Shoun sheds light on Federal Land Management

Michael Acosta

While in Washington D.C. last week, Commissioner Dan Shoun didn’t hold back his beliefs, specifically regarding the development of the current public land’s active management process. Currently, the Federal Public Land Management is being adjusted from the inside out with Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke leading the way. The adjustment restructures four out of the five agencies, but Shoun had other plans in mind for the future of land management. These plans revolve around the creation of a new, 21st century level federal land management agency. “The thought is to look at it as if we had no agencies managing the federal public lands,” said Shoun. “To start with a blank slate and not combining, but creating new.” The process would begin with commissioning a small group that would go out to find what is working and what isn’t inside the current agencies – a major key to the process. This would form the basis for the new organization policy and management plan. In order to make sure the existing uses of lands aren’t altered in any way, an organization is needed manage the over 600 million acres across the United States. All of the existing staff should still have a spot under the new umbrella organization. “I think the staff would appreciate coming to work and being excited about a policy built upon knowing how to move forward,” said Shoun. With this, Shoun predicts that a large part of the overhead administration would go away. With five current agency heads, the number would dwindle to one. This opportunity would result in the structure of the organization changing and resulting in more people on the ground doing the work than in administration. The process wouldn’t be easy, but the support for the idea is there. “It’s only hard if we think it’s going to be done overnight,” said Shoun. With the restructuring of the interior agencies by Sec. Zinke, the opportunity is now. “He’s only moving the ball to maybe the 50 yard line and we could score a touchdown,” said Shoun. The response to the proposal was received with big eyes and a deep breath with clamorings of what would be a “heck of an undertaking”. For now, the process isn’t off the ground, but the framework has been set and higher ups in Washington D.C. have heard Shoun’s point.

LAKE COUNTY EXAMINER