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Home > Archive > Feb 21, 2008

Century of Service Recognized by BLM
By Katrice Schimbeck
Staff Writer
Three Bureau of Land Management retirees were honored recently as they turned in their keys. Together, Dennis Curtis, Ken Moore and Tom Folks have given more than 109 years of service to the BLM.

Dennis Curtis
Dennis Curtis started with the BLM in the Utah State Office in 1968, serving as a planning coordinator, realty specialist and natural resource specialist for nine years. 
He then spent 10 years in the Cedar City District and transferred to the Arizona Strip District in 1987, where he served as a planning and environmental specialist for four years, the Vermilion Resource Area manager for five years, and program manager for Realty, Minerals and Recreation for six years. 
Curtis became the first manager of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in 2002. The Monument Proclamation directed the BLM and National Park Service to prepare an agreement to share whatever resources were necessary to properly manage the monument.
“Dennis led the sometimes controversial and always complex joint management with the NPS Monument superintendent, to carry out the provisions of the Proclamation and the General Agreement for the co-management of the Monument,” Scott Sticha, of the BLM, said. “This co-management has been very effective, with both agencies benefiting from each other’s expertise and available resources. Dennis has been instrumental in completing the five-year planning process for the Resource Management Plan/General Management Plan for the Monument.”

Ken Moore
Ken Moore served 39 years with the BLM. Moore started his career with the BLM on April 8, 1969. His work as a natural resource specialist extended from Monticello, Utah, to Craig, Colo., and eventually to the Arizona Strip District. Moore worked tirelessly to provide customer service and support for the natural resources in Arizona. 
He worked in wild land fire suppression throughout the country, most recently serving as a Type II safety officer on an incident-management team.
“I’ve been on a fire team for 25 years. It’s an interagency team with 15 years as safety officer on the team,” Moore said.
Moore was a forestry team leader for the past seven years. 
One of Moore’s favorite projects was managing and restoring ponderosa pine forests on Mount Trumbull. 
“Ken has provided the BLM and its constituents with a high degree of professionalism,” Sticha said. “His dedicated work has proved invaluable to the wild land fire and vegetation restoration programs on the Arizona Strip. His knowledge of the Arizona Strip and strong people skills will be greatly missed.”
As for Moore, he plans on catching up on house project, a lot of outdoor ATV time and continuing on the fire team.
“They are so shorthanded with experienced people,” Moore said. “I love this country and I love the people. I plan on staying here.”

Tom Folks
As a 10-year-old, Tom Folks decided he wanted to work in the outdoors. At age 55, after 31 years of federal service, he accomplished his goal. The last 27 of those years have been spent living in St. George and working for the BLM Arizona Strip Field Office.
As a child, his family spent many days camping and picnicking in the outdoors. While attending a ranger talk at Sequoia National Park about backpacking in back country, something clicked inside Folks. He wanted to spend his life in the outdoors.
“I wanted to work outdoors in beautiful places. I had a dream and notion as a kid and feel like I accomplished that,” Folks said.   
When Folks went to college, many foresters and geologists were out of work. While working in Glacier National Park, his supervisor suggested recreation as a major. He earned his degree in Recreational Park Planning and Resource Management from the University of Utah.
Folks spent his first two years out of college working as a cartographer for the U.S. Forest Service at a geometrics mapping center. 
“I learned stuff I would use all through the rest of my career,” Folks said.
Folks came to St. George in 1978 to help with the wilderness inventory of the Arizona Strip. In 1976 Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Differing from the Wilderness Act of 1964, this allowed for multiple concurrent uses of BLM lands. After the law was passed, every area needed assessment, and Folks got the job.
After completing the wilderness studies, Folks transferred to Colorado for a year and then took a year off. In 1984, he returned to the Arizona Strip District as outdoor recreation manager. He retired as Recreation Wilderness and Cultural Team Leader.
“The neat thing about my job is that there’s always been a lot of variety,” Folks said, citing land use, recreation, campground maintenance and visitor assistance as a few of his duties. Folks helped develop the first online permit fee system for Pariah Canyon and the Wave in Coyote Buttes – popular destinations in the Arizona Strip. He also designed and constructed the northern 12 miles of the Arizona Trail, a single-track trail stretching across Arizona from Mexico to Utah.
In 2006, Folks officially became a Legend, a National Award from the American Recreation Coalition. He was one of seven from each government agency to become Legends that year.
Folks credits his being able to retire at such a young age to only buying one house, paying it off and being out of debt.
“I retired early because I could,” Folks said. 
His primary motive is to finish home-schooling his two daughters, 13 and 15.
“We do have a strong faith in God. We left enough room for God to provide,” Folks said. 
He has had calls for independent contracting, but Folks is looking forward to spending time with his family.
“So far it seems like a vacation,” Folks said, “except Sunday afternoons, I don’t have to worry about the stress of thoughts about unfinished projects coming to mind.”
He and his wife, Heidi, born-again Christians, would like to get involved in some ministries. They currently run a youth summer camp and participate in local church outreach programs. He also wants to take some lifelong learning courses on investment and others. The family loves to travel and wants to put their camp trailer to good use.
“I came from fresh 10-year-old eyes to working lines on maps, boundaries and issues,” Folks said, looking back at his career. “I want to look past the power lines. I look forward to getting back out and seeing it more simply and for its own beauty.”

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