Lifetime Service Award - 2002

John F (Jack) Wilson
John F (Jack) Wilson

The Public Lands Foundation has awarded John (Jack) F. Wilson its Outstanding Lifetime Service Award at its Sacramento, California Annual Conference on September 13, 2002.  This Award is given for the purpose of perpetuating and enhancing the proud tradition of Public Service in the Bureau of Land Management and in recognition of Jack’s substantial contributions to the improved well-being of the public lands and all natural resources.

Jack is one of the truly outstanding individuals of our time who has spent his entire adult life, and continuing today, actively supporting the proper management of our natural resources.  He began his career with BLM in Wyoming where in 1953, he became the District Manager for the Pinedale Office, and, then in1954, he became the Rawlins District Manager.   Between 1959 and 1967, Jack was the District Manager at Burley, Idaho.  He then moved to California where he was the District and Land Office Manager at Riverside.  With more than 20 years of managerial service he then became the Director of the Boise Interagency Fire Center at Boise, Idaho from 1971 – 1992, where he became a recognized national and international leader in the field of fire management and has the respect and loyalty of fire professionals.

During his more than 40 years of service, Jack has received many special recognition awards, too many to list, both government and private, for his outstanding performances.  Perhaps the highlight of such recognition was the naming of the new national headquarters building at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) as “The Jack Wilson Building”.  Jack is the ultimate example of a career public servant who has earned his way up the ranks through integrity, dedication, intelligence, ability to lead and persuade, and to put the public interest in the forefront of his decision making.

Following retirement from BLM, Jack continued to volunteer his managerial and fire control expertise at NIFC.  He also served as the Idaho State Representative on the PLF’s Board of Directors for ten years.  Jack has always been a staunch supporter of the professional land management and the professional employees who labor in the trenches.  He has always been the first to object to the politicalization of natural resources management and the downgrading of natural resource professionals.

The Foundation is honored to recognize John F. (Jack) Wilson with this Award.