SALT LAKE — The Utah Wildlife Federation applauds the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management, stewarding more than 245 million acres of public lands. Stone-Manning has dedicated her career to the responsible conservation of America’s public lands and waters and currently serves as the senior advisor for conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation.

“America’s public lands will be in good hands under Tracy Stone-Manning’s leadership. She has spent much of her career looking for bipartisan solutions to make sure our lands and waters are managed sustainably, that wildlife habitat is conserved, and that opportunities for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation are expanded. As a Westerner and outdoorswomen, she understands not only the challenges facing our public lands, but also the central role these lands play in the lives and livelihoods of hardworking Americans,” said Brett Prettyman, board chair of the Utah Wildlife Federation. 

Stone-Manning joined the National Wildlife Federation in 2017 to lead its public lands program and was promoted last winter to senior advisor for conservation policy. Before joining the Federation, she served as Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s chief of staff, where she oversaw day-to-day operations of his cabinet and the state’s 11,000 employees. She stepped into that post after serving as the director of the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, overseeing the state’s water, air, mining and remediation programs. She served as a regional director and senior advisor to Senator Jon Tester during his first term, focusing on forestry issues. Early in her career, she led the Clark Fork Coalition, a regional conservation group, as it advocated successfully for Superfund cleanups that created thousands of jobs and revitalized a river. The group also co-owned and managed a cattle ranch in the heart of the Superfund site.  

Raised in a big, Navy family — her dad commanded a submarine — she was guided into public service from childhood. She is a backpacker, hunter and singer, and has been married to the writer Richard Manning for 30 years. She lives in Missoula, Montana and holds a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana and an B.A. from the University of Maryland. She started her career as an intern with the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, D.C., in 1987.