BLM California selects Elizabeth Meyer-Shields as new Deputy State Director, Resources
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management welcomes Elizabeth Meyer-Shields as the new Deputy State Director, Resources. In her new position, Meyer-Shields will oversee resource and sustainable use programs for 15 million acres of public lands in California.
“I am thrilled to have Liz join our leadership team at the California State Office,” said Acting State Director for BLM California Gordon R. Toevs. “Her expertise and guidance will be critical to fulfilling our mission to manage important natural resources on public lands.”
Meyer-Shields started her federal career in 2009 in the BLM Washington Office as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Division of Decision Support, Planning and NEPA, and in 2011, moved to Sacramento as a Planning and Environmental Coordinator in the California State Office. In 2018, she moved up the hill to the Mother Lode Field Office as field manager. In 2022, Meyer-Shields returned to the California State Office as the Branch Chief for Lands, Planning, Recreation, and Cultural.
Meyer-Shields will oversee programs including wildlife, aquatics, special status species, wild horse and burro, hydrology, ecology, air, range, vegetation management, botany, cultural/paleontological resources, soils, recreation, lands and realty, National Conservation Lands/Wilderness/Wild and Scenic Rivers, land use planning, National Environmental Policy Act compliance, renewable energy (solar and wind), and partnerships.
Meyer-Shields grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where she fell in love with public lands, hiking, skiing, fishing, and camping. She attended Oregon State University, where she received a B.S. in Environmental Science and the University of Denver School of Law. In her spare time, Meyer-Shields enjoys watercolor painting and spending time outside with her family.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.