BLM Director Announces Internship Opportunity With USU at ILWA's FLPMA Conference

LOGAN, Utah — BLM Director Steve Pearce recently announced a new internship program with Utah State University aimed at training the next generation of public lands leaders.

Speaking at FLPMA at 50, a conference co-convened by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands on Oct. 21. Pearce said the goal is to give students hands-on land management experience and set up the next 30 years with strong decision makers.

“Public lands are part of everyday life for communities across Utah, and as the state’s land-grant university, we have a responsibility to help address the challenges and opportunities that come with managing them,” said Utah State University President Brad L. Mortensen. “Our partnership with the Bureau of Land Management creates new opportunities for students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in communities across the state. Through this internship program, students will gain hands-on experience, contribute to the stewardship of our public lands, and prepare for careers that make a difference in the places they call home.”

FLPMA at 50 celebrated 50 years of multi-use, sustained yield management of federal BLM lands under the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act. Over 200 guests attended the conference which offered an opportunity to participate in roundtable workshops on what comes next for FLPMA. Discussions centered on the strengths of BLM’s partnerships and its commitment to local communities, along with what needs to happen now to set up the next 50 years for success. Special guest Seymour Antelope, official BLM Youth Program Mascot, was on hand to celebrate with a BLM birthday cake.

FLPMA at 50 speakers included former and current BLM directors, USU researchers, and a range of public lands users. Keynotes were delivered by Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, BLM Director Steve Pearce, and Sam Crofts, senior advisor to the DOI undersecretary.

"It was on public lands that I found solace after three years of duty in the Vietnam War,” BLM Director Steve Pearce said. “We’ve been working to increase access to public lands, and accessibility means everyone."

In her address to the audience, Lt. Gov. Henderson remarked that through FLPMA, we can “embrace the power of ‘and.’”

“FLPMA gave us a structure that assumed disagreement: multiple use, sustained yield, and advisory councils deliberately built to be balanced rather than unanimous,” she said. “That was not naive. It was realistic. We want to make sure these resources stay available to all far into the future.”

Mortensen said that USU’s research and outreach efforts have focused on solving many of the land management challenges that FLPMA addresses. That work dates back to the university’s founding as a land-grant institution, nearly 90 years before FLPMA became law.

Crofts reflected on how FLPMA’s dual mandate shapes land management today.

“The dual mandate was genius. You can’t have sustained yield without multiple use and vice versa,” he said. “Sound land management should be informed by people who are closest to it.”

About the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air

The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University connects decision-makers with high-quality research to support informed land, water, and air policy in Utah. Through applied research, public convening, and cross-sector collaboration, ILWA helps the state address complex natural resource challenges. Learn more at usu.edu/ilwa.