Lander Field Office
| Contacts: | Sarah Beckwith | |||
| 307/347-5207 |
BLM Lander Archaeologist Receives National Awards
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Archaeologist Craig Bromley received two prestigious national awards in 2011 for his historic trails preservation work: the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS) and the Distinguished Service Award from the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA).
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Some of the most intact and pristine portions of the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California and Pony Express national historic trails in the country can be found on public lands in the Lander Field Office (LFO) area. The trails can be experienced in a setting relatively unchanged from the 1800s and more than 70,000 people each year visit the South Pass segment alone, including thousands of young people re-enacting the pioneer trekking experience.
“Craig has shown great dedication to the protection of the trails and their historic settings on public lands,” said Lander Field Manager Rick Vander Voet. “He works effectively with BLM cooperating agencies and industry representatives to avoid or lessen the impacts associated with multiple-use activities along or adjacent to the trails.”
Bromley is proud of his work with industry representatives over the past 30 years to avoid the cumulative effects of development proposals which could have dramatically changed the character of these trails. “I understand industry has a job to do and industry understands I have a job to do too,” Bromley said. “I’m proud of the way we’ve worked together over the years to accomplish both development and protection of historic trails and sites.”
Bromley has been working as a BLM archaeologist in the LFO since 1981. Among his most significant accomplishments are his contributions to the cultural resources sections in both the 1987 Lander Resource Management Plan (RMP) and the new Lander RMP, currently available for public comment, which will guide BLM management of the historic trails in the LFO area for the next 20 years.
In addition, Bromley has served as the chairman of the Fremont County Historic Preservation Commission, was deeply involved in the Martin’s Cove walking path and development project, and worked with the National Park Service on their California and Pony Express National Historic Trails Comprehensive Management and Use Plan. In 1999, Bromley and another historian located Seminoe’s Trading Post near Devil’s Gate, which led to the excavation of the post by the University of Wyoming in 2001.
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.
Lander Field Office 1335 Main Street Lander, WY 82520