BLM Director Announces Head of New National Landscape Conservation System Office

Bureau of Land Management Director Tom Fry announced today the appointment of Elaine Marquis Brong, the BLM's Deputy Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning, as the Director of the agency's new National Landscape Conservation System Office in Washington, D.C.

"Elaine brings a terrific mix of on-the-ground natural resource experience, strong people skills, and a broad policy and planning background to this position," Fry said.  "She'll do an excellent job working with our field offices to make sure our most precious natural areas are effectively managed."

Brong said, "I am very excited about serving in this position.  This new landscape conservation system will enable the BLM to enhance its management of the unique landscapes and resource treasures of the public lands."

The BLM established the National Landscape Conservation System in June to provide general policy and guidance for the management of the agency's new National Monuments, congressionally designated National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, and other environmentally sensitive areas.  Establishment of the system does not create new legal protections or impose any new restrictions, and units within the system will continue to be operated at the field level by BLM field managers with full public participation.

Brong, 48, a native of Maine, has held a variety of positions throughout her 21-year career with the BLM.  Before moving to the BLM's headquarters office, Brong held several positions in California, where she served as acting Associate State Director, as Deputy State Director for Support Services, and as Branch Chief for Biological Resources.  She also worked in Kingman, Arizona, as the Area Manager and in the agency's Eastern States Office in Springfield, Virginia, as a program analyst and as an organizational and employee development specialist.

Before joining the BLM, Brong worked in the private sector, was a seasonal employee for the National Park Service, and spent two years in El Salvador as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  She holds a degree in biology from the University of Maine and has done postgraduate work in organizational development at Marymount College in Virginia.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land - 264 million surface acres - than any other Federal agency.  Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States including Alaska.  The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.4 billion and a workforce of about 8,700 employees, also administers more than 700 million acres of sub-surface minerals estate throughout the nation.  The BLM preserves open space by managing the public lands for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and mining, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources found on the public lands.