New leader steps up for the American Lands Council

Montana lawmaker takes over lands transfer group, as a new tendril of the movement emerges.

 

The organization leading the charge for Western states to take over federal lands has a new leader. Montana State Sen. Jennifer Fielder is stepping up as CEO of the American Lands Council, while founding president and Utah State Rep. Ken Ivory is moving on to become director of the “Free The Lands” Project with Federalism In Action. The latter is a nonprofit policy group that supports states’ rights and public-lands transfers to states or local communities. The shift comes as the ALC and the public-lands transfer agenda have faced growth and criticism, and as militant fellow travelers gain notoriety for the movement.

Ivory cofounded the ALC in 2012 to push for the transfer or seizure of national forests and rangelands to states or local governments. Since then, Ivory has rallied Sagebrush Rebels and anti-government supporters and shepherded a West-wide public-lands crusade that has gained traction from county commission offices to state legislatures. Fielder, already a frequent speaker on behalf of the ALC, moves into her position with her own connections to right-wing extremists.

A businesswoman who specialized in outdoor recreation planning and community projects, Fielder was elected as a state senator in 2012, representing Thompson Falls and surrounding counties in Northwestern Montana. She quickly emerged as a leading voice for the ALC and the public-lands takeover movement in Montana. In 2013, she successfully introduced a resolution authorizing a legislative working group, which she then chaired, to carry out a survey of federal land management in the state. Critics said the group’s 2014 final report had “a hidden agenda” promoting transferring federal lands to the state. A 2015 bill she backed to create a public-lands transfer task force made it through the state legislature, despite opposition from conservation and sportsmen’s groups, but was vetoed by Governor Steve Bullock, D.

“It won’t be a whole lot different than what I’ve been doing, educating people and trying to keep moving in a positive direction,” Fielder told the Helena Independent Record, of her new position. “I believe (federal lands transfer) is the right thing for Montana and that’s the whole reason I support local decision making. But I realize that to help Montana you have to get other states to see the plight.”

Montana State Sen. Jennifer Fielder, the new CEO of the American Lands Council.
Thom Bridge/Independent Record

Fielder is vice chair of the Montana Republican Party and has served as a board member of the Sanders Natural Resources Council, a county natural resources advisory committee that has backed county “coordination” and local authority over federal lands. John Trochmann, founder of the anti-government Militia of Montana, which has ties to white-supremacist groups, started the council in 2006, according to a 2012 Montana Human Rights Network report. Fielder also has connections with the Oath Keepers, a constitutionalist militia group.

The transition comes after the ALC — and Fielder — have weathered ethics complaints in several states, suggesting the group was illegally lobbying, in the past year. In Montana, an aide for Fielder resigned after it was disclosed he was also working as a lobbyist for the ALC, a potential violation of state legislative rules. This January, a report revealed that Ivory made $135,000 as president of the ALC in 2014, accounting for half of the group’s revenue, which comes through memberships to counties, businesses and individuals. Fielder said her CEO position is “voluntary and unpaid.”

During the recent standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, Fielder penned an op-ed, supporting the protesting militants’ cause and the Oregon ranchers whose prison sentences set off the occupation, while bashing federal land management and promoting the ALC. “But rather than take up arms in what could become a deadly outcome,” she wrote, “there is a better way to increase the local people’s voice in how our public lands are managed. Over 1,000 elected officials already support transferring federally controlled public lands to willing state or local governments, as do several presidential candidates. Support is growing as more and more people learn the facts about this issue.”

“Good luck to Sen. Fielder with her working for any organization she wants to,” Montana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Dave Chadwick also told the Helena Independent Record, “but I certainly don’t think it reflects any growing Montana support for the cost of transferring federal lands.”

Joshua Zaffos is an HCN correspondent based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Follow him @jzaffos.

High Country News Classifieds
  • ARKANSAS RIVER COMMUNITY PRESERVE LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNER
    Central Colorado Conservancy seeks a land management planner to facilitate the creation of a management plan for the Arkansas River Community (ARC) Preserve on a...
  • WATER ADVOCACY MANAGER
    Do you want to help shape the future of groundwater in the Grand Canyon region? The Grand Canyon Trust is hiring its first water advocacy...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) seeks a strategic and visionary Executive Director: View all job details here- https://bit.ly/CCRHED
  • MONTANA BLUES
    The new novel by Ray Ring, retired HCN senior editor, tackles racism in the wild, a story told by a rural White horsewoman and a...
  • DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
    Title: Digital Engagement Specialist Location: Salt Lake City Reports to: Communications Director Status, Salary & Benefits: Full-time, Non-Exempt. Salary & Benefits information below. Submission Deadline:...
  • CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER
    Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
  • UTAH STATE DIRECTOR
    Who We Are: The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
  • INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY
    Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
  • ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
    Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
  • GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER
    Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
  • COLORADO DIRECTOR
    COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
  • ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST
    Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
  • DAVE AND ME
    Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
  • CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
    Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
  • CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
    Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.