For a half-century, millions of acres of federal land in California -- from the sunny Mojave Desert to the foggy North Coast -- have been entrusted to the stewardship of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which this year celebrates its Golden Anniversary as a public lands and natural resources manager.
In 50 years, the agency has come a long way from its roots in the old Grazing Service, which merged with the General Land Office in 1946 to create the BLM. Today, the BLM is responsible for managing 270 million acres -- nearly one-eighth of the country and more than the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service combined. In California alone, the BLM manages 14 million acres, almost 14 percent of the state.
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ED HASTEY awarded for service |
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California's State Director Ed Hastey, who has served the BLM for close to 40 years, says the agency's strength historically has been its ability to work with local people to find realistic, common-sense solutions to land management challenges.
“From the early days, when Grazing Service land managers “spit and whittled' with ranchers, to our modern collaborative approach to a full spectrum of land uses, we are still seeking and developing local, consensus-driven solutions that balance public needs with environmental protection,” Hastey said. “It's a challenging, exciting responsibility that never has gotten boring.”
Hastey has been a leader in promoting ecosystem-based conservation strategies. He was a primary force behind -- and an original signer of -- the multi-agency agreement that created the California Biodiversity Council in 1991. On July 18, Hastey was among five recipients of a special award for outstanding service sponsored by the BLM, the Public Lands Foundation, and the National Resources Council of America, and presented in Washington, D.C.
Hastey's award for the years 1975-85 recognized his “legacy of professionalism and strong commitment to the land and its resources” as California's state director and during a stint as associate director in Washington, where he was instrumental in implementing the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.
“Ed's ability to retain the details of all Bureau programs has made him a legend in protecting the public lands of the California Desert,” the award message said.
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| BLM "Pioneer" Russell Penny, right recalls the agency's early days, while sharing the speaker's podium with Associate State Director Al Wright at the July 16 open house. |
Other recipients were Russell Penny (1945-55), a BLM pioneer and leader in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and California, where he was state director from 1955-74; Edgar Rowland (1956-1965), Arizona, Montana, Colorado, and Nevada; the late Jim Beirne and the late Irving Senzel (1966-75), both in Washington, D.C.; and Dean Bibles (1985-present), Arizona, Oregon, and Washington state.
BLM state headquarters in Sacramento marked the birthday anniversary with an open house July 16 at its new office, 2135 Butano Drive, which drew a number of the agency's retirees, including Penny, now 83.
Penny recalled his first, startling meeting with the head of the BLM early in his career, when a man wearing a cowboy hat entered his office in Wyoming and gave his name as Carpenter. Penny, too busy to take notice, asked the man to wait on a bench.
“Suddenly, I remembered there was a Ferry Carpenter who was director of the Bureau -- so I immediately offered him my seat. He knew all about me, even though I had just come on the job,” Penny said. “I was amazed. He talked with me about some of his plans. He made me feel comfortable, and he made me believe in him.”
BLM goals include maintaining healthy ecosystems, improving service to the public, promoting collaborative leadership, increasing efficiency and effectiveness, and recruiting, developing, and retaining a quality and diversified work force.