[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20796]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         A TRIBUTE TO BLM DESERT DISTRICT MANAGER LINDA HANSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2005

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Bureau of Land Management California Desert District Manager Linda 
Hansen, a dedicated public servant who has been a leader in balancing 
the protection of our vast public lands in the California desert with 
the needs of our public to use those lands in the most beneficial way.
  Throughout my years here in the House of Representatives, I have had 
the honor and pleasure of representing much of the Southern California 
desert lands, which range from the Sierra Nevada on the north to the 
Mexican border. The land itself is some of our nation's most unique and 
unspoiled, and the people who live, work and recreate there are very 
unique in their own ways. Many desert peaks provide vistas of hundreds 
of miles in every direction with no sign of civilization. But often a 
short drive down a canyon road can reveal a group of homes, a working 
ranch or rare mineral mine that are every bit as vital to the desert 
experience.
  It takes a special leader to balance the needs of the desert lands 
and their users. For the past 3\1/2\ years those needs have been very 
well balanced by the capable hands of Linda Hansen, the manager of the 
10.5 million-acre California Desert District of the BLM. She has found 
ways to protect desert dunes and grant access to off-road vehicle 
riders. She has helped preserve desert wildlife like the Bighorn Sheep 
and met the needs of the thousands of hunters who know those arid lands 
so well.
  Linda Hansen joined the BLM by chance 28 years ago, taking a job as a 
receptionist in the Carson City office after her family moved there. 
She worked her way up through the ranks over the years, serving in both 
the state and national offices, and was finally named in 2002 to be the 
first female director of the Desert District.
  During her three years, the BLM has completed regional land use plans 
to guide management of public lands in the Northern and Eastern 
Colorado Desert, Northern and Eastern Mojave Desert, Coachella Valley, 
and the Imperial Sand Dunes. She also oversaw the final stages of 
development of the largest Habitat Conservation Plan in the United 
States in the West Mojave Desert, slated for completion by the end of 
2005.
  She has improved the working relationship with her federal management 
partners, including the Forest Service, National Park Service, 
Department of Defense, and Fish and Wildlife Service. An Imperial 
Valley native, she has helped forge a compromise that allowed off-road 
enthusiasts to use the Imperial Dunes, while at the same time 
protecting much of the Dunes' fragile eco-system. At the same time, she 
has forged the United Desert Gateway, helping communities like El 
Centro and Brawley reap the benefits of the increased visitation there. 
Along the way, she has gained a reputation for being fair and patient 
in dealing with everyone who is dedicated to the protection and 
enjoyment of the desert.
  Mr. Speaker, after 31 years of federal service and 28 years with the 
BLM, Linda Hansen will soon be retiring. Please join me in thanking her 
for her dedication, patience and perseverance, and wishing her well in 
her future endeavors.

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