** Former BLM directors: "Stone-Manning will be an outstanding BLM Director"
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Thursday, July 8, 2021
Former Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze, pictured in 2015. Photo by Matt Christenson, BLM ([link removed])

Two former directors of the Bureau of Land Management, Neil Kornze and Jim Baca, express their steadfast support for the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the agency. They shared their opinion in a piece published by the Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) .

Based on their first-hand experience running the agency that oversees the management of activities on public lands that constitute 10% of the total land mass of the United States, the two former directors state ([link removed]) , "We can tell you unequivocally that President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau, Tracy Stone-Manning, has what it takes and will be an outstanding BLM Director." As evidence of their claim, the directors elaborate ([link removed]) on the qualities that are embodied in Stone-Manning's leadership style, including that "People across the spectrum see Tracy as someone they can work with, and the BLM’s 'multiple use and sustained yield' mandate requires exactly the type of collaborative approach that she has been known for throughout her career."

Both directors lament ([link removed]) the recently reported loss of a staggering 87% of BLM headquarters staff that left the agency as a result of the Trump Administration’s haphazard relocation strategy: "That’s 287 people, and it represents an incalculable loss of knowledge about how to manage our shared public lands and the nation’s largest, most complex natural resource agency." They share this distressing information as further evidence of the need for steady, confirmed leadership at the BLM: "We need someone strong and thoughtful to rebuild the BLM. It needs to be done with a deep Western sensibility and by a person known for having an open door, an open mind, and dusty boots. We need a leader who believes in public lands and what they mean to all Americans. Tracy is that person."


** New podcast! Author Emma Marris on the Klamath drought and "Wild Souls"
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This episode of The Landscape ([link removed]) features a conversation with Emma Marris, author of Wild Souls: Freedom & Flourishing in the Non Human World ([link removed]) . Marris also wrote about the Klamath water shortage in The Atlantic ([link removed]) . Her earlier work includes Rambunctious Garden ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** USGS confirms uranium is not a "critical mineral"
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S&P Global ([link removed])


** 93% of the West is in drought—that's never happened before
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E&E News ([link removed])


** New Mexico public lands to receive millions for infrastructure, access improvements
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed]) | Santa Fe Reporter ([link removed])


** Former BLM directors unequivocally support Stone-Manning to lead BLM
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Interior Department creates task force to review and possibly reform law enforcement
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The Hill ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Podcast: Author Emma Marris on the Klamath drought and "Wild Souls"
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The Landscape ([link removed])


** Drought, heat, and fire prompt fishing ban on stretch of Colorado River
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Opinion: Use the Antiquities Act to protect landscapes that honor Black, Latino, Indigenous people and communities
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The Hill ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We’re at a unique moment in our political history. We have an administration that has both the necessary authority via the Antiquities Act and the required ambition to make bold, long overdue, sweeping improvements to how our nation cares for the diverse land and people who form the backbone of this country. We call on this administration to exercise this authority by listening to the diverse communities across this country asking for protected public lands and access for all.”
—Maite Arce, Hispanic Access Foundation & Angel Peña, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWS ([link removed])
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CUTE ALERT! Raise your hand if you're a fan of owls! (We are!). The owlets are starting to emerge at the Rainbow Owl Preserve. We collaborate with private landowners to protect and provide habitat for burrowing owls at this preserve in Nevada. Photo courtesy of Jim Nelson

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