WASHINGTON-
Colorado state parks Director R. Lyle Laverty was nominated by President Bush Friday to become assistant interior secretary for fish and wildlife and commissioner of the U.S. section of the Great Lakes Fishing Commission.
If confirmed by the Senate, Laverty would be responsible for overseeing policy for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, which have a combined annual budget of about $3.6 billion and about 30,000 employees.
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne called Laverty an “outstanding leader.”
“Having served at both the state and federal levels, he sees the complete picture, understands the critical importance of working with communities and is a strong advocate of broad partnership efforts,” Kempthorne said.
As state parks director, Laverty opened two new state parks and began planning on another two. He raised $40 million to fund a Corps of Engineers partnership that rehabilitated Cherry Creek, Chatfield and Trinidad state parks. He also played a key role in establishing the Front Range Trail, a 700-mile trail that will extend through Colorado from Wyoming to New Mexico.
Before becoming state parks director, Laverty had worked for the U.S. Forest Service since 1965. He ultimately served as associate deputy chief in Washington, where he helped develop the Forest Service’s strategy for coping with wildfires.
Laverty graduated from Humboldt State University in California in 1965 and earned his master’s degree from George Mason University in Virginia in 1981.
