Other key positions filled by the state office of the BLM:

l Selected as manager for the Price Field Office, Roger Bankert. He brings a wealth of experience that will be valuable during the continued work on developing a final resource management plan for public lands that serve as the gateway to the redrock country of the San Rafael Swell.

l For the Utah-BLM State Office, Mary Wilson will fill one of the deputy state director positions as group manager for external affairs. She has extensive experience in public affairs and as a congressional liaison and also organizational development coordinator.

KANAB - The current deputy forest supervisor for the Black Hills National Forest has been selected as the new manager of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah.

“It's a great opportunity and I'm excited about the job,” said Brad Exton, who will move from Custer, S.D., to Kanab to run the 1.9 million acre monument, the first ever to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Exton is one of three people selected by the BLM's State Office for key positions around the state.

He will take the reins of the monument on Sept. 18, the same date the monument was created in 1996 by President Clinton.

While in South Dakota, Exton is credited with improving relations with American Indian tribes and fostering relationships between the Forest Service, National Park Service and state park system.

Exton is familiar with Utah, having been district ranger and services group leader with the Ashley National Forest, based in Vernal from 1996 to 2003.

His job at the monument will be a challenge. Since its inception, the monument has generated controversy, with some people in Kanab resenting its creation and how Clinton made the announcement in Arizona at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The most contentious issues, regarding grazing and control of roads, have been subject to myriad lawsuits. Earlier this month the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the latest challenge to the monument's creation.

Exton said Monday that he is ready for the task, and realizes the importance of building good relations with the community.

“I was in Utah when the monument was established and have been following the issues,” he said. “I've done a lot of work with communities and hope to establish good relations [in Kanab]. I'm going into the job with my eyes wide open and do the best I can.”

Christine Tincher, a spokeswoman with the BLM state office in Salt Lake City who recommended Exton, said the job was a popular offering among applicants.

“For a job like [monument manager] it's not unusual to receive 50 applications even at the rating that was required,” she said.

In a news release Monday, state director Henri Bisson said Exton possesses the qualities needed to manage the monument.

“Brad's strong leadership as well as his experience and education make him an excellent choice for the position of monument manager,” said Bisson.

During his 29-year career with the Forest Service, Exton has worked as a district ranger, assistant district ranger or deputy forest supervisor in several Western states.

He replaces David Hunsaker, who left the post in March to become deputy director of the the Bureau of Land Management's National Landscape Conservation Service in Washington, D.C.

Marietta Eaton, who is over the monument's science programs and has been serving as interim manager of the monument, said Monday she has heard good things about Exton.

“He's well-liked, respected, amiable and approachable,” she said. “Managing a monument in the context of the BLM takes a collaborator because you are dealing with complex issues.”

Exton said he does not see a problem shifting from the Forest Service to the BLM since both follow multiple-use mandates.

“The bottom line is in both agencies you deal with a piece of ground you have to manage,” he said. “It's not totally foreign.”

mhavnes@sltrib.com