The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators,
For 75 years, the Bureau of Land Management has been tasked with sustaining the “health, diversity, and productivity” of 245 million acres of public lands for the benefit of all. These lands support livelihoods for thousands of people; opportunities for outdoor recreation, hunting, and fishing; and important habitat for a diverse array of wildlife.
Unfortunately, these exceptional and essential lands and waters are at risk due to climate change, megafires, drought, invasive species, and poor management decisions. It’s a pivotal time for the agency, which needs to restore balance to its lands stewardship and ensure these unparalleled natural resources endure for future generations and contribute to our nation’s transition to a net-zero energy future. That’s why it’s critical to have the right leader at the helm of the agency.
We the undersigned represent 104 organizations – and millions of members across the nation – who believe that Tracy Stone-Manning is the right person for that job.
As a Westerner, an avid outdoorswoman, and a consensus builder, Stone-Manning has spent her career advocating for the wise stewardship of our nation’s public lands and waters. For the past four years, she has served as associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. Before that, she was the chief of staff for Montana Governor Steve Bullock, director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and a senior advisor to U.S. Senator Jon Tester. Early in her career, she led a river conservation organization that successfully advocated for hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up the Clark Fork River, one of our nation’s largest Superfund sites. In all of these roles, she demonstrated a firm commitment to making sure our lands and waters are managed for the benefit of all –and the future.
Stone-Manning also has shown that she has the temperament and management skills necessary to bring together diverse groups of stakeholders in pursuit of collaborative policy solutions. As Gov. Bullock’s chief of staff, she oversaw day-today operations of his cabinet and the state’s 11,000 employees, helped broker bi-partisan policy through the state legislature, and helped launch the state’s first Office of Outdoor Recreation. At the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, she managed the department’s staff and led the agency’s work stewarding the state’s water, air, mining, and remediation programs.
After more than four years without a Senate-confirmed director to lead the Bureau of Land Management, Stone-Manning is uniquely qualified to ensure that a balanced approach– informed by science and involving robust public participation– will guide management decisions. There is much to be done to implement President Biden and Secretary Haaland’s ambitious agenda. Stone-Manning is committed to ensuring everyone shares equitably in the benefits that public lands provide and to removing barriers for communities of color in doing so. We urge you to swiftly confirm Tracy Stone-Manning so she can get to work conserving and restoring our public lands and waters so they will thrive for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Aiken Audubon Society
Alaska Wilderness League
Anaconda Sportsman’s Club
Arizona Faith Network
Arizona Trail Association
Arizona Wildlife Federation
Arkansas Valley Audubon Society
Artemis Sportswomen
Audubon Alaska
Audubon Rockies
Bear Paw Bowmen
Bike Chippewa Valley
Black Canyon Audubon Society
Born Free USA
Bridgerland Audubon Society
Business for Montana’s Outdoors
Center for Biological Diversity
Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society
Clark Fork Coalition
Clean Energy Action – Colorado
Clean Water Action
Climate Hawks Vote
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Colorado Wildlife Federation
Conservation Alabama
Conservation Colorado
Conservation Lands Foundation
Conservation Voters for Idaho
Conservation Voters of PA
Earthjustice
Earthworks
Elected Officials to Protect America
Empower our Future
Environment America
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Environmental Protection Information Center
Fort Collins Audubon Society
Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Missouri Breaks Monument
Friends of the Sonoran Desert
Gallatin Wildlife Association
Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance
Grand Valley Audubon Society, Grand Junction, CO
Great Old Broads for Wilderness
Great Salt Lake Audubon
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
GreenLatinos
Harambee House, inc
Hispanics Enjoying Camping Hunting, and the Outdoors
Hellgate Hunters and Anglers
Howling For Wolves
Idaho Wildlife Federation
Illinois Environmental Council
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Laurel Rod and Gun Club
League of Conservation Voters
Los Padres ForestWatch
Maine Conservation Voters
Maryland League of Conservation Voters
Montana Artemis Alliance
Montana Audubon
Montana Conservation Voters
Montana Wilderness Association
Montana Wildlife Federation
Mountain Mamas
National Audubon Society
National Ocean Protection Coalition
National Parks Conservation Association
National Wildlife Federation
Native Plant Society of the United States
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nevada Outdoor Recreation Assoc.
Nevada Wildlife Federation
New Mexico Wildlife Federation
Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness
Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project
Ocean Conservation Research
Operation HomeCare, inc.
Oregon Natural Desert Association
Park County Environmental Council
Partnership for Responsible Business
Project Eleven Hundred
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Public Land Solutions
Public Land Water Access Association
Red Desert Audubon Society
SalmonState
Sierra Club
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
The Mountain Pact
The Trust for Public Land
The Wilderness Society
Union of Concerned Scientists
Uranium Watch
Vet Voice Foundation
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
Waterkeeper Alliance
Western Environmental Law Center
Western Organization of Research Councils
Wilderness Workshop
Wyoming Outdoor Council
Wyoming Untrapped