BLM Announces Selection of High Desert District Manager

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Wyoming State Office

Release Date: 01/17/13

Contacts:		Mary L. Wilson
		307-775-6015

BLM Announces Selection of High Desert District Manager

Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Director Don Simpson announced today the selection of Mark Storzer as the BLM’s new district manager for the agency’s High Desert District in Rock Springs, Wyo. Storzer is currently the Northeastern States Field Manager in Milwaukee, Wis.

Storzer was the Rawlins Field Manager from 2004 to 2007 when the office was established as one of seven energy pilot offices in the BLM. “I am pleased that Mark will be bringing 25 years of diverse and wide-ranging natural resources management experience as he returns to the High Desert District,” Simpson said. “Mark has extensive experience at all levels of the BLM organization and has served in several different states, as well as in the Washington Office. He is uniquely qualified to take on the challenges of one of the largest and most complex Districts in the Bureau.”

Prior to working in Rawlins, Storzer served as the Associate Field Manager in Battle Mountain, Nev., and served as the BLM Water Rights lead in the national office in Washington D.C.

Storzer began his federal career with the Forest Service in McCall, Idaho. After a couple of seasons hiking throughout the roadless areas of central Idaho conducting riparian surveys, Storzer went to work for the BLM on the Idaho Falls District. He served as a hydrologist and hazardous materials coordinator in Idaho and was also very active as a wildland firefighter. After Idaho, he spent several years as a hydrologist in Coos Bay, Ore., and then as the BLM Colorado State Office hydrologist in Lakewood.

Originally from Wisconsin, Storzer is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and is an avid Green Bay Packer fan. Mark and his wife Sandi enjoy working on all types of home improvement projects, fishing, gardening and spending time with their dogs.

“I am quite honored to be selected for this position and entrusted with the responsibilities that come with being the District Manager for the High Desert District in Wyoming,” said Storzer. “I look forward to working with the public who have a vested interest in these valuable lands, as well as the employees who are responsible for the stewardship of these resources.” Storzer's tentative reporting date is March 24.

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.

--BLM--

Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Road Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009

Last updated: 01-24-2013