WASHINGTON — Barry Bushue was appointed the state director for the Bureau of Land Management in Washington and Oregon on June 8, according to a press release from the agency. Bushue’s resume includes owning a retail and agritourism business east of Portland, operating a family farm and serving as president of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation for almost 20 years, vice president of the American Farm Bureau and state executive director for the Oregon Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“The Department of the Interior and the BLM strive to be good neighbors to those we serve, and we’re excited to have Barry Bushue, an exemplary leader and native Oregonian, leading BLM’s efforts in the Pacific Northwest,” said Casey Hammond, principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, in the press release. “Barry understands intimately the interconnection between the health of public lands and the health and well-being of people and communities in Oregon and Washington, and will bring fresh ideas and approaches to the agency’s work.”

Bushue will manage 16.1 million acres of public lands in Washington and Oregon.