BLM Director, Utah Lt. Gov. to Keynote USU Conference on 50 Years of Federal Public Lands Law

LOGAN, Utah — Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce and Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson will deliver keynote remarks Oct. 21 at Utah State University, where the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air is hosting a one-day conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. ILWA is presenting the conference in partnership with the BLM and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands.

Signed into law on Oct. 21, 1976, FLPMA gave the BLM its modern mission and directed the agency to manage the nation’s public lands for multiple use and sustained yield. The BLM now manages about 245 million acres, more than any other federal agency, including roughly 22.9 million acres in Utah, about 42 percent of the state.

The conference will be held on the USU campus in Logan and is open to the public. Registration is $20 and includes lunch, and students can attend for free.

“This conference is a chance for Utah State to help shape the national conversation about public lands,” said Anna McEntire, executive director of ILWA. “National leaders are coming to our campus, and they’ll hear directly from USU researchers and community members about the work happening here.”

The morning session will look back at the law’s first half-century. Following opening remarks by USU President Brad Mortensen and keynote addresses from Pearce and Henderson, Brian Steed, USU vice president for government and external relations and former acting director of the BLM, will moderate a panel that includes former BLM Director Jim Caswell and present and former BLM state directors Jamie Connell (Colorado), Jon Raby (Nevada), Greg Sheehan (Utah), and Mitch Leverette (Eastern States).

“The BLM’s decisions shape daily life in Utah and across the West,” Steed said. “We’re excited to bring this conversation to Utah State and to the people who live and work on these lands.”

Over lunch, the program will turn to USU’s own work on public lands. Researchers Jordan Smith (recreation), David Stoner (wildlife), Eric Thacker (grazing), Reagan Wytsalucy (Indigenous food systems), and Larissa Yocom (forestry) will share their research in an interactive session that also features art curated by Danielle Stewart, curator and head of academic initiatives at USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.

The afternoon will focus on the next 50 years. I Ling Thompson, CEO of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, will moderate a panel representing the many uses of public lands, with national perspectives from energy (Robin Rorick, American Petroleum Institute), ranching (Eamon O’Toole, Ladder Ranch), outdoor recreation (Jess Rogers, Polaris), and wild horse management (Cindy Day, Piceance Mustangs). Attendees will then work in small groups to discuss current challenges and areas for opportunity that could be addressed by testing new innovations and/or forging unlikely partnerships. Report outs will be synthesized and later shared with attendees and decision makers.

“The BLM manages some of the hardest working lands in America. They support local economies, power our homes, put food on our tables, are home to iconic wildlife, and offer some of the most unique recreation opportunities around. FLPMA is the reason all of those uses have a place,” Thompson said. “The future depends on the people who know these lands best, the ranchers, scientists, Tribal nations, and volunteers who already care for them. Getting those voices in one room is how planning for what comes next begins.”

A free research poster session will run throughout the day during breaks and the lunch hour. Proposals for scientific research posters on topics related to federal lands, including geology, paleontology, wildlife, forestry, wildfire, aquatic species, rangeland, ecology, recreation, policy and multiple-use management, are being accepted through an extended deadline of Oct. 7. Those interested in presenting should indicate so when registering; a poster proposal form will open after registration is complete.

"We're grateful to Utah State University and the institute for hosting this event," said Jeff Krauss, acting deputy director of administration and programs for the BLM. "FLPMA has guided the BLM's work for decades, and this anniversary belongs to everyone who cares about our public lands. This is a moment to celebrate them."

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.

About the Foundation for America’s Public Lands

As the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Foundation for America’s Public Lands serves as a convener, partner, and fundraising catalyst to help ensure the health and stewardship of America’s public lands and waters today, and for the future. To learn more, visit americaslands.org.