Washington Elected Officials, Businesses, Hunters, and Conservation Groups Oppose Nomination of Public Lands Sell-Off Advocate Steve Pearce to Lead BLM
On January 12, Washington Wild coordinated a letter signed by 173 elected officials, local businesses, hunters and anglers, and conservation groups from across the state. The letter urges Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to oppose the nomination of Steve Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The coalition’s opposition is based on Pearce’s long and well-documented record of supporting the sale and disposal of America’s public lands. If confirmed, Pearce would oversee more than 250 million acres of public land nationwide. This includes more than 400,000 acres of BLM-managed land in Washington State, such as the Yakima River Canyon, Juniper Dunes Wilderness, and the Chopaka Mountain Wilderness Study Area.
Earlier this year, a national bipartisan coalition of more than 400 Washington stakeholders defeated a congressional effort to sell off millions of acres of federal public lands. The signatories argue that placing a longtime sell-off advocate in charge of the BLM directly contradicts that clear public mandate.
Photo: Juniper Dunes Wilderness, Luan Santos Silva
