Read the Fall 2020 Monitor!

THE PUBLIC LANDS Monitor P.O. Box 7226, Arlington, VA 22207 www.publicland.org For America’s Heritage 703-935-0916 [email protected] VOLUME XXXIII No. 3 FALL QUARTER 2020 2020 PLF ANNUAL MEETING – VIRTUAL SEPTEMBER 14-16, 2020 Editors Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tuesday, September 15 Ray Brady Margaret Lliteras PLF 2020 Annual Meeting was held on General Meeting—Wildlife September 14 – 16 as a Virtual Meeting Migration Corridors and Board of Directors President Ed Shepard using ZOOM technology. The Board Sage-Grouse Vice Pres. Don Simpson of Directors met on September 14 and VP-DC Affairs Ray Brady 16, and a General session was held on • Presentation by Dwayne VP-Ops Beau McClure Secretary Ray Brady September 15 to provide an opportunity Spencer, Acting Wyoming Treasurer Dwight Hempel for BLM Wyoming to talk about wildlife BLM State Director Student Congress AnnaFaith Jorgensen migration corridors and sage-grouse Ex Officio NAFSR management. The ZOOM sessions • Presentation by Kimberlee James Caswell Past Pres. George Lea were limited to two-hour timeframes Foster, BLM Rock Springs Henri Bisson and a YouTube link was provided for Field Manager Ed Shepard Jesse Juen those who wanted to join the BLM Wyoming presentations on September • Presentation by Angi Bruce, Directors-at-Large Deputy Director, Wyoming Tom Allen 15. The meeting was productive, but Dean Bibles would not have been possible without Game & Fish Department Ray Brady Glen Collins the preplanning by Beau McClure, PLF Jim Currivan Vice President for Operations; and Bill • Presentation by Bob Budd, Mike Ferguson Director, Wyoming Wildlife Walt George LeBarron, PLF State Representative for Eric Janes & Natural Resource Trust John Kwiatkowski Wyoming; and the technical assistance Van Manning of George Stone and Mary Trautner. Dave Mari Mat Millenbach Wednesday, September 16 Tim O’Brien The Agenda for the Virtual Meeting Mary Jo Rugwell Board of directors meeting George Stone was as follows: Rich Whitley Maggie Wyatt • Discussion and decision on Elaine Zielinski Monday, September 14 PLF name change Board of Directors Meeting State Representatives AK Sharon Wilson • Presentation by Jamela AZ Beau McClure CA Thomas Zale • PLF Transition Team Thompson, PLF Scholarship CO Bob Moore presentation to the Board Recipient ID Jenna Whitlock MT Richard Hopkins on actions to be considered NV Ev “Butch” Hayes after the November election • PLF Treasurer’s Report and NM Jesse Juen OR Jerry Magee 2021 Proposed Budget UT Bill Lamb • Hiring of an Executive WA Barron Bail WY Bill LeBarron Director and Fundraising • Awards Midwest & Eastern States • NAFSR Update • Other Business Bob Anderson (continued on page 4) The Public Lands Foundation advocates and works for the retention of America’s Public Lands in public hands professionally and sustainably managed for responsible common use and enjoyment. 1 THE PUBLIC LANDS MONITOR PRESIDENT’S COLUMN As I was working on this column the news came out involved in wildland on the decision in the case of Bullock, et al v. BLM. fire and prescribed As you are probably all aware by now, the ruling fire as a firefighter, found that the Secretary’s appointment of William manager, and lately Perry Pendley as the BLM’s official “exercising the as a casual observer. authority of the Director” violated the Appoint- As a forester over ments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the Federal much of that time, Vacancy Reform Act of 1998, and the Administra- my colleagues and I tive Procedures Act. The decision found that two observed the health RMPs in the State of Montana were arbitrary and of many forested capricious and without force and effect, as Mr. areas deteriorate and Pendley was appointed contrary to law and did not fuel loads increase. have the authority to make decisions. Beyond the We all have seen two specified RMPs and Records of Decision, the the size and sever- Lewistown RMP and Missoula RMP, the Court’s ity of fires increase Ed Shepard decision calls into question any other action that he over the past three took while exercising the authority of the Director. decades. I have personally been involved with The Department of the Interior has stated that they several large fire busts. None of that prepared will appeal the decision immediately. At this time me to see what happened across the west coast on there still is considerable uncertainty on how this Labor Day! In the Northwest and California, we decision will play out in Montana and throughout experienced the perfect storm; prolonged drought, BLM. The PLF executive committee prepared the existing wildfires, and dry east winds with gusts up following statement: to 90 mph combined with downed powerlines and a few arsonists to ignite and spread fires all over The Public Lands Foundation has advocated for the Oregon, Washington, and California. The rapid Administration to nominate a BLM Director as required spread and burning conditions overwhelmed fire- by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the fighting resources and the only thing that could be Federal Vacancy Reform Act, but the Administration has done was to try to get people out of the way of the not done so. Judge Morris’ recent decision should not rapidly spreading flames. Fortunately, most made be a surprise. The result is that BLM remains without it. Tragically, nine souls in Oregon and dozens a Director and it is now uncertain who will be leading in California did not make it and lost their lives. the Bureau. The Court’s order calls into question deci- Several communities have been nearly wiped off sions made by Mr. Pendley in Montana, and any other the map and thousands of homes and businesses decisions on BLM-managed public lands made by him have been lost. during this timeframe. The PLF continues to advocate for the timely selection of a BLM Director who has profession- It will take some time to assess all the losses here in al land management experience as required in FLPMA. Oregon alone. At the peak, there were nearly three dozen large fires burning across Oregon, some in the We assume that the judge’s decision regarding Pendley tens of thousands of acres, four over 100,000 acres, will be appealed and we have no comment about the and one over 200,000 acres. There were large fires litigation. We would point out that moving the BLM in nearly every major river drainage in western Headquarters 1,900 miles away from our Nation’s Oregon from the Clackamas River east of Portland capital in a recent reorganization makes this situation a to Bear Creek in the Rogue River drainage. At one bit murky if this decision is affirmed. Will the Secretary point, 500,000 Oregonians, more than 10 percent of of the Interior be making all BLM decisions while his staff the population, were under some level of evacua- of advisors is two time zones away? The PLF has always tion order with over 40,000 being ordered to leave been concerned about this issue and commented several their homes. Beyond the loss of life, homes, and times that the Director position should be filled using businesses; acres of crops and forage were destroyed the required advice and consent process of Congress. and hundreds of millions of board feet of federal, state, tribal, and private timber were burned, wild Fifty years ago, in the summer of 1970, I fought and scenic river corridors and wilderness areas were my first wildland fire. Since that time, I have been burned, and several recreation sites were destroyed. THE PUBLIC LANDS MONITOR 2 President’s Column (continued from page 3) Kimberlee Foster on BLM activities in Wyoming, including new Resource Management Plans. Angi This fire season was not the worst as far as the Bruce, the Deputy Director of the Wyoming Game number of fires or acres burned, but it was a dev- and Fish Department and Bob Budd, Executive Di- astating year that started early and continues on. rector of the Wyoming Wildlife & Natural Resource Everyone is quick to want to assign blame on climate Trust and Chairman of the Wyoming Sage-Grouse change, poor forest and rangeland management, Implementation Team presented the work they have poor planning, or whatever. The truth is that many been doing on wildlife corridors and sage-grouse things contributed to the fires and it will take ad- management using an adaptive management ap- dressing the issue at multiple levels to begin to bring proach. We also heard from Jamela Thompson, one things back into balance. The good thing from a land of the George Lea Founder’s Scholarship recipients, management standpoint is that forests grow back. on her Master’s work on “Characterizing Fuel Treat- ment Effectiveness in Utah” during the Wednesday This year we held our Annual Meeting via ZOOM business meeting. It is good to see so much good with two-hour sessions over a three-day period. work going on in the field. From my perspective, it went well and, though ab- breviated, was productive. But technology cannot The results of our business meeting are covered in replace a live meeting where we get to visit with each this edition of the Monitor. We will be deciding on other, interact with the people making presentations, next year’s meeting venue and topic in the next few and swap stories over a drink. It is also pretty hard months. I really hope that we get past this pandemic to Zoom a field trip. Like true BLMers, we made it and can have a traditional meeting, however, if we work, thanks to the technological acumen of George cannot, we now know that we can accomplish most Stone, who led us through Zoom and Mary Traut- of the purpose of our meeting through technology.

Load more