BLM Colorado State Director Ruth Welch Sworn In
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LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Today, Ruth Welch was officially sworn in as the Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Director by BLM Director Neil Kornze at the BLM Colorado State Office.
Welch has been acting as the Colorado State Director since February. The former State Director, Helen Hankins, retired in 2013. Welch served most recently as the Director of the BLM’s National Operations Center in Lakewood, Colo.
“I look forward to working with the public and our partners to find the right balance for our abundant resources here in Colorado.” Welch said.“I am also committed to transparent, collaborative management of these lands and resources based on sound science and public input.”
Welch began her career with the Office of Surface Mining in 1989 before joining the BLM in 1993, where she has served in leadership positions in Wyoming, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
She earned her Master of Public Administration at the University of Colorado in Denver in 2000; she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and English literature in 1986 from Western State College in Gunnison, Colo. She and her husband Mark have two children and three grandchildren.
In her new role, Welch will oversee about 600 employees with a budget of approximately $97 million and administer 8.3 million acres of BLM public lands and 27 million acres of mineral estate, primarily concentrated in the western portion of the state.
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.