THE PUBLIC LANDS Monitor P.O. Box 7226, Arlington, VA 22207 www.publicland.org For America’s Heritage 703-935-0916 [email protected] VOLUME XXXIV No. 1 SPRING QUARTER 2021 MEMBER’S SURVEY – FEBRUARY 2021 Editors The PLF recently conducted an online land management issues to address. We Ray Brady survey of our members on BLM and also asked members to review the topics Margaret Lliteras public land management issues. A of our current Position Statements and Board of Directors President Ed Shepard summary of the Member’s Survey Re- to indicate those topics which they be- Executive Director sults and our Action Plan are available lieve remain relevant today. Member’s Courtney Lyons-Garcia Vice Pres. Don Simpson on the PLF website. Over 300 mem- feedback, coupled with policy priorities VP-DC Affairs bers responded, and we thank you for of the Administration and Congress, and Ray Brady VP-Ops Beau McClure participating! Members expressed a current and ongoing events are helping Secretary Ray Brady consensus that it was extremely im- us to prioritize our Position Statement Treasurer Dwight Hempel Student Congress portant that the PLF focus on helping review and revision workload for 2021. AnnaFaith Jorgensen get an interim and a permanent BLM Public Lands Foundation Vice President EX Officio NAFSR James Caswell Director in place, and on moving BLM Don Simpson is coordinating this work Past Pres. George Lea leadership back from Grand Junction, effort, which will be performed by teams Henri Bisson Ed Shepard CO to Washington, D.C. While we of PLF members who have expressed a Jesse Juen have communicated our positions on willingness to assist and who offer subject Directors-at-Large both matters to the Interior transition matter expertise. Tom Allen team, we will continue to correspond Dean Bibles Ray Brady and coordinate with the Administra- Our members continue to appreciate the Jim Currivan tion and Congress and provide what- Mike Ferguson opportunity to weigh in on issues and PLF Walt George ever advice and assistance we can to priorities. We plan to conduct a similar Eric Janes support these efforts. John Kwiatkowski Member Survey annually. If you are Van Manning interested in assisting us in developing Dave Mari Mat Millenbach Members also identified energy and next year’s survey topics and questions, Tim O’Brien minerals and wildfire management please contact George Stone at gstone@ Mary Jo Rugwell George Stone issues as top priorities among public publicland.org. Rich Whitley Maggie Wyatt Elaine Zielinski MEMBER SURVEY QUESTION #1 State Representatives AK Sharon Wilson AZ Beau McClure CA Thomas Zale In response to the question, CO Bob Moore How important do you think ID Jenna Whitlock MT Richard Hopkins it is for the PLF to focus on NV Ev “Butch” Hayes returning the BLM leader- NM Jesse Juen OR Vacant ship from Grand Junction, UT Bill Lamb CO to Washington, DC?, WA Barron Bail WY Bill LeBarron 76% of the 333 respondents Midwest & said Extremely Important. Eastern States Jeff Holdren 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 (continued on page 3) PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Have you gotten and we are all waiting for announcements of who your vaccination will lead BLM and who will serve as the Assistant yet? A year ago, Secretary. Some familiar names from past adminis- we were wash- trations are coming onboard in the Department and ing our hands a serving in leadership roles until permanent leaders lot and staying are nominated and confirmed. Laura Daniel-Davis home. In two has been appointed as the Principal Deputy Assis- weeks we’d “flat- tant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management ten the curve” and (ASLM) and Nada Culver is the newly appointed be able to start get- BLM Deputy Director for Policy and Programs. ting back to nor- Nada comes to BLM from a long career with con- mal, we were told. servation organizations, most recently the National Well, that didn’t Audubon Society and Laura Daniel-Davis most work out quite as recently worked for the National Wildlife Federa- we planned. But tion and also served as Chief of Staff for Secretaries progress is being Salazar and Jewell. The Board has been in contact made and I hope Ed Shepard with both of these leaders, and we look forward to this vaccination a productive relationship. and herd immu- nity thing works. One thing I have been reminded The Board of Directors recently held a Zoom call of through this ordeal is that science is not perfect, with both of the BLM Deputy Directors, Nada Cul- especially with something like a new virus, and ver and Mike Nedd. Joining them on the call were there is a need to learn and adapt as we move along. BLM Chief-of-Staff Mark Lawyer, Counselor Danna Kind of like land management. Jackson, and Senior Advisor Alexx Diera. Janea Scott from the Assistant Secretary’s office also joined the I want to start off by welcoming our new Executive call. This was primarily an introductory call where Director, Courtney Lyons-Garcia. Courtney comes to information was shared on the BLM priorities under us with over twenty years of nonprofit public land the new Administration and how PLF may be able experience. For the past 13 years she has been the to help provide support. We hope to hold similar Executive Director for the Big Bend Conservancy in calls in the future, reestablishing the quarterly calls Texas. We hired her to help expand PLF’s capacity the PLF had with BLM in the past. to advocate for the public lands. She has a lot of ex- perience, energy, and fresh ideas that will serve us well. In the few short weeks that Courtney has been onboard she has provided us with insight on how we can do our work more efficiently and effectively. Welcome to the PLF, Courtney! We would also like to wel- come the Department of the Interior’s new Sec- retary, Deb Haaland. Secretary Haaland was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the 54th Secretary on March 18. The Secretary has just started, BLM-PLF Zoom Meeting, March 26, 2021 THE PUBLIC LANDS MONITOR 2 President’s Column (continued from page 2) One of the first orders of business that we hope award recipients at the annual meeting, but it was Secretary Haaland will address is to nominate a not possible last year because of Covid. So, we did permanent BLM Director. There has not been a the next best thing and made a hybrid, virtual, and permanent Director in over four years. It is time CDC-safe award presentation to our Volunteer of for permanent leadership to address the many land the Year. With the help of PLF member John Fend, management issues facing the Bureau, and the orga- Idaho BLM State Director John Ruhs and Associ- nizational issues and “brain drain” resulting from ate State Director Peter Ditton, and me via Zoom, the BLM reorganization and relocation. On behalf we presented this award to Jenna Whitlock. Jenna of the PLF, I have sent a letter to the Secretary ask- contributed significant time and energy over the ing her to work with the White House to nominate past few years to help the PLF react to the BLM a BLM Director that meets the guidance found in reorganization and to track the many vacancies that section 301(a) of FLPMA requiring that “The Director resulted. For this and the many other contributions of the Bureau shall have a broad background and Jenna has made, the Board of Directors recognized substantial experience in public land and natural her with this award. Congratulations, Jenna! resource management.” Spring is a good time to do some cleaning. As we prepared for the Administration transition, we looked at PLF’s Position Statements and found that is an area in which we need to do a little cleaning. Many of the papers are out of date and some address issues that are no longer pertinent. I have asked Don Simpson to lead an effort to see that these papers are up to date and reflect the concerns of today. I know that Don has reached out to many of you for your assistance. I’d like to close out this report with something that I always enjoyed doing in BLM and with PLF, recognizing the many good people that contribute so much to the organization and help make us successful. Normally we recognize internal PLF Jenna Whitlock – Volunteer of the Year Award, with John Fend of PLF Idaho EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Public Lands Foundation received 11 applications for an Executive Director position to assist the PLF in promoting its advocacy mission, vision, goals, and activities before the BLM, Department of the Interior, Congress, and other organizations. This position will also direct and conduct PLF fund raising activities. On February 23, 2021, Ed Shepard, President, announced the selection of Courtney Lyons-Garcia as our new Executive Director. Courtney lives in New Braunfels, TX and is a seasoned nonprofit executive with fund raising experience, including as a nonprofit partner with the Department of the Interior. Her most recent experience was Executive Director for the Big Bend Conservancy, which supports Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River. 3 THE PUBLIC LANDS MONITOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Greetings! I am pleased to be the away from achieving our goal of first Executive Director for the visiting all 50 states before our Public Lands Foundation.