During the Public Lands Foundation board meeting March 31, the group and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management honored the achievements of Wesley Hipke, who oversees the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer in Boise.
Wesley Hipke is the manager of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer recharge program for the Idaho Water Resource Board. He has collaborated with the Idaho Department of Water Resources for close to eight years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
"Watching this program develop from afar, we are impressed with the partnership between Mr. Hipke, the water board and the BLM for working together to create aquifer-recharge sites across the Eastern Snake Plain to ensure the long-term sustainable health of one of the largest freshwater aquifers in the Western United States," Public Lands Foundation President Mary Rugwell said in a March 31 statement.
BLM officials also commented on the award and Hipke's achievements.
“The importance of this effort cannot be overstated for the future of Idaho,” Codie Martin, the manager of the BLM Shoshone field office, said. He nominated Hipke for the award. “The health of the aquifer has tremendous positive implications for the BLM’s multiple-use mission and resources as well, including wildlife habitat, ecosystem health and vigor, livestock grazing, outdoor recreation, wildland fire and wild horse herds.”
The Public Lands Foundation was founded in 1987. It is a national membership organization that promotes and strives to keep public lands in public hands, according to its website.
