jesse Hankins have been selected to receive the 2012 “BLM-Special Partner Award for Mule Deer Conservation” at the annual Mule Deer Foundation convention to be held in Salt Lake City, Feb. 9-11, 2012.
The citation is a joint award presented by the BLM and the MDF.
The Miles City Field Office biologists were selected in recognition of their sustained efforts on the behalf of wildlife --particularly mule deer-- in the coordinated removal of over 83 miles of woven-wire fencing from BLM lands in southeastern Montana.
A majority of the fencing removed was located within crucial mule deer and pronghorn winter ranges and was replaced with wildlife-friendly fencing. The results have been reduced wildlife mortality and improved habitat connectivity and herd movement. The ongoing work has already improved over 100,000 acres of wildlife habitat across BLM, private and state-owned lands.
Undlin, Baker and Hankins are “...getting credited for their dedicated leadership and successful efforts in working with partners to secure the cooperation, required funding, and other resources necessary to accomplish this important and substantial wildlife habitat improvement work,” said Linda Cardenas, BLM/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation National Liaison based out of Missoula.
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.
Eastern Montana/Dakotas District Office 111 Garryowen Road Miles City, MT 59301