The Colorado River Valley office of the Bureau of Land Management has a new field manager, after two years of interim leadership.

The BLM announced Tuesday that Larry Sandoval will lead the Silt-based BLM office, taking over for acting field manager Gloria Tibbetts.

For Sandoval, the job means coming back to Garfield County. He worked for the White River National Forest in Glenwood Springs from 2001 to 2006, first as a soil scientist and later as the assistant district ranger for the Rifle Ranger District, according to a news release.

“I am thrilled to be returning to this very special place,” Sandoval said. “The local communities and outdoor opportunities in the surrounding landscape are a perfect fit for me and my family. The diverse and cherished natural resources within the Colorado River Valley Field Office are for the enjoyment, use and benefit of our diverse public. I am excited and ready to engage with the staff and public we serve.”

During his time with the National Forest, he was the Forest Service liaison for the Glenwood Springs Pilot Energy Office, created to oversee oil and gas development, before that office was absorbed by the BLM office in Silt.

Sandoval served as natural resources staff officer in Oregon’s Wallowa-Whitman National Forest office, and held positions as the public affairs specialist and district ranger for the Medicine Bow Routt National Forest in Wyoming, and was district ranger for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.