Cherry to head Alaska BLM

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Francis ‘Fran’ Cherry has been named director of the Alaska state office of the Bureau of Land Management, the agency said May 18.

Cherry is a 30-year veteran of the BLM who most recently served as associate state director of the BLM’s Montana/Dakotas state office.

“It is an honor and delight to be named to this position,” Cherry said in a statement. “My overall management objective in Alaska is simple: to accommodate multiple uses of the public lands while protecting the natural, historical and other resources on these lands.””

Cherry will be responsible for managing more than 87 million acres of public land in Alaska.

As associate director in Montana/Dakotas from 1991, Cherry oversaw all aspects of the agency’s operations in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

During his career with BLM, Cherry has worked as a natural resource specialist and area manager of the River Resource Area in Vernal, Utah; as regional planner and chief of the branch of planning in the Colorado state office; and as manager of the Roswell district office in New Mexico. He also served in Washington, D.C., as energy policy coordinator and chief of the Branch of Solid Leasable Minerals.