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. Dale has his hands full in the SW Region with intra-Regional personnel rivalries and pig-headed biologists.

I know what you mean. I was raised in NM and it is a different place today.

A close friend of mine had Federal Oil & Gas leases cancelled because the area they were in was declared a Federal Wilderness area, after the fact. He sued and lost (many tens of thousands). The area is now the "Bisti" National something or other (near Farmington).

The ironic thing is the area described as such a "pristine treasure", is the same place we used to have "keggers" as high school kids.

Throughout the whole process he and his attorney were treated with contempt by the Fed officials in NM. Presumeably, those are one and the same that Dale Hall will have to deal with (hopefully fire).

>>A close friend of mine had Federal Oil & Gas leases cancelled because the area they were in was declared a Federal Wilderness area, after the fact. He sued and lost (many tens of thousands). The area is now the "Bisti" National something or other (near Farmington).<<

That probably would be the Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness near Farmington. Actually, I know little about the Four-Corners area of New Mexico, and although I live in Albuquerque, I've never been to the Bisti Wilderness area.

>>Throughout the whole process he and his attorney were treated with contempt by the Fed officials in NM. Presumeably, those are one and the same that Dale Hall will have to deal with (hopefully fire).<<

I must tell you that I was a biologist at the Regional office at Albuquerque for several years. The Regional Director was then Nancy Kaufman, who spent more time traveling, politicking, and holding up things than she did working. I hope that Bush had a really good job for her in D.C. but I have not yet learned where she went.

I could apologize for the contempt your friend felt from the Service representatives, but it would mean little coming from me. I felt the same contempt in that Regional office having come there from Washington from an agency of the USDA that normally sits across the table in meetings with the Service. All the personnel in Region 2, especially NM and AZ, were a really unhappy lot. This seemed strange since then they still had their anti-west friends in office, Clinton and Babbitt. I can't imagine what they must be like now.The Service was a terribly inbred agency as I soon learned after arriving in Albuquerque and those who dare cross interagency lines, should beware.

I doubt that Dale Hall will be able to fire anyone but he can make the ones who want to continue to be jacka_sses so miserable they leave. Let's hope he cleans the stables.

Muleteam1

Just found this breaking story about the Clinton era Interior Department. It may explain a little of what I was trying to say.

Interior Department "blinded by clouded judgment and crippled by distrust." See story at:

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAPXPRIK4D.html