FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 16, 2021
Contact: Chris Wood, chris.wood@tu.org
ARLINGTON, Va.—Trout Unlimited congratulates Deb Haaland on her history-making confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. She is the first Native American and only third woman to hold the post.
“For Trout Unlimited members across the country, there are few roles as important as Secretary of the Interior for ensuring responsible stewardship of public lands and sustaining our outdoor traditions,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “TU has long-standing partnerships with the Department to conserve and restore public lands and trout and salmon fisheries, and we look forward to building on these successes under Secretary Haaland’s leadership.”
Haaland will oversee the management and conservation of the vast majority of America’s public lands and natural resources, including hundreds of millions of acres of national parks, wildlife refuges, and lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. In addition, Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation manages water infrastructure and distribution networks throughout the West.
At the same time, Interior plays an outsize role in Native American affairs, and Haaland’s appointment puts at the helm a Secretary who understands Native cultures and the need to honor commitments the country has made to its Indigenous peoples.
“Under Haaland’s leadership,” Wood continued, “we know that our public lands and trust resources are in good hands.”