The Department of the Interior announced Jan. 19 the launch of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands in a move that will benefit the nation’s public lands for generations to come.
Four board members will preside over the new nonprofit, including former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze, a DOI press release stated.
The foundation will serve to help leverage public and private funds to conserve, protect and restore land managed by the BLM, the Washington Post reported.
“It is a privilege and honor to manage America’s public lands for the benefit of current and future generations," DOI Secretary Deb Haaland said in the release. "To do that right, we need a Bureau of Land Management ready for the future, not just with the right personnel, structure and resources, but also with a support system of outside partners collaborating on its success.”
Board members will also include Maite Arce, founder of the Hispanic Access Foundation, and Stacy Leeds, former Justice on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court and former chairperson of the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission, the release stated. All board members were selected by Haaland.
“I’m proud to appoint visionary leaders who will take on the enormous task of building the Foundation from the ground up to create this legacy and ensuring that its work is closely aligned with the agency’s mission and priorities,” Haaland said.
The Foundation was approved by Congress in 2017, the Washington Post reported. Similar foundations exist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service.
