BLM Aquatic Resources Five-Year Strategic Plan

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
https://www.blm.gov
Washington, DC 20240

February 17, 2022

In Reply Refer To:
6500 (HQ-232) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 02/24/2022
Information Bulletin No. 2022-022

To:                  All State Directors and Center Directors

From:              Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:           BLM Aquatic Resources Five-Year Strategic Plan

A five-year strategic plan for the Aquatic Resources Program is available as Attachment 1- Conserving and Restoring Riparian, Fisheries, and Water Resources in a Changing Climate: A Five-Year Strategy for the BLM’s Aquatic Resources Program and is posted on the BLM’s Library catalog. The strategic plan was developed by an interdisciplinary team of technical experts from the BLM’s headquarters, state offices, and National Operations Center. 

The Aquatic Resources Program (formerly Aquatic Habitat Management Program) was created in 2019 following integration of the BLM’s Riparian and Fisheries Programs and the water resource component of the Soil, Water, and Air Program. The program was renamed the Aquatic Resources Program in 2021 to better reflect the diversity of the program’s core functions.  

This strategic plan comes at a critical time for aquatic resources on public lands. Climate change is driving rapid ecological change, increasing wildfire occurrence, and prolonging droughts. At the same time, the diversity and intensity of public land uses are increasing and societal values regarding those uses continue to evolve. A renewed focus on the conservation and restoration of riparian, fisheries, and water resources is needed to build drought and wildfire resilience, protect water supplies and habitats for species of management concern, and increase carbon sequestration. Similarly, we need to ensure adequate human capital, technical expertise, and management tools are available to implement the program’s core functions.

The goals and objectives of the plan are key to achieving the Bureau’s priorities, such as addressing the climate crisis and implementing American the Beautiful initiative and will be used to guide funding allocations and create new and update existing programmatic policy. To track progress towards achieving the four main goals of the plan, the success of implemented strategies, and the need for adjustments a set of metrics was developed (Attachment 2). Questions regarding the plan’s implementation should be directed to the Program Lead (Scott Miller, swmiller@blm.gov, 720-545-8367) or other leadership in HQ230.  

Signed by:                                 Authenticated by:
David Jenkins                           Robert M. William
Assistant Director                     Division of Regulatory Affairs and Directives,(HQ-630)
Resources and Planning

2 Attachments

1 - Conserving and Restoring Riparian, Fisheries, and Water Resources in a Changing Climate: A Five-Year Strategy for the BLM’s Aquatic Resources Program (22 pp)

2 – Metrics for the Aquatic Resources Program’ 5-year Strategic Plan (1 p)