Alaska State Office
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News Release |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News Release No. 09-13
Contact: Sharon Wilson, 907-271-4418 Date: Jan. 23, 2009
National Public Lands Foundation Honors BLM-Alaska’s Ramona Chinn
The Public Lands Foundation recognized Ramona Chinn, Deputy State Director for Alaska Lands at a reception in Washington D.C., on January 15, 2009. Chinn received the Outstanding Public Lands Professional Manager Award for 2008 for her initiative and leadership of the BLM’s Alaska Land Transfer program.
“BLM-Alaska has been tasked with the largest land transfer effort ever undertaken in the United States,” said former BLM Director Jim Caswell at the ceremony. “Ramona Chinn has been instrumental in making that happen.”
BLM-Alaska is responsible for transferring more than 150 million acres of federal public land —approximately 42 percent of the land area in Alaska — to State and private ownership under the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the Native Allotment Act of 1906.
“Ramona deserves this recognition. The huge numbers of acres being transferred is a testament to her leadership and more than 20 years of dedication to this program,” said BLM-Alaska State Director Tom Lonnie.
This is the 21st year the National Public Lands Foundation has presented national awards which recognize actions by professional public land technicians and managers that “constitute special professional achievement, courage, and not simply good performance,” according to the foundation’s president, George Lea.
The Public Lands Foundation is the only national membership organization dedicated solely to the protection and perpetuation of the National System of Public Lands under the administration of BLM. It is a national nonprofit conservation organization whose members are primarily retired and active BLM employees. More information on Foundation programs and concepts can be found at www.publicland.org.
The BLM manages more land – 256 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural resources on the public lands.
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