| Fran Cherry, BLM deputy director presents award to county. |
Emery County was recently awarded the Director’s 4’C’s award by the Bureau of Land Management. This is a national award given by the BLM which denotes consultation, cooperation and communication, all in the spirit of conservation. Ruth McCoard, planning specialist and public affairs officer for the Price office said, “This award is being presented to the citizens and the commissioners of Emery County for their more than a decade of partnering with the BLM.”
Fran Cherry, who is the deputy director of the BLM traveled from Washington D.C. to be on hand to present the award to Emery County. Patrick Gubbins, field director for the Price BLM office introduced Cherry to the audience gathered at the Emery County Fair on Aug. 6. Cherry said the BLM wanted to recognize Emery County for working for the public lands and for their partnership with the BLM.
Gale Norton, director of the Department of the Interior selects the recipient of the award based on the 4’C’s, consultation, cooperation, communication and conservation. Emery County has exemplified these four C’s in their proactive approach to the preservation of the use of public lands. The Emery County Public Lands Council was developed in 1995 as an advocacy group to help solve problems on the public lands. They work out problems on the ground and also advocate use and protection.
“The public lands council is a great example of working together with the BLM. It is a vehicle to communicate and take care of the public lands. These are your lands and the emphasis has been on a local effort. During these last 10-12 years, the relationship between the BLM and the county has lost its animosity and we have become friends and family together to communicate, use and preserve our public lands and I hope this tradition continues,” said Cherry.
Cherry said the BLM works closely with Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon on patrols of the BLM lands and Deputy Ray Jeffs does an excellent job patrolling the Swell.
“This award has been give 12 times in the BLM, but this is the first time it has been given to a county. I grew up in Carbon County,” said Cherry. Drew Sitterud, chairman of the Emery County Commission accepted the award on behalf of the county. Sitterud said the county will continue to work with the BLM, especially as they work through the recently released resource management plan for the Price Resource area. “This award is for the citizens, for their love of the land and the way they have taken care of it,” said Sitterud.
The present commissioners as well as past commissioners and county officials, Sheriff Guymon, Deputy Jeffs, Public Lands Director, Ray Petersen and others gathered for the presentation of the award to the county.
Dennis Worwood, public lands council chairman, was placed in charge of the award which will reside in the county building.