Ex-Nevada BLM official to lead agency at national level

CARSON CITY -- A former state director of the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, who worked to cool rhetoric and build partnerships for managing public lands, was confirmed Friday as the agency's national director.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar praised the U.S. Senate confirmation of Bob Abbey, saying he has a "proven record of strong leadership and accomplishments" that will make him an outstanding overseer of the 258 million acres managed by the BLM.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who recommended Abbey for the post, echoed Salazar's accolades.

"Coming from Nevada where nearly 90 percent of the land is federally managed, Bob understands the challenges that our state can sometimes face and will be very helpful in addressing them," Reid said in a statement.

Abbey served eight years as the BLM's director in Nevada, retiring in 2005. He also helped former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt complete a Utah wilderness inventory 10 years ago. More recently, he has been in private practice as a Nevada-based consultant.

In all, he spent 25 years at the BLM, and 32 years in the public sector.

As Nevada BLM director, he was a key proponent for the Great Basin Restoration Initiative, an ambitious plan to restore the natural balance of the desert and sagebrush ecosystem that stretches across Northern Nevada and parts of Oregon, Idaho and Utah.