For the first time, and in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the founding of the General Land Office, the Public Lands Foundation combined forces with the The Center of the American West and the Bureau of Land Management to jointly host a commemorative event on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder.  The event was supported by generous contributions from a number of organizations.*

The Center for the American West has posted the winning entries from a statewide student art and video competition.  The artwork and videos were exhibited at The Nation Possessed event and drew excellent attention from the attendees.  Click here to access The Center for the American West's webpage and a presentation of the winning entries.  [Clicking will open a new window.  To return to his page, simply close the window.]   

In addition to the membership of the three supporting organizations, twenty-two students were selected from America's colleges and universities on the basis of an essay competition to form a Student Congress and become an integral part of the conference.  And they did!  They brought with them the energy of youth, and a commitment and insight into what they expect for the future of America's public lands.  They fully participated and on the final day of the conference presented the conferees with a paper titled, Student Congress Priorities for the Bureau of Land Management.

Follow-up Note: Following the meeting in Boulder, the Public Lands Foundation produced a brochure that captures the spirit of the work of the meeting, designing and producing a brochure that presents (1) the next-generation priorities for the Bureau of Land Management as seen through the eyes of the Student Congress, (2) the roundtable recommendations for 'Finding Common Ground on the Public Lands' as developed by a group of fifteen state, federal, and local citizen representatives, and (3) a set of policy recommendations as prepared by the Public Lands Foundation for preserving the legacy of the public lands and meeting the needs of future generations.  Click here to view or to read the brochure.

The 2012 Student Congress **
 

University of Colorado President Bruce Bowen opened
the conference.

Attorney and law professor Walter Echo-Hawk, Jr.
provided an Native American perspective.

Session One
Clerks and Cowboys: The General Land Office and the Shaping of the United States

Patty Limerick, Moderator                        Paul Sutter, University of Colorado                        Anne Hyde, Colorado College

Session Two
Burning Man Meets Managing Man: The BLM and the Energy of American Art

Will Roger Peterson, Co-founder of Burning Man                                         Dave Cooper, former BLM Manager, Black Rock Desert

Session Three
Reconciling the Treasures of Resources with the Treasures of Beauty and Biology:
The BLM and the Art of American Energy

Johanna Wald, Attorney, NRDC                    Bill Ritter, former Governor of Colorado                        Adrianne Kroepsch, Graduate Student

Session Four
Science vs. Emotion: Making Informed Decisions in the Midst of a Stampede

Mike Dombeck, University of Wisconsin              Lynn Scarlett, former Deputy Secretary, DOI               Curt Brown, Bureau of Reclamation

Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, a fifth-generation Coloradan, was confirmed as the 50th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on January 20, 2009 in a unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate.  Prior to his confirmation, Salazar served as Colorado's 35th U.S. Senator, winning election in November 2004 and serving on the Finance Committee, which oversees the nation's tax, trade, social security, and health-care systems.  He also served on the Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, Ethics, Veterans Affairs, and Aging Committees.

Session Five
Respecting Posterity's Property

John Freemuth, Boise State University                    Luther Propst, Sonoran Institute                     Bob Bennett, former Senator from Utah

Session Six
Orchestrating Tradition and Change: Emphasizing Conservation in the BLM

Anna Triebel, graduate of Univ of Colorado               Bob Abbey, former Director, BLM               Emilyn Sheffield, California State University

Roundtable Conversation
Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Past and Future of America's Public Lands

*** Left to right: Patty Limerick, Bob Abbey, Steve Allred, Bob Bennett, Michele (Mike) Bloom, Dale Bosworth, Jim Caswell, Adam Cramer, Art Goodtimes, Lois Herbst, Luther Propst, Lynn Scarlett, Barbara Sutteer, Johanna Wald, and Duane Zavadil

PLF Lifetime Service Award
Kathy Eaton                                                                                  Dean Bibles

An excerpt from recipient Kathy Eaton's citation: 
     For example, your leadership and sensitivity to employee concerns and morale regarding the very controversial and demoralizing Competitive Sourcing Process helped make it a success, resulting in significant cost savings for the Bureau.  And, as a key player in developing and implementing the Service First Initiative in Oregon and Washington, you helped lead the way for implementation nationwide.

     You also were a key participant or leader in just about every reorganization effort that occurred throughout your tenure.  They included: the transfer of MMS functions to BLM; the change from a three-tier to two-tier system; the change back from a two-tier to a three-tier system; the Washington Office Review; and the creation of the  . . . 

Click here to read Kathy's full citation. 

An excerpt from recipient Dean Bible's citation:
     Dean’s career has been filled with accomplishments that have helped protect public land resources and strengthened BLM’s image wherever he has served.   Dean was one of the key BLM leaders during the 1970s - 1990s who helped the Bureau evolve from a range and forestry/lands and minerals agency into the multiple use management agency that is now, focused on public values, public uses and environmental concerns.

     In Arizona, Dean was a leader in creating BLM’s first statewide Wilderness Bill.   He initiated land exchange programs with State and private land owners to acquire lands for the creation of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, and the Agua Fria National Monument, which are now  . . .

Click here to read Dean's full citation.

Public Lands Foundation - Conference Attendees

Left to right (standing): Ed Spang, Sharon Wilson, Ray Brubaker, Judi Hempel, Dwight Hempel, Mat Millenbach, Eric Janes, John Kwiatkowski, Henri Bisson, Mike Ferguson, Elena Daly, George Lea, Glen Collins, and Kathy Eaton

Kneeling: Wayne Winterton, Dick Prather, Beau McClure, Janice Kwiatkowski, Ed Shepard, and Dave Mari