In Memoriam:      James A. Hutchison on January 9th          Karen M. Slater on January 19th
 

Winter 2011 / 2012: Greetings from PLF President Henri Bisson

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 .... Read Henri's entire message. 

[Jan 23] Letter to Director Abbey re: DPEIS on Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States.
[Nov 10] DOI Press Release  Salazar Highlights Eighteen Backcountry Areas deserving Protection.
[Nov 4] BLM Press Release  Guidance re: Railroads' Rights-of-Way Authorized under 1875 Act.
[Nov 2] Letter re: S.1775 Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011.

Site of the 2012 Annual Meeting

 Best Western Boulder Inn

The 2012 PLF Annual Meeting
Commemoration of the GLO and the Homestead Act

Boulder, Colorado, is the place to be during the week of September 10, 2012.  That is where the PLF, the BLM, the Center of the American West, and the University of Colorado will be sponsoring the 2012 Commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the General Land Office and the 150th anniversary of the passage of the Homestead Act.  And, if you volunteer and help, you can participate for free (your Symposium Registration Fee will be waived). 

Click here for information on how to get to Boulder, where to stay, and what to expect once you get there!

Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners
Landscape Stewardship COA

 L to R: Sarah Schlanger, Sue and Don Fox, Roger Cole, Rene Berkhoudt, and Bill Lamb

2012 Landscape Stewardship Certificate of Appreciation

PLF grants its Landscape Stewardship Certificates of Appreciation to honor private citizens and organizations that work to advance and sustain community-based stewardship on landscapes that include, in whole or in part, public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). 

Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP) is a non-profit organization that works solely with BLM to protect the majestic and unspoiled character of the Monument and to support conservation and sustainable uses of the Monument and adjacent public lands.

Click here to read the entire citation.

2011 Lifetime Service Award
George D. Lea

George was much more than President of PLF. He was a “one-man-gang” who for over 20 years did most of the work in fundraising and growing membership in the PLF; finding national officers and filling State and local leadership positions; establishing goals and programs for the organization, and developing position statements on public land issues.

In creating the PLF, George Lea provided a rallying point for BLM retirees to continue to contribute their efforts and support for the agency, for current employees to be informed about the experience of their predecessors, and for the general public to become involved in public land issues which affect them - issues such as keeping the BLM public lands in public hands, and the resource base in balance with nature, while it produces an abundance of multiple resource wealth for the Nation.  Click here to read the complete citation.   

   George D. Lea - 2011 Lifetime Service Award
George with daughters Nora, Tarey, and Diana

2011 Landscape Stewardship Award

Arizona Off-Highway Ambassador Program

2011 Landscape Stewardship Award
Arizona Off-Highway Ambassador Program

Photo (l to r): Tammy Pike (Tonto Nat'l Forest Supervisor), Louise Congdon (Cave Creek District Ranger, USFS), Robert Cline, Mary Devereaux, Tom Devereaux, Beau McClure (PLF), Tom Dwyer (back row), Jeff Gursh (Executive Director, AZ OHV Coalition; accepted Award on behalf of the Arizona OHV Ambassador Program), Chuck King (back row), Ken Waun, Rod Moyer (back row), Tom Palmer (way in back), Tom Bickauskas (Travel Management Coordinator, BLM Hassayampa Field Office), Marge Dwyer (BLM, hidden), Elroy Masters (BLM Biologist), Jody Nikerson.  Chris Gammage (BLM Ambassador Coordinator, not in photo)

In what began as a suggestion from OHV riders, a volunteer program aimed at peer-to-peer education and adding  an on-the-ground presence, the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Ambassador Program was born in 2007.  Click here to read the complete citation.   

2011 Landscape Stewardship Award
Copper River Watershed Project

Photo: Bill Lindow (center) accepts the PLF Landscape Stewardship Award on behalf of Alaska's Copper River Watershed Project from PLF member Jules Tileston (right).  BLM Alaska State Director Bud Cribley (left) participated in the November 17, 2011 ceremony.

The Copper River Watershed encompasses 26,500 square miles south of the Alaska Range, from 200 miles east of Anchorage to the Canadian border and south to the Gulf of Alaska.  One of the last intact watersheds in North America, the watershed supports diverse wildlife habitat and critical spawning habitat for three species of wild salmon that are the foundation of the watershed's ecosystem, culture, and economy.

 Click here to read the complete citation.   

   2011 Landscape Stewardship Award
Bud Cribley, Bill Lindow, and Jules Tileson

Read about PLF's Commemoration Project celebrating the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the General Land Office, and the 150th anniversary of the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862.  Much has been written about how the US acquired its western lands, but few know much about the background of land ownership patterns at the time of acquisition. 

Read about how PLF is working to educate America regarding that history and the value of the public lands.

A General Land Office Survey Team

First Officials of the Division of Grazing in Oregon - 1937.

Click image for enlarged view.

From the Archives *

Left to right: Paul Stafford, Charles Parcell, G. L. Hankins, Paul Crouter, Clarence Gulvison, Martin Galt, Maurice Zimmerman, Marvin Klemme, Warren Scholes, and Roland Davidson.

The photo is further identified as having been taken in Burns, Oregon in 1937.


* To locate the featured photograph in the Archives:
        1. Click here to open the PLF Archives main page.
        2. From CATEGORIES menu on left, scroll to "Miscellaneous Photos"
        3. Locate and select: "0544 - Grazing Service"
        4. Locate Archive # 544-04

HISTORY and YOU!

Click to access a printable .PDF copy of HISTORY and YOU!   HISTORY and YOU! provides a unique one-time opportunity to participate in the historical commemoration of the General Land Office, the Homestead Act, and the 245 Million Acres in the National System of Public Lands by making a tax-deductible donation toward the project.  If you don't have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, click here for a printable MS-Word version. 
 

We Are Remembering BLM - PLF's Outstanding Social Online Presence

The Public Lands Foundation maintains two websites: the business website you are on now, and the We Are Remembering BLM website, the latter geared toward the renewal and maintenance of social contacts between BLM retirees and friends.

Remembering BLM is managed by Larry Peterson with assistance from Bob Conquergood.  As the social arm of PLF's internet presence, it requires registration prior to using.  Click for information on how to register and become a part of this lively, fun, and informative website.