Getting to Know You – New State Director prioritizes people

Story by Gina Baltrusch, Public Affairs Officer, North Central Montana District

BLM Montana/Dakotas State Director

Sonya Germann (left) stops by the North

Central Montana District’s Zortman Fire

Station in Phillips County, Montana,

Sept. 26, to meet with NCMD Fire

Management Officer Josh Barta (right)

and the station team.

Photo by Pat Gunderson

The BLM Montana/Dakotas has a new state director – Sonya Germann – and she’s lost no time getting up to speed on all things BLM-MT/DKs.

During the last week of September, Germann visited the North Central Montana District to meet managers and staff,

and to learn more about the public lands they manage to maximize opportunities for commercial, recreational, and conservation activities.

“I’m learning so much about the land-management challenges and opportunities that our people handle,” said Germann. “I think it’s important for leaders to go out whenever possible to meet and talk with team members at every level of the organization.”

From atop a ridge in the Little Rocky

Mountains looking toward the Bear Paw

Mountains, Malta Field Office Manager

Tom Darrington (left) shows BLM

Montana/Dakotas State Director Sonya

Germann (right) the general vicinity of

the Zortman-Landusky mining

reclamation area, Sept. 26 in Phillips

County, Montana.

Photo by Pat Gunderson

While her new duties at the state office are more than enough to keep her busy, Germann plans to make the time to visit all three of BLM-MT/DKs’ districts within the first several months of becoming the state director -- a challenging goal when leading an organization covering three states totaling about 8.3-million surface acres and 47.1-million sub-surface acres.

“As a leader, it’s critical to understand the boots-on-the-ground view of things,” she added. “You have to leave the office once in a while to truly appreciate the complexities of managing public lands for multiple-use purposes. Our overall mission success depends on our people, and I’m seeing first-hand that they’re are doing an amazing job!”

Germann was born and raised in Montana, and joins the BLM with more than 20 years of natural resources management and leadership experience, most recently as Montana’s State Forester. Learn more about her – https://www.blm.gov/press-release/sonya-germann-named-state-director-montanadakotas.

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