The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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The Bureau of Land Management NEWS |
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Last updated: 04/04/03
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Bureau of Land Management For Release: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 |
Contact: Celia Boddington 202-452-5125 |
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BLM Names New State Directors Bureau of Land Management Director Kathleen Clarke today announced the appointment of five new State Directors to fill positions left vacant by retirements and resignations over the past few months. The appointments include three current BLM employees, one former BLM employee and one career natural resource manager from outside the agency. Ron Wenker, who began his career in the BLM in 1971 as a Range Technician and most recently served as District Manager in BLM's Medford, Oregon, Office, will assume the position of State Director in Colorado. A former BLM manager, K. Lynn Bennett, will be returning to the agency to serve as State Director in Idaho. Bennett's career with the Bureau from 1972 to 1993 included assignments as Associate State Director in Nevada, Shoshone District Manger in Idaho, and Chief, Branch of Range Management in BLM's Washington Office. Martin C. Ott, Superintendent of the Zion National Park in Utah has been named BLM State Director for Montana. Ott's previous career appointments include the positions of Utah State Coordinator for the National Park Service, Deputy Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Superintendent of Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. Linda Rundell, BLM's Associate State Director in Alaska and previously the District Manager of the agency's Las Cruces, New Mexico Field Office, will return to New Mexico as State Director. Rundell, who has been employed by the BLM for more than 20 years, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University. Bob Bennett, the Associate State Director in Utah and a 28-year veteran of the BLM, will assume the position of State Director in Wyoming. Bennett previously served in a variety of positions with the BLM in Wyoming, including Acting State Director and Deputy State Director for Minerals and Lands. In announcing the appointments, BLM Director Clarke said the new State Directors will help provide the leadership skills the agency needs to carry out an increasingly complex and challenging mission. "Our public lands contribute in many different ways to the quality of life we enjoy in this country," Clarke said. "They provide opportunities for recreation and outdoor adventure. They contribute to the vitality and economic strength of local communities and to our national economy through traditional activities such as ranching, mining, timber production and oil and gas production. And they offer important environmental values that must be preserved, including clean air, clean water and healthy habitat for plant and animal life." "Providing balanced stewardship that serves our multiple use mission requires skilled and dedicated leadership, along with a determination to involve the public in all aspects of public land management. Our new State Directors will bring that kind of leadership to the BLM," Clarke said. The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 262 million acres of public lands, located primarily in the 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM has an annual budget of more than $1.2 billion and carries out its management mission with a workforce of about 9,000 employees.
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