Thomas new district BLM chief

Ralph Thomas started in his new position as the Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District Manager on Dec. 1. The district has approximately 110 full time employees and manages about 4.8 million acres of federal public lands in 11 counties throughout western Nevada and eastern California through the Sierra Front and the Stillwater field offices.

“We’re fortunate to have Ralph working with us at BLM Nevada. His many years of natural resource experience will be a tremendous asset to us as we move ahead with our resource plan and implementation,” said Amy Lueders, State Director.

Thomas was previously the Associate District Manager in Oregon’s Coos Bay District, a position he had held since May, 2010.

Thomas began his federal career in 1972 on the Umpqua National Forest in the facilities, road and trail maintenance programs.

He spent the next 27 years with the U.S. Forest Service working on four national forests in three states, mostly in the construction and maintenance programs.

In 1999, Thomas transferred to the Bureau of Land Management as the Branch Chief for Road Maintenance, Coos Bay District and has spent the last 15 years in various leadership positions in Oregon and Washington.

Thomas is married to Marie and their family includes four cats and one dog. They devote a lot of time to gardening and working around the house. Thomas also enjoys fishing, hiking, camping, and amateur radio. He’s a native Oregonian.