Tim Burke, manager of the Bureau of Land Management’s Alturas and Surprise field offices in northeast California, has been named manager of the BLM’s Arizona Strip District in northwest Arizona.
As district manager, Burke will oversee about two million acres of rugged, remote public lands and about 100 employees. He reports for duty in mid-May. Burke’s replacement in northern California has not yet been determined.
Burke has been Alturas field manager for the past 16 years and for the past two years has also been the acting field manager for the BLM office in Cedarville. He has been a BLM employee since 1979, working in Utah, Nevada, central California and New Mexico before coming to Alturas.
“I have been honored and privileged working with outstanding public employees and communities in northeast California,” Burke said.
Under his leadership the Alturas Field Office played a lead role working with Modoc County, the Modoc National Forest and other partners to develop the Sage Steppe Ecosystem Management Plan, a 50-year strategy focused on improving habitat conditions and forage availability largely by reducing overgrown juniper stands. He also directed the revision of a resource management plan covering more than a half-million acres of BLM-managed public lands.
He led the Surprise Field Office staff in planning and implementing projects to rehabilitate landscapes following the 61,000-acre Lost Fire, and Alturas Field Office efforts to restore lands after the 10,000-acre Likely Fire, both of which burned in 2012.
He was active in community events, particularly Alturas Rotary, where he served as president.
“Tim has been a valuable member of our Northern California leadership team,” said BLM Northern California District Manager Nancy Haug. “We will miss him, and wish him all the best in this step in his career.”
