Idahoan next BLM chief?

WASHINGTON — President Bush intends to nominate James Caswell of Idaho to be the next head of the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced Wednesday.

Bountiful native Kathleen Clarke resigned late last year as the BLM director, and now Caswell will need to get Senate approval to oversee the 258 million acres of public land under BLM's control. Jim Hughes has been serving as acting director since Clarke left.

Caswell now heads Idaho's Office of Species Conservation, which the Idaho Legislature established in 2000 to focus on endangered species issues and to coordinate state and federal efforts on endangered species management, according to the department.

"I've known Jim Caswell personally and admire his 'can do' attitude, pragmatic leadership style and outstanding management skills," said Kempthorne, a former Idaho governor. "His considerable supervisory experience with the U.S. Forest Service, his proven expertise in coordinating endangered species programs on public lands and his ability to build strong, effective partnerships make him well-qualified for this position."

During Caswell's tenure, the office won the state Legislature's approval in 2001 on two controversial issues — a wolf management plan and a Yellowstone grizzly bear management plan.

Prior to working in his current position, Caswell spent 33 years in various positions with the Bureau of Land Management, Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Forest Service. Sixteen of those years were spent as forest supervisor on the Clearwater and Targhee national forests. He was also deputy forest supervisor at Boise National Forest and acting deputy regional forester in Missoula, Mont., according to the Interior Department.

Caswell and his wife, Susan, have been married for 42 years and live in Emmett, Idaho. They have three grown children — two daughters and a son — and four grandchildren. Caswell, a Vietnam War veteran, is a 1967 graduate of Michigan State University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in forestry, according to the department.

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