High Desert District Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM High Desert District Welcomes New Assistant Fire Management Officer
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is pleased to announce that Michael Spilde has joined the High Desert District (HDD) as its new assistant fire management officer (AFMO) for operations.
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Hailing from Lander, Wyo., Spilde began his fire career in the Medicine Bow National Forest (MBNF) as a seasonal member of a Type 6 engine, then worked his way up to assistant engine captain and captain. He worked in the MBNF for 10 years before accepting an engine captain position in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (UWCNF). In 2009, he detailed into the assistant fire management officer position in the UWCNF, where he remained until moving to Rock Springs, Wyo. in early 2011. Spilde states, "My goal in the HDD is to help build a fire management program that is efficient, highly effective and safe for all individuals involved."
Spilde is a 1996 graduate of the University of Wyoming with a bachelor’s degree in geography. He and his wife, Bianca, a native of Rawlins, Wyo., and their two children enjoy skiing, trips to the lake, and the great outdoors. Coincidentally, the Spildes met on a fire near Rock Springs many years ago.
The mission of the BLM Wyoming Fire and Aviation Program is to provide leadership for the interagency protection of life, property, and natural resources to sustain ecosystems. The BLM achieves this through safe, professional and dynamic implementation of BLM fire programs by motivated individuals.For more information on the BLM Wyoming fire, fuels and aviation program, please go to http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Fire.html.
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.
High Desert District Office 280 Highway 191 North Rock Springs, WY 82901