My Public Lands
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26 posts tagged BLMthanks
Public Lands – A lot to be thankful for!
This Thanksgiving holiday season gives me another opportunity to pause and appreciate the vast public lands that are adjacent to the area I live in, near Pocatello, Idaho. The very livelihood of my family is derived from my job as a BLM Minerals Manager regulating phosphate mining on public lands in southeast Idaho.
These lands contain large deposits of valuable minerals that are recovered to produce fertilizer and phosphorus based chemicals. This development, part of BLM’s multiple-use mission, is an important basis of our American standard of living and contributes to healthy economies. Mineral development and processing provides employment and livelihood for hundreds of employees and their families.
In my free time, I feel fortunate to be able to take frequent trail runs, bicycle rides, camping trips and participate in a multitude of outdoor activities that the mountainous public lands above my home afford. The recreational activities offered by the public lands have been an important part of our family’s time spent together. Now our kids are grown and gone, but I continue to spend time acquainting my grandchildren with public lands and the special activities and experiences that they offer.
-Jeff Cundick, Minerals Manager in the Pocatello Field Office
Thankful for Holiday Memories
Each year, just after Thanksgiving, my family and I visit our public lands to harvest our Christmas tree. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA where getting our Christmas tree in the 1970’s often meant driving to the local grocery store in the rain and selecting a tree from the vendors lot. Not bad, but I am thankful we live in Pocatello, Idaho where my family and I can enjoy romping through the forest, snow, and sunshine of Knox Canyon. A $10.00 BLM permit buys a ton of fun and great family memories. It’s one of my favorite traditions of the holiday season!
-Bill Stout, Geologist/Mine Inspector in the Pocatello Field Office
Public lands are something to be thankful for!
Public lands allow everyone, rich or poor, access to enjoy natural resources and landscapes, and opportunities for stewardship of their surroundings. There are chances for solitude and for friendship through outdoor recreation and study. Getting out of doors is a great tool for engaging youth and connecting them to nature.
-Destin Harrell, Wildlife Biologist in the Cody Field Office shows volunteers how to plant a silver buffalo berry in the Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area along the Shoshone River.
Thankful for Public Land
Having grown up back east where there is limited public land, I’m grateful for our public lands because they provide a place to get way from it all.
-Aaron Kania, Law Enforcement Ranger in the Worland Field Office
What Public Lands are You Grateful For?
I am grateful for the beauty of the Kanarraville Creek Canyon located within the Spring Creek Wilderness Study Area. During the summer months, I enjoy hiking through the creek bed searching for the perfect photo!
-Yanavey McCloskey, Public Affairs Assistant in the Color Country District
Public lands are something to be thankful for!
I am thankful for the Lava Beds Herd Management Area northwest of Lovelock, Nevada because of the amazing rock outcroppings formed by northern Nevada’s unique geology. I am also thankful there are so many wondrous acres of public lands surrounding Winnemucca to observe the thousands of wild horses and burros residing here.
-Samantha Gooch, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist for the Winnemucca District Office
Sharing what I am thankful for!
I love being in touch with my natural surroundings and learning about resource values through first hand experiences. Here are some of my favorites memories in the great outdoors!
I’m thankful for the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado because I met my friends from Chicago there last summer for my first rafting trip down the Poudre-LaCache. It was amazing!
I’m thankful for the Medicine Bow Forest Service Brush Creek Trail because I went on a first date cross-country skiing and snowshoeing that started a long relationship. I love cross-country skiing. My date and I didn’t work out. But I still love cross-country skiing.
I’m grateful for Dinosaur National Park because I celebrated my 33rd birthday there. I’d always wanted to visit and it was way cooler than I ever thought. It was beautiful and stately to be nestled in a camping spot amid all those tall rocks.
I had a wonderful time exploring Sink Canyon State Park outside Lander, Wyoming.
This silhouette was taken from a barn on private land in Nelson, Nevada, looking south toward BLM land. I’m grateful for that spot because it’s a goofy tourist destination in the middle of nowhere, and on the way to cliff jumping at Lake Mead.
I’m grateful for Devils Tower because it is one of the most serene public lands I’ve ever visited. I really love that place and wish I could live at the bottom of the tower.
I’m grateful for Lake Havasu, the fine cliff jumping opportunities around the area and the fun that my friends and I had while we were visiting.
I’m grateful for the Angel’s Landing Trail at Zion National Park because it’s scary, beautiful and challenging. I will never forget the experience and am so happy for my friend who said it was worth it. It was a bit treacherous in the ice and snow but I felt very accomplished when I reached the summit and this photo was taken.
-Erica Pionke, Realty Specialist for the Pahrump Field Office
What Public Lands are You Grateful For?
I am grateful for the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area for its fascinating geology, stretching all the way back to 1.7 billion years ago; I love exploring for fossils from ancient seabeds in the limestone crags.
-Lynne Scott, Landscape Architect in the St George Field Office
Thankful for the legacy of public lands!
The work I do means more to me than I sometimes express. My job is overwhelming some days. It is hard to grasp the vastness of these lands and what they mean to the many communities that surround them. I love seeing fathers showing their children how to hunt and families taking drives to their favorite spot to share a picnic. This feeling is even more intense when I run into a family vacationing in Idaho. Their sense of awe is palatable and it makes me realize again how lucky I am to be surrounded by lands that people drive hundreds of miles to reach. The families that use these lands are instilling a deep love and sense of commitment to their children. I feel compelled to continue doing my job the best that I can so that their children’s children can have the same experience.
America may have a short story, and her lands may not be riddled with medieval castles and centuries old museums, but what she lacks in time, she makes up for in land. America’s legacy won’t be found in a building or on some piece of paper. Her legacy is the lands that define her and I am so thankful to be a steward of these lands.
-Joanna Tjaden, Rangeland Management Specialist for the Shoshone Field Office
What Public Lands are You Grateful For?
I am grateful for the coral pink dunes of Moquith Mountain Wilderness Study Area. During the winter, this area is a great place to get out and do some snowshoeing with my dogs. In the summer, the dunes are covered in giant yellow sunflowers called mule’s ears. The dramatic contrast of colors and convenient access makes this one of my favorite places to take guests all year round.
-Misti Haines, Park Ranger in the Kanab Field Office