Grace Wang to Speak on Bureau of Land Management on Nov. 9 at Western

Western Washington University Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Grace Wang will outline the factors that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managers utilize in their decision-making in a talk Nov. 9 for the Huxley College Speaker Series.

Interviewing 25 managers at the state and district level, and transcribing over 30 hours of data, Wang and former BLM deputy director Geoff Middaugh developed a model that identified six factors: science, democratic authority, legal authority, public interest, special interest and adherence to process.  They were able to discern which of these factors was most influential, in the context of decision-making, and make recommendations to those interested in the policy process.  What this means for public land management in this contentious time will also be discussed. 

This talk is part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series and will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9 in Academic West 204 on the Western campus. The presentation is free and open to the public and will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2949 or visit the website: https://huxley.wwu.edu/huxley-college-speaker-series.