New Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke

Last week Montana native Ryan Zinke was confirmed as the US Secretary of the Interior. Public Lands Council Executive Director Ethan Lane says that Secretary Ryan Zinke really understands and supports multiple use management of public lands

Lane: "We feel really good about the new administration coming in. We've had some conversation with Secretary Zinke and his staff in their first week in the Department of Interior. The statements we've heard from them and the direction they're taking the department really gives us peace of mind. We feel like they understand the need to restore a little bit of balance to way they plan land use in the West and the way they manage the lands. They understand the need to bring resource users and local communities back into those processes. It has been gratifying to hear incoming Secretary Zinke talk about the need to focus on the different kinds of lands and manage them appropriately rather than everything being managed as if it is the highest level of protection. We've seen a lot of things under the BLM move towards park-like protection or national park or monument style protection. Zinke in his comments that we were there for, really took time to clarify that he sees a need to manage those typical BLM style lands as multiple use lands. Then have those small areas like National Parks that are a small percentage of the overall portfolio that really do require more management and understand the difference between those two."