A Message from Henri Bisson, President of the Public Lands Foundation
Winter 2011 / 2012

So, does anyone know what the actor Tom Cruise and the BLM have in common?  Well .... Tom Cruise played a key role in a movie about settlement of the West. The movie was called Far and Away. Two other movies depicting the 1893 land run, Cimarron and Tumbleweeds, are based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The forefather of the BLM, the General Land Office (GLO), played a role in the history upon which these movies were based.

Far and Away is about two Irish immigrants who participated in the Land Run of 1893.  Also known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, this historical event marked the opening of the Cherokee Outlet by the GLO at noon on September 16, 1893. More than 100,000 people took their chances by chaotically dashing on horses and wagons to stake claims on federal land in Oklahoma. The GLO set up land offices in Perry, Enid, Woodward and Alva for the settlement of 6.5 million acres. Seven Oklahoma counties, Kay, Grant, Woods,Woodward, Garfield, Noble and Pawnee, were named forllowing the run.  Prior to the run these seven counties had been identified by the letters K through Q. It was the largest land rush in United States history! Oklahoma became a state in 1907, when four additional counties were created in the Cherokee Outlet, using existing land from Woods, Kay and Woodward counties. Throughout the West, the GLO played a significant role in shaping our future.

This year the PLF and the BLM are commemorating the 200th anniversary of the GLO and the 150th anniversary of the passage of the Homestead Act by hosting events in Boulder, Colorado and in Phoenix, Arizona. We are going all out! Over the years we have really missed significant opportunities to celebrate various BLM anniversaries, including the BLM’s 50th and 60th, and the 30th anniversary of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). Minor celebrations were held, but not to the extent our rich history in public land management deserves. We should take great pride in having worked for so many years for the betterment of the lands and resources we managed. And … we should celebrate our roots! BLM is far and away our Nation’s oldest public land manager!

Click here to read the Winter Monitor.  In addition to Henri's message, this issue contains information about the 2012 commemoration of the GLO and the Homestead Act, the Public Lands Commemoration Forum, PLF advocacy activities, the 2011 Landscape Stewardship Awards, PLF's Lifetime Service Award (George D. Lea), additions to the PLF Archives, an article by Tom Allen titled, Are You a Downwinder?, a note honoring Ted Bingham's 54 years of federal service, the National Public Lands Day Reimbursement Program, and a listing of those who have recently passed from our midst.