District BLM manager Joe Kraayenbrink to retire

Idaho Falls District Bureau of Land Management manager Joe Kraayenbrink will retire from the agency Friday.

Kraayenbrink has 37 years of federal service. He came to Idaho Falls as a field manager in 1996, worked his way to associate district manager and later became district manager.

His career began as a firefighter in Lakeview, Oregon, in 1977. He became a range conservationist in 1980. Kraayenbrink did a three-year stint in Washington, D.C., as part of BLM’s Range Reform, Budget, and Threatened and Endangered Species team.

He was named the federal Public Land Manager of the Year in 2011 and is recognized for his work in helping to conserve properties along the South Fork, Henry’s Fork and Snake River.

State Director Tim Murphy said, “Joe’s professional skill, dedication and hard work have repeatedly resulted in major contributions to the mission for the BLM.”

A retirement dinner will be held in Idaho Falls on Jan. 23.