ROD HARRIS, manager of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Elko District in northeastern Nevada, has been named “Outstanding Public Land Professional for 1991” by the Public Lands Foundation.

Foundation President George Lea announced the selection, crediting Harris with outstanding work in implementing a very large and controversial exchange of public lands for private land while working under extreme, heavy, and diverse public opinion.

“Rod had the vision and the stamina to implement a program that has brought the American public lands, which have been tremendous potential to benefit the environment as well as the regional economy.  This has not been easy,” Lea said.  “Rod has been exemplary in seeking consensus among groups with strongly divergent opinions about the management of the public lands,” he added.

Harris was nominated by his peers for the award with supporting documentation from several national and local groups.

The Elko District includes over 7.3 million acres of public land in three Nevada counties.  Lea said this exchange involved two different areas of threatened  species habitat, with public land in the Las Vegas Valley traded for private land in the Elko area.

“This is another example of a professional land manager’s willingness to chart new directions in natural resources management to accommodate changing public values and interest,” Lea added.  “We hope this recognition of Rod’s work will help the real owners of these lands, the publick, to better understand and appreciate the high ideals and integrity that BLM employees bring to this difficult task and understand how lucky they are to have employees like Rod.”