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CONSERVATION CORNER
(For the week of July 6, 2009)
USM Grad Chosen to Lead U.S. Land Bureau
by James L. Cummins

President Barack Obama has tapped Clarksdale, Mississippi, native Bob Abbey to head the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior. His nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Abbey, who now resides in Reno, Nevada, is a veteran public land policy leader and chief architect of the Great Basin Restoration Initiative.

The Bureau's land base, which is over 200 million acres, is located primarily in the West. It also manages mineral resources, some land and natural resources and adopts out wild horses and burros throughout the Southeast.

Abbey was head of the Jackson, Mississippi BLM office from 1992 to 1995. He is a 1969 graduate of Clarksdale High School and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. He and his wife still have a home near Clarksdale.

"Through his decades of public service, Bob Abbey has shown again and again that he is the consummate professional natural resource manager," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "His dedication to our country's National System of Public Lands and his commitment to building partnerships make him an ideal choice to lead one of the most complex federal land managing agencies."

He served 8 years as the Nevada state director for the BLM, providing direction and oversight for 48 million acres managed by the bureau in Nevada. He oversaw a staff of 700 employees in eight field offices and the state office and managed an annual operating budget of $51 million.

Abbey's numerous awards during his career include the Secretary of the Interior's Executive Leadership Award in 2004. That same year he was recognized by the U.S. Senate with a certificate of commendation for his work on behalf of the Great Basin.

In more than 32 years in public service, Abbey has worked with state and federal land management agencies. He retired from the federal government in July 2005.

After retiring from the federal government, Abbey was a partner in a private consultant firm called Abbey, Stubbs & Ford, LLC with offices in Las Vegas and Reno. He also was a member of the University of Nevada College of Agriculture Dean's Advisory Committee.

From 1999 through 2005, Abbey chaired the executive committee for the implementation of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act and oversaw the allocation of more than $1.5 billion in funds for resource management and environmental projects within the state.