Bush favors to mad cowmen lead to BLM suicide
Julie Cart of the LA Times report today on a sad story at the Carrizo Plain National Monument in southern California. US Bureau of Land Management Monument Manager, Marlene Braun (below) killed herself after over a year of political harrassment from her boss, Ron Huntsinger.
Bush officials and BLM managers favored continued heavy livestock production on the monument, pushing to rollback conservation and management gains of the last decade, and attacking Braun for doing her duty to protect monument natural resources.
‘She was able to keep the grazing off the bottom land for the last four years. It was an amazing achievement compared to what had happened before it was a monument.’ Irv McMillan, a longtime cattleman and friend of Marlene Braun, seen below.
The tale of Marlene Braun's suicide is a sad and angering story of hostile ranchers and government hatchet men attacking public scientists and land managers.
BLM's Ron Huntsinger, seen below outside his Bakersfield office, should at least be fired, and prosecuted if any of his actions were illegal.
Let his boss, Mike Pool, know your feelings, mpool@ca.blm.gov.
Contact Huntsinger at rhuntsinger@ca.blm.gov.
all photos from latimes.com
Bush officials and BLM managers favored continued heavy livestock production on the monument, pushing to rollback conservation and management gains of the last decade, and attacking Braun for doing her duty to protect monument natural resources.
‘She was able to keep the grazing off the bottom land for the last four years. It was an amazing achievement compared to what had happened before it was a monument.’ Irv McMillan, a longtime cattleman and friend of Marlene Braun, seen below.
The tale of Marlene Braun's suicide is a sad and angering story of hostile ranchers and government hatchet men attacking public scientists and land managers.
BLM's Ron Huntsinger, seen below outside his Bakersfield office, should at least be fired, and prosecuted if any of his actions were illegal.
Let his boss, Mike Pool, know your feelings, mpool@ca.blm.gov.
Contact Huntsinger at rhuntsinger@ca.blm.gov.
all photos from latimes.com
Comments
Mike Pool
916-978-4600
Associate State Director
Jim Abbott
916-978-4600
BLM's website has been down a while. The email addresses have changed. These are Huntsinger's superiors. Abbott hired him.
Ron_Huntsinger@ca.blm.gov
Discrimination & Hostility in the Federal Workplace
http://www.swisbeagle.com/Discrimination.htm
For Release : November 10, 2005
Contact: Ron Huntsinger, (661) 391-6000 or Jan Bedrosian (916) 978-4616
CCal-06-12
BLM Receives Notice of Lessee’s Intent to Drill in Carrizo Plain National Monument
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received a formal Notice of Staking (NOS) from an oil and gas operator with a valid existing oil and gas lease on 153 acres of public lands on the southern end of the Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo County.
BLM Bakersfield Field Manager Ron Huntsinger said under BLM regulations, the NOS is the first step in the process to notify the government and public the operator has plans to start activity on the lease. The NOS initiates an official 30-day processing/review period and copies are available from BLM.
In compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and other Federal laws, BLM will be required to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing the environmental impacts of the drilling application.
The lessee, Richard D. Sawyer of Malibu, California, has legally held the lease since 1988 and under Federal regulations has until March 15, 2006 to commence actual drilling operations or the lease will expire. Sawyer has designated Longbow LLC of Bakersfield as the on-the-ground operator for the lease.
When the Carrizo Plain became a National Monument in January 2001 by Presidential Proclamation under the 1906 Antiquities Act, it was withdrawn from new oil and gas leasing, but the Proclamation specifically allowed for exercise of valid existing rights, including drilling under existing oil and gas leases, Huntsinger said. The land involved is located in Wells Canyon, on the very southern end of the Monument in the Caliente Range, just north of State Highway 166 near Cuyama.
Huntsinger stated the EA on the drilling application will be made available to the public as soon as it is completed and a 30-day public comment period is planned. Public comments in response to the NOS and application for permit to drill should be sent to the BLM’s Bakersfield Office, 3801 Pegasus Dr., Bakersfield, Calif. , 93308. Those wishing to receive a copy of the EA when it becomes available can also provide their mailing or email address to BLM.
-BLM-
Bakersfield Field Office – 3801 Pegasus Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93308
PLEASE PROTEST THIS. WRITE TO BLM!
She was competent and highly principled. For her, BLM was not just a government job with benefits. The professionals who worked with her as external partners saw the campaign of hatred mounted by the untalented Huntsinger, a man described as a drone by his former boss. She was probably too good to work for BLM.
Interesting that the intelligent contributor Larson explains in detail BLM's positions but nonchalantly discounts the departed Braun as an abuser herself.
Here again is the automatic response by bully apologists that the targeted individuals either deserved their fate or were bullies themselves. Larson takes every opportunity to denigrate Marlene. He must have been VERY threatened by her when working side by side. Or is Larson the Brutus who betrayed her by escalating Huntsinger's anti-Braun campaign by forwarding to Huntsinger an e-mail she meant to be read only by external partners. In that message, she countered a Huntsinger lie with facts.
We see now how paranoid, incompetent government operatives attack those who dare to challenge their managerial rights to lie and distort at the highest levels. Braun dared to reveal Huntsinger for the boob he was. For that she paid with her life. She did not have to die, but she must not have seen any alternatives.
Buffoons like Huntsinger need to surround themselves with sycophants like Larson who assassinate those who dare to speak truths. My question of Larson is how do you sleep at night knowing what you do to Marlene's memory? Have you no shame?
Gary Namie, Ph.D.
Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute
The fuller Braun suicide story can is found at
http://bullyinginstitute.org/home/twd/bb/braun/latimes082005.html
Mr. Larson's email is, as Dr. Namie points out, that of a person clearly threatened by Marlene, but I am not sure if that threat is greater in life or in death. Of the 5 people called to be interviewed by the California State Director's office for the Management Review (aka the independent internal investigation that has now been supplanted by the Office of the Inspector General's investigation), Mr. Larson was one. If one is unquestioning, his email seems reasonable enough, but I have questions. How was the LA Times supposed to get comments from the people Marlene worked with when the State Office directed all inquiries to Jan Bedrosian, th epress agent in Sacramento? Employees of the Bakersfield Office and the Carrizo did not respond to requests for interviews, except for one, whose comment appears in the article. Huntsinger himself promised to take the reporters on a tour of the Carrizo and never did. He has refused every attempt to interview him. The LA Times did interview friends and colleagues of his and reported their favorable impressions of him. This to me seems balanced. Why is Mr. Larson unhappy with the press when they have repeatedly tried to make contact and get the full story? It simply is not true that only Marlene's friends have been interviewed. When I was interviewed by Julie Cart she told me there was every chance I would not like what I might read; that she was going to report the news. I had enough faith in Marlene's own story to know that an objective report would not bother me. Marlene had faults. Marlene was also a marvelous human being.
This is not the first time a BLM manager has alleged abuse on the part of Marlene toward others. I didn't work with Marlene, so I can't say. I know some people did not like her. They found it stressful to work with her. I know others who speak very highly of her. But I do not know of any EEO complaints against her and if she were abusing employees and this was known to Mr. Huntsinger or to Mr. Larson at the time then they ought to have done something about it. (Could this be rumors circulating now instead of observations back then?) I don't believe it's true, but if it is, then shame on the upper management for not taking care of it. But Marlene did not receive her suspension for the way she treated other employees. She received it for an email correcting Mr. Huntsinger's factual error ragarding rules and a plan with which he was supposed to be familiar.
Mr. Larson also says BLM is responsible for the fact that there is a monument. BLM, the Nature Conservancy and the California Dept. of Fish and Game are partners in that monument, and Mr. Huntsinger removed the Monument Manager (remember her--Marlene?) from interacting with the partners. Marlene worked for BLM and was a GS-13. It truly confounds me that Marlene is perceived as an enemy of BLM when she worked for them for 12 years, 11 of which were good years for her. She did not seek jobs with other agencies in the Fed. Govt or with outside environmental groups. A GS-13, for those who don't know, is very high up in the ranks. Mr. Huntsinger is a GS-14. Marlene was just one step below him in rank.
Mr. Larson also makes the claim that Marlene accused Huntsinger of things she was guilty of herself, as if this means (ha!ha!) she got what she deserved. But then he also implies shooting herself was some sort of plot to bring Huntsinger down. She SHOT HERSELF IN THE HEAD. One does not to this to "retaliate" against someone else. That is such a twisted idea! If she wanted to "get" Huntsinger she could have just filed an EEO complaint and moved on. She said in a dying declaration (her suicide note) that Huntsinger made her life utterly unbearable. But this was to me. Marlene didn't tell me to talk to the LA Times about it. Or ask the OIG to investigate. Her friends and I are seeking justice but Marlene didn't believe there could be any. Her friends and I have hope, something she did not.
And finally, Mr. Larson, I have spoken with BLM--the part of BLM that worked with Marlene and not against her. They came to pay me condolences and sent cards to her family. They offered help. But Ron Huntsinger never made a single phone call to me or to her family, nor did you, nor any other upper manager at BLM. Mike Pool wrote letters of condolence to her elderly mother and her uncle after I asked him to, because Huntsinger, the field office supervisor, her direct supervisor, never did. He did not lift a finger to help her after seeing her suicide letter to BLM (can your 5 year-olds, dear readers, dial 911, because apparently Mr. Huntsinger cannot) and if he cared at all that one of BLM's employees killed herself, he certainly never said so to anyone close to her.
I am not anti-BLM. Neither was Marlene. Multiple land use conservation is a different mandate than preservation, and it can work. But it isn't working now, at the Carrizo, on so many levels. That needs to change. And we are indeed working for that!
*************
Um, pardon my ignorance, but isn't one of the hands missing because she shot herself? And didn't she manage the monument? Aren't there more pronghorn and kit foxes now than before she was monument manager? I give Bob Stafford et al their credit in making that happen (see LATimes recent article on the pronghorn) but the monument is not in the same hands. It is in dangerous hands.
Because of the nature of this forum, I am unable to tell the identity of the person behind your entry. If it is Mr. Larson of BLM Bakersfield, I will quite agreeably share my more elaborated thoughts with you. This entry of yours will be, as far as I am aware, the first time that anyone within BLM management responded publicly in any way to Marlene’s death other than the prodded letter of condolence to Mrs. Braun and family that Dr. Hermes mentions in her entry. I will at this time, however, respond to your posted text.
While it is true that Marlene’s friends, which includes me, know of the activities within BLM Bakersfield and in Carrizo throughout her entire tenure there from beginning to end, through Marlene’s words both written and spoken, it is not true that we only know of events through Marlene’s words. We have spoken at length to TNC employees, CA Fish and Game employees, experts in work-place abuses, and outside on-lookers, as well as some BLM Bakersfield employees who were kind enough to express their sadness for our loss when we visited Carrizo shortly after Marlene died. Marlene had an extensive network of professional contacts who have been willing to share their understanding of the events from well before and leading up to Marlene’s death.
Your description of Marlene, which matches every one that I have seen posted by anyone claiming to represent BLM Bakersfield, represents her as a talented but undisciplined, rebellious adolescent, needing the firm guiding hand of a more rational, controlled (i.e., male), calmer mind, or perhaps more concretely by your words, as a horse, or cattle befitting your bovine scatological vocabulary: what was needed was to “turn things around”, her talents needed “harnass”, one needs to “apply progressive discipline”, yet alas, she “rebelled”. It really is hard to take this sort of thing too seriously, were it not for the concerted effort of those claiming to represent BLM Bakersfield utilizing similar vocabulary and imagery. You do not seek what is true, SF Larson, you seek the cowboy myth on the frontier.
Marlene’s ongoing complaints against Mr. Huntsinger were not portrayed within the context of grazing rights versus philosophical environmentalism. Marlene hardly spoke of grazing issues at all. The boys club which believed in estranging Carrizo partners, in clandestinely altering the RMP, and removing the construction of BLM policy from the public view may have had and still might have grazing on the brain, but Marlene was concerned about work-place abuse, the callous assault on the integrity of her career, and repugnant but politically opportune efforts to misrepresent her talents, character, and contributions to BLM.
If TNC were ideological instead of diplomatic, it would legally and justifiably rip the grazing leases from BLM’s gloves, leaving more time for the practice of vacuous, feel-good, travel-guide historiography.
We do sincerely wish that BLM employees would speak, especially those Bakersfield managers and those within the BLM State Office who chose the tactics they did to attempt to remove Marlene from her Manager position so as to have free reign to craft the RMP to their progressive-disciplined liking. However, thus far they have all remained silent, unless this is the first, albeit unsatisfactory, attempt. The press has, in my opinion, been excessive in their attempt to portray the silent side, which only speaks when it wishes to condescend, as God is your witness.
http://www.washingtonwatchdog.org/public_lands_test/documents/fr/05/no/09/fr09no05-80.html
It is clear that the California BLM is not going to avoid conflicts of interest in this case or curtail Huntsinger's duties as Alternative Disputer Resolution rep or stop him from stacking the Advisory Committee.
Step One: Please read this definition of sexual harassment and if your situation applies, continue on.
DEFINITION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Sexual harassment is any abusive or offensive treatment that happens simply because of a person's sex or gender.
Sexual harassment can be unwelcome sexual advances, innuendoes, touches, or comments. Sexual harassment can be subtle?it isn't just lewd comments and vulgar gestures; it can also be romantic overtures after you've told the harasser you aren't interested, or offensive materials on display in the workplace.
Sexual harassment can also be mistreatment that is not sexual in nature, but is directed only at one sex, for example, when a woman enters an all male working environment and is mistreated simply because she is a woman.
Sexual harassment can be treatment that creates a "quid pro quo" (where your employer makes accepting the abuse a condition of your employment and threatens to fire or demote you if you don't) or it can be treatment that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/200507/omag_200507_harass.jhtml
I can't help but conclude that Marlene was morally wrong to kill herself in several planes of morality, but I do understand her pain, and it kind of scares me to read such things.
I've been subject to harrassment of this type for nearly two decades in varying degrees; in fact I did go through so-called "mediation", and although it did reduce the documentable harrassment somewhat, many of us in federal land management are being killed by a thousand tiny cuts, whether it be outright manipulation of data, disregard for policy, law, regulation, or sheer indifference and lack of support from higher-ups.
Unfortunately, there are more Ron Huntsingers out there.
I'm so, so sorry that Marlene made such a horrible choice to make her point, but it is so, so easy to understand how she got there. Gus Schlarman's comments at the bottom of these posts is very eloquent in describing how a type of "values/desire homicide" is being carried out on many of us in federal service.
As for myself, I keep hoping the 06 mid-term elections drive some points home, and I just hope to outlive the bastards, but even that seems to be faint hope. I've been in federal service for 27 years and for the first time I'm seriously thinking of leaving. I chose to be a federal employee as a way of paying back what I thought to be a great and wonderful country, and I've literally given blood, sweat and tears. I hope that I've made a least a few small good differences, but there is a powerful and palpable evil in the upper levels of our government.
Sorry for dragging on so long about these things. If there's anything good about Marlene's suicide, maybe it's that it brings these discussions out.
Peace.
NATIONAL | December 1, 2005
A Strategy to Restore Western Grasslands Meets With Local Resistance
By FELICITY BARRINGER
A group says agreements by which ranchers in the West sold off their grazing rights will hurt ranching in the end.
“The Board of Directors of the Sierra Club last week awarded a special commendation to the late Marlene Braun, who managed the Carrizo Plain National Monument in eastern San Luis Obispo County from the time of its proclamation by President Clinton in 2001 until her death last May.
“Noting that ‘the Monument contains the last significant intact San Joaquin Valley grasslands and is the home of one of the highest concentrations of threatened and endangered species in the nation,’ the Sierra Club commended Braun for opening ‘a new chapter in the cooperative management of the area by the Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Game. She embraced, nourished, and encouraged the partnership and reached out to a broad spectrum of the public. Grazing on the valley floor was minimized under her watch, and the numbers of pronghorn, giant kangaroo rats, kit foxes, and native plant species increased as a result. Her dedication and commitment to the Carrizo inspired those who were honored to know and work with her.’
“Braun, a career employee of the Bureau of Land Management, was known to feel deeply about, and fight tenaciously for, meaningful conservation of the Carrizo Plain. She took to heart the Monument’s management plan, which only allows grazing as a management tool for the benefit of native species, and consequently ran up against the status quo within the Bureau and the cattle industry. At the time of her death, she was struggling to ensure that the new, yet to be released Resource Management Plan—the document for guiding future management decisions on Carrizo—would not be rooted in the paradigm of managing public lands for economic return rather than conservation.
“When Braun committed suicide in May, she left behind detailed notes and correspondence that documented the punitive conditions she was working under at the BLM and the abuses she suffered in the workplace. Subsequent investigative journalism by the Los Angeles Times illuminated the pressures brought to bear on her by BLM management as a result of her determined conservation efforts.
“’In the short time that Marlene was with us on the Carrizo, she made a huge impact on the lives of the untold thousands of native plants and animals that depend on this last natural remnant of the San Joaquin for their survival,’ said Bruce Hamilton, Sierra Club’s National Conservation Director. ‘In the face of extreme pressure and against the odds, she fought for what is right. The Sierra Club and others will continue that fight in her name and on behalf of the land she sought to protect.’”
Stephen Kohn, chairman of the National Whistleblower Center, said more than 90 percent of whistle-blower cases start and end in the workplace. He said throughout history, Congress and the courts have routinely erred on the side of protecting speech "of public concern."
"What's really troubling is that if the Supreme Court does not protect the employee," Kohn said, "it will be the first time in American history that speech of public concern has lost constitutional protection."
(anonymous said): The press is the only answer so it seems lately.
http://www.whistleblowers.org
People should have known who they talked to and talked about before they opened their mouth. Those women at the land manager office have more support than they think, they are highly respected and very well liked in this large community.
I heard that money for the french gulch fire was abused and the land managers went on a shopping spree.
I hope this gets looked into and I hope those land managers get fired along with the land manager in bakersfield.
Enough is enough.
by KF at 2005/12/16 23:42:16 US/Mountain
I feel for Marlene and her plight, and for her family and friends that so deeply feel her loss. I too have worked for BLM for many years and have found it to be a great place to work. There are good managers and there are bad managers. There are good employees and there are bad employees. Although I didn't know Marlene or her supervisor, it sounds like it was a mix of a dedicated employee and a bad manager... an unfortunate blend. I have never witnessed BLM managers bullying (not saying it doesn't happen) but I have been very aware that many employees that complain about their managers (EEO complaints, whistle blowing, retaliation claims, grievances, etc) are just looking for a person to blame for their own inability to perform or they have a general problem with authority. The laws are there to protect employees and to root out bad managers. I would just encourage people to use the law appropriatly, otherwise more and more of us (or "them") will continue to see the complainers as a bunch of whiners.
If there were fewer whiners (false claims of inappropriate activities) then more attention and action could be given to real problems, as it appears Marlene's was. In my opinion the whiners that clog the system with malicious, false claims have to share the blame with the bad managers.
KF says he/she feels Marlene's case was a genuine case. Many at Bakersfield BLM do not (while others of us disagree). People need to listen when others complain, not merely shrug them off as whiners. As someone trained in mediation, I have learned that when some people complain, there is a root to the problem they aren't telling you, and you can resolve the issue if you find out what that is. Sometimes, though, what is going on is very deep, hard to explain, the people being subject to the harassment are beginning to sound stressed and illogical from the pressure, and in a lack of willingness to pursue investigations, those in charge throw up their hands. It isn't us and them. Managers as well as staff can be bullied. Everyone has someone above him or her. We need to stop labeling people whiners. It's a cop out. There are people who malinger and want sympathy, and we all know who they are. It actually isn't too hard to figure that out. But even they ought to be listened to, because like the boy who cried wolf, sometimes there is a wolf.
A person given to excessive complaints and crying and whining.
An affected, thin and ingratiating nasal tone of voice.
A person, especially a child, who complains or expresses dissatisfaction continually.
Definitions of a WIMP;
A person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy.
A weakly, interacting massive particle, WIMP
A hypothetical subatomic particle of large mass that interacts weakly
with ordinary matter through gravitation;
postulated as a constituent of the dark matter of the universe.
Definition of a Winner;
That's the women or men that are in the lead when the power shuts
off at the end of the race.
Someone who gives 100% of their effort in preparation for and during competition.
Definition of an Introvert & Extrovert;
A person who tends to shrink from social contacts and to become preoccupied with their own thoughts.
The terms Introvert and Extrovert (spelled Extravert by Carl Jung), were originally employed by Sigmund Freud and given significant amplification later by Jung. The terms refer to "attitudes" and show how a person orients and receives their energy. In the Extraverted attitude the energy flow is outward, and the preferred focus is on people and things, whereas in the Introverted attitude the energy flow is inward, and the preferred focus
is on thoughts and ideas.
I am not quite sure I understand where KF is coming from.
Is he/she referring to Marlene's situation in the Bakersfield BLM or the ladies in the Redding BLM office?
Regardless, this might put things in perspective;
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, there could be alot of blank pages missing
if you don't read it carefully."
A former Bureau of Land Management supervisor and field manager in Hollister, Calif., was fined and was sentenced to three years probation for using his government charge card to obtain nearly $18,000 in federal funds for personal use.
Robert E. Beehler, 57, was ordered to pay full restitution and was fined $5,000 for his theft and cover-up scheme.
From early 2000 through July 2003, Beehler used the government charge cards and checks drawn on his charge card account to make personal purchases totaling at least $17,939, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California. Beehler made the checks payable to family members and others, and forged endorsements of them, the attorney's office said.
Beehler would then submit fraudulent vouchers claiming that the funds were for legitimate purchases.
The case was investigated by the Interior Department's Inspector General Office and was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez.
Beehler's actions were "unfortunate," said John Dearing, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management. He would not comment further on the situation other than to say that the agency has always trained employees on proper use of credit cards.
"We've had ethics training, particularly for upper management, on what can or can't be done," Dearing said. "[The training] is for their own information and also so that they can have oversight over their own employees. And of course we do audits on the system."
Steve Anderson, assistant field manager of the Albuquerque district of the BLM, was expected to be on hand to present his side of the story. No stranger to a hostile crowd, he backed out at the last minute because of an e-mail circulated by an LPA member that "stacked the deck against whatever the BLM might have to say."
LPA member and former BLM employee Bill Dunmire said he did not believe that recent developments came from upper levels of the Department of Interior. Rather, he suspected that they were the work of certain "rogue elephants" in the district office. Questions and comments brought out several conspiracy theories involving expanded gravel mining, residential development, and even the dreaded loop road.
by KF at 2005/12/21 00:34:45 US/Mountain
Where am I coming from? All I'm saying is , employees need to police themselves better and report cases that truly need investigation. I am aware of cases currently and in the past where the employee just was "out to get" the boss for a fill-in-the-blank reason. It wasn't harrassment or anything similar but was a way to accomplish character asassination and bring caos to the organization. I've witnessed it. I am not saying that the agency should not investigate but I am saying that the inappropriate complaints are a malignancy in the system that tends to deny credibility to the serious issues that ARE out there. I am not advocating management taking a role in tossing out the Whiners complaints. I AM saying that all of us need to discourage malicious claims with no merit so that the serious ones will receive the proper level of attention. And, yes, I would say that the claims in Redding, based on my information, are bogus, totally without merit, and the claimants are childish, immature and seeking revenge for a personal issue.
by Dot at 2005/12/21 01:17:12 US/Mountain
In the Redding situation you need to consider the sources. They are NOT highly respected in town. One of the twins has filed grievances at her last 2 places of employment and tried to extort $ from both. See a pattern here? They are both psychotic, manipulative, spoiled brats. They are 40+ years old, both live at home with their parents and have no life. Since their world is so small everything is an issue. Their only source of excitement in their life is to create problems so they can feel important. I really don't dislike them but I do pitty them. It is truly sad. My moles say that the local BLM employees, their peers, have discounted them as "nuts". They have cost the Govt well over $100,000 due to the false claims. Shame, shame, shame.
respond
by Mary Anne Hinkle, Missoula at 2005/12/22 05:38:50 US/Mountain
I read with interest the comments by K.F. and some others. This column began as a story about a woman who took her life, perhaps bullied by her boss. I read about it, and my mind was not made up until I saw the vicious attacks a few of her co-managers/workers made on various sites. She was labeled a gun collector, a veteran (all implying she was psycho as these things were supposed to have made her postal), a mentally ill person who wouldn't take her medicine (gee, how many people know other people's medicine-taking rituals?), etc. Now we see that the women in the Redding office are labeled nut cases, whiners, spoiled, etc. Bob Beehler, who was actually convicted of wrongdoing, seems to have given an excuse that he was unaware of what he was doing. But no one has called him unstable or nuts, despite the fact that you have to be a little nuts to steal from the government on a credit card and a bit unstable to think you can get away with it. So of all the people we have heard about on this blog, Marlene and the women in Redding(apparently two of them are twins?)are whackos, but the managers are all rational. These kind of attacks turn my stomache. They are unassailable by those accused of instablilty, because Marlene is dead and cannot defend herself, and the women in Redding, if I understand right, are in a lawsuit. So they probably can't talk about it. And by identifying twins, the writer is naming them without naming them, but not naming himself or herself. And K.F. says, "If what I have heard is true..." What if it isn't? Are you in Redding and so these are personal observations, or are you not? Are you in Bakerfield? I hope everyone gets their day in court. Maybe then we will see who's nuts and who's not.
by NMI at 2006/01/15 12:20:16 US/Mountain
Lord help us. With as many vacancies as they have at BLM California, I hope that doesn't mean CA BLM will be hiring this Ralph Mason character any time soon!
That's usually what BLM Management does. They just move their problem Managers/Supervisors around within the state, or with other BLM offices in another state if things are really bad. They never fire them...I'm sure this Ron H person in Bakersfield is one of those "transfers".
I was a former CA BLM supervisor and know first hand how they "take care of their own when they want to". They would rather deal with dozens of greviences and lose 50 employees over a period of time than to admit they hired someone who should be fired! And if you're the one who is bringing up the issues and pointing out the problem Manager, supervisor or not, YOU become the problem..not the Manager. Then hang on to your horses, cause they will come after you. Marlene found out the length of which they will go and how far up the chain this insanity goes!
Duck & cover, smoke and mirrors. Now you know why CA BLM employees have a union! I feel sorry for the mid-level management like Marlene who are stuck in the middle and have very little recourse against the bullying that goes on. Fear, reprisal and intimidation become every day occurences if you're not a team player.
My condolences to her family and friends.
Bakersfield Californian, The (CA){PUBLICATION2}
January 14, 2006
Section: Local
Page: b5
BLM wants to know what you think of opening up land to oil exploration
The Bakersfield Californian
Now's the time to speak up about the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's plan to open 2,532 acres near Taft to oil and gas exploration. The land is part of Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 2, which the federal government gave to the BLM in August to stimulate domestic energy production.
About a quarter of the reserve's 10,451 acres are unexplored. Before leasing plots, BLM must say how it will balance endangered species with its goal of tapping energy reserves, among other management concerns.
"As far as we know it shouldn't be controversial because with ... the way lands in that area have been managed," said Ron Huntsinger, manager of the BLM field office in Bakersfield.
BLM wants to use an existing plan, known as the Caliente Resource Management Plan, to manage the land. The public has a month to comment on this strategy.
The property sits beyond Taft's oil fields in western Kern.
The Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 2 was set up in 1912 to protect emergency oil supplies in case of crisis.
The BLM has to study the land before deciding how many plots to lease. Once it does, it will open them up to bidders.
IF BLM WANTS TO HEAR FROM US, WE SHOULD LET THEM HEAR!
State Director
Mike Pool
916-978-4600
Associate State Director
Jim Abbott
916-978-4600
He is not an independent investigator.
Here is his address at the BLM Bakersfield Office from a news article. At this point I wouldn't trust anyone in the BLM.
Contact: BLM Acting Ranger Greg Aumann at (661) 391-6008 or write: USDI BLM 3801 Pegasus Drive Bakersfield, CA 93308 Attn: Greg Aumann
Public Corruption—Farmington, New Mexico
When US Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham pleaded guilty to accepting bribes a month ago, it was a perfect example of the type of enormous largess people tend to expect when they think of public corruption. For example, Mr. Cunningham received cash, cars, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees, moving expenses, and vacations totally roughly $2.4 million from defense contractors in exchange for aid in winning defense contracts.[1] He also received a Rolls Royce, a graduation party for his daughter, a $200,000 down payment on a condominium, and the payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of his home.[2] When some of the assets related to the bribery case were seized for auction, it was a demonstration of sheer opulence: Persian rugs, a silver candelabra, vases, armoires, a leather sofa, a sleigh-style bed, and even a 19th-century French commode (which is a chest of drawers, not a toilet).[3]
Largess, however, is certainly not required to have the federal government seek an indictment for public corruption. Norman Geoff McMahon of Farmington, New Mexico can certainly attest to that. Mr. McMahon was indicted on December 14 by a federal grand jury in the Albuquerque federal District Court.[4] He is accused of bribing Ralph Mason, a former Bureau of Land Management [hereinafter BLM] employee, a total of four times.[5] The total amount of the alleged bribes? Only $7,000 over a 14-month period: there were allegedly two separate payments of $2,500 made “on or about Dec. 15, 2000,” and two payments of $1,000 made “on or about Feb. 15, 2002.”[6]
The indictment, which BLM denies any knowledge of its existence, states that the funds were given “in return for influencing the public official in the performance of any official act relating to the [BLM] permit to mine humate.”[7] Humate is a mineral made from fossilized plants and animals which is used in fertilizer.[8] According to a spokesman for BLM’s Farmington office, Mr. Mason was “let go” by BLM some time ago, but wouldn’t provide a reason for the discharge.[9]
The reason why public corruption prosecutions can target both high-rollers and more modest “givers” is because the federal statute covering bribery sets an incredibly low threshold. In short, if any person gives anything of value to any public official, with the intent to influence any official act, the federal government can prosecute that person.[10]
The intent of the “giver” is key in these situations. Obviously, if the offeror of the bribe writes “in exchange for influencing an official act” in the memo section of his check, that would pretty well establish the requisite intent. Typically, however, circumstances are not that clear-cut. Furthermore, the thing of value “must be given with more than some ‘generalized hope or expectation of ultimate benefit on the part of the donor.’ … The money must be offered, in other words, with the intent and design to influence official action in exchange for the donation.”[11] The recipient of the bribe, moreover, does not need to be “actually corrupted by the offer,” nor is it “necessary to show that the official accepted the bribe.”[12]
Intent can be proven by introducing evidence of “overheard conversations” or by introducing “circumstantial evidence” which tends to suggest the requisite intent.[13]
When US Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham pleaded guilty to accepting bribes a month ago, it was a perfect example of the type of enormous largess people tend to expect when they think of public corruption. For example, Mr. Cunningham received cash, cars, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees, moving expenses, and vacations totally roughly $2.4 million from defense contractors in exchange for aid in winning defense contracts.[1] He also received a Rolls Royce, a graduation party for his daughter, a $200,000 down payment on a condominium, and the payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of his home.[2] When some of the assets related to the bribery case were seized for auction, it was a demonstration of sheer opulence: Persian rugs, a silver candelabra, vases, armoires, a leather sofa, a sleigh-style bed, and even a 19th-century French commode (which is a chest of drawers, not a toilet).[3]
Largess, however, is certainly not required to have the federal government seek an indictment for public corruption. Norman Geoff McMahon of Farmington, New Mexico can certainly attest to that. Mr. McMahon was indicted on December 14 by a federal grand jury in the Albuquerque federal District Court.[4] He is accused of bribing Ralph Mason, a former Bureau of Land Management [hereinafter BLM] employee, a total of four times.[5] The total amount of the alleged bribes? Only $7,000 over a 14-month period: there were allegedly two separate payments of $2,500 made “on or about Dec. 15, 2000,” and two payments of $1,000 made “on or about Feb. 15, 2002.”[6]
The indictment, which BLM denies any knowledge of its existence, states that the funds were given “in return for influencing the public official in the performance of any official act relating to the [BLM] permit to mine humate.”[7] Humate is a mineral made from fossilized plants and animals which is used in fertilizer.[8] According to a spokesman for BLM’s Farmington office, Mr. Mason was “let go” by BLM some time ago, but wouldn’t provide a reason for the discharge.[9]
The reason why public corruption prosecutions can target both high-rollers and more modest “givers” is because the federal statute covering bribery sets an incredibly low threshold. In short, if any person gives anything of value to any public official, with the intent to influence any official act, the federal government can prosecute that person.[10]
The intent of the “giver” is key in these situations. Obviously, if the offeror of the bribe writes “in exchange for influencing an official act” in the memo section of his check, that would pretty well establish the requisite intent. Typically, however, circumstances are not that clear-cut. Furthermore, the thing of value “must be given with more than some ‘generalized hope or expectation of ultimate benefit on the part of the donor.’ … The money must be offered, in other words, with the intent and design to influence official action in exchange for the donation.”[11] The recipient of the bribe, moreover, does not need to be “actually corrupted by the offer,” nor is it “necessary to show that the official accepted the bribe.”[12]
Intent can be proven by introducing evidence of “overheard conversations” or by introducing “circumstantial evidence” which tends to suggest the requisite intent.[13]
The Bureau of Land Management has cancelled the competitive oil & gas lease sale scheduled for December 14, 2005. Information pertaining to the new protest procedures and how to properly file a protest was inadvertently omitted from the sale notice dated October 28, 2005. The next sale is tentatively scheduled for March 15, 2006.
Parcels from the cancelled sale will be considered for leasing, along with any subsequently recommended parcels in sufficient time to advertise for the next sale.
For questions regarding the cancellation of December 14, 2005 lease sale, contact Laurie Moore at the BLM California State Office, (916) 978-4377.
-BLM-
_______________________________________
California State Office - 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1834, Sacramento, CA 95825
What saddens me in addition to losing Marlene in such an unnecessary way, that the slightest humane action on the part of her boss could have averted, is that even after her death some people are more concerned about themselves than seeing the right thing done. I don't take lightly the idea that people are afraid to put their jobs on the line and I wouldn't ask it. But even people with nothing to lose won't speak up.
The heartening thing though is that so very many people have shown courage. People who did not have to help have come forward, people who could lose their jobs stepped up. And there are more of these than the former. Let's hope the doctor does the right thing, or that he can be compelled legally to do what needs to be done.
In the moments before Marlene decided to die, maybe nothing could have changed her mind. But a week before, if she had not received memos threatening career-ending disciplinary action, there is no doubt in my mind she'd be alive. And it wasn't just the job. By losing her job she'd also lose her home. You are so right that it is tragic. I think it is a lessen for anyone who supervises anyone else, that showing humanity and compassion can make all the difference. But bullies are not interested in that.
The Bush Administration plans to sell off more than $1 billion in public lands over the next decade, including 85,000 acres of national forest land in California. So even after he is no longer president, these sales will continue, if the budget passes.
According to the admin, most of the proceeds from the sale would help pay for rural schools and roads, making up for a federal subsidy that has been eliminated from Bush's 2007 budget. I think this is doubtful, but even if true, it is not a proper solution to the funding of schools. Destroying forest land will hurt children and their futures as much as underfunding their schools. It will lead to more pollution, more "have" for the haves and less for the "havenots." When the money from the sale is gone, the children will go back to using decades old books, and studying in falling down buildings. It is at most a very short-term, short sighted fix, because those forests will never come back into public hands.
Congress hasn't approved the plans, but as we have seen from the kind of things Congress has passed lately, there is a good chance it will go through. This sale would amount to the largest land sale of its kind since President Theodore Roosevelt established the U.S. Forest Service in 1905 and created the modern national forest system. With Republicans so divided over ethical scandals and with so much disillusionment among the public about the current administration, it is important to try to try to bring your Republican reps onboard with protecting the environment. Conservation ought to be far more bipartisan than it is.
"This is a fire sale of public lands. It is utterly unprecedented," said Char Miller, professor of environmental history at Trinity University in Houston, who has written extensively about the Forest Service. "It signals that the lands and the agency that manages them are in deep trouble. For the American public, it is an awful way to understand that it no longer controls its public land."
The Forest Service has earmarked more than 300,000 acres for sale in 32 states, including tracts in California national forests, ranging in size from 90 acres in Angeles National Forest to 32,921 acres in the Klamath National Forest. Most of the California land slated for the auction block would be scattered across six national forests in the Sierra Nevada.
White House officials directed the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to sell off at least $350 million worth of public land, with the money to go directly to the general treasury. This is even more of a problem. This will just get spent in Iraq or on the probable war in Iran. In any case, it will never, by going into the general treasury, be of any benefit, even short term, for the citizens of this country, because we have trillions of dollars in national debt. $350 million dollars won't pay a month's worth of interest, and precious land can be sold off without any Congressional approval just by presidential proclamation.
I am not even sure Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, could stop this if she wanted to. But is worth emailing or writing congressional reps, the DOI, and the BLM.
The Department of Agriculture oversees the Forest Service, not the DOI.
BLM is not working for the Office of Inspector General, quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Sure, BLM can do their own internal investigation, but that's all it is...just that...simply INTERNAL to cover their butts.
I would only talk or correspond with Agent Morrow with the OIG which is totally a sperate enity from BLM, even though both agencies are under Department of Interior.
I can tell you for a fact that there are so many issues in the BLM California offices that Federal government higher than the Department of Interior Inspector General's office are investigating as well. I can't tell you who or why, but rest assured it's the hot topic on Capitol Hill and everyone is talking about it.
I suggest you call Agent Morrow before you speak to any BLM personnel and if you are a BLM employee or retired BLM employee I would suggest you call Agent Morrow as well before you speak with BLM. If you are a BLM employee, you best provide the facts and document every question they ask you and your response and send them to Agent Morrow. You wouldn't want to get written up for insubordination.
I hope this helps you.
Agent Morrow's phone number in DC
202-208-6261 Direct Line
If you wanted to send him documentation and remain anonymous you can be assured that you will be. Everything is confidential. Even if you have information regarding information on any other BLM CA Field Office, he would love to hear from you.
His mailing address is:
OIG-Programs Intergrity Division
Agent Peter Morrow
MAILSTOP MS5341
1849 C Street, NW
Washington DC 20240
202-208-6023 Secure FAX line
Your entry couldn't be more accurate.
BLM California's "Human Resources" department contains several individuals whose speciality is to ensure that the managers get their way in disciplinary matters, no matter how ludicrous the supposed offense was. They subvert the employee's rights, whereas they're supposed to be neutral. The disciplinary expert in the California State Office even has the Orwellian title of "Employee Relations Specialist". That's the joke of the year!
All the inhouse processes are stacked against a targetted employee, and the only recourse is either representation by the Union (only available if you are non-management), or the shrinking protection of the Office of Special Counsel or MSPB.
Even if the manager loses at one of these levels, he is assured a soft landing. If you want a good laugh, go to the February 1, 2006 news release on BLM California's official website which introduced the new Hollister Field Manager. Robert Beehler, the former Field Manager, was described as having "Retired from the Federal Service". No mention was made of his conviction for embezzlement.
Mr. Aumann is no longer listed on the directory. He was listed last month as a Law Enforcement Ranger and not a Special Agent. I can't find him anywhere, on any office directory.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/bakersfield/directory.html
Oil firm withdraws plans for Carrizo The possibility of oil production on federal land in the national monument will likely be eliminated when the leases expireBy David Sneeddsneed@thetribunenews.com
A Bakersfield oil exploration firm has withdrawn its plans to drill for oil in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, all but eliminating the possibility that any leases on federal land within the monument will ever be developed.
Longbow LLC of Bakersfield will not meet a March 15 deadline to have an exploratory drill rig in place and operating in the Wells Canyon area along the southern boundary of the monument near New Cuyama.
"We came into this thing late," said John Howe, who heads Longbow. "I would have pursued it if I had time."
The lease is owned by Richard D. Sawyer of Malibu. There is no way Sawyer could find someone else to put a drill rig in on such short notice, and this means the lease is "as good as dead," said Ron Huntsinger, field manager for the Bakersfield Bureau of Land Management office, which manages the monument in the southeastern corner of the county.
"He could appeal and ask for an extension of time, but I won’t give him one," he said. "He could also appeal to our Interior Board of Land Appeals, but I don’t see any way in the world he would win that."
Sawyer’s seven leases, as well as two others on federal land, were grandfathered in when the monument was created by presidential decree in 2000. The other two leases will expire in 60 days and 90 days.
Huntsinger believes there is insufficient oil and gas on these leases to justify developing them. Once those leases expire, the era of oil production on federal land in the Carrizo Plain National Monument will end because the monument’s proclamation prohibits any new leases.
However, two private ranches lie within the boundaries of the monument and continue to produce oil. Other smaller private parcels within the monument could also be developed.
The announcement to drill for oil drew sharp criticism from environmentalists who said oil production is contrary to the conservation goals of the monument.
Howe is discouraged by this reaction to the drilling proposal and does not intend to pursue any other jobs within the monument. He said the drilling would have taken place in the Cuyama Valley and would not have damaged the fragile resources of the Carrizo Plain itself.
"From the knee-jerk response that this has gotten," he said, "it’s not worth the time."
If Howe had moved to develop the lease, he would have drilled one exploratory well on a 153-acre parcel. If enough oil and gas deposits had been found, as many as 3,500 acres could have been developed.
1) There could be another person named Greg Aumann who is a private investigator hired by the family of Ms. Braun, however that is unlikely to have the same name.
2) There could be someone spreading false information to "stir the pot" so to speak.
3) There could be someone protraying to be Agent Aumann from the BLM.
THE FACT IS: Agent Morrow with the Department of Interior, Office of Inspector General in Washington DC IS the Official Lead Investigator into Ms. Brauns death. If you have information to share regarding Ms. Braun's death or other Field Office issues, you only need to speak with Agent Morrow and he can be reached at 202-208-6261.
Your information and identity will be kept confidential.
Thank you
by lesa donnelly at 2006/03/01 15:02:53 US/Mountain
I posted this on the other article blog, so I'm adding it to this site too. A friend recently sent me The Billings Outpost article on Marlene Braun. She wanted me to see the responses to the article. I first heard about Ms. Braun's situation and suicide last summer when someone sent me the LA Times article. Ms. Braun's tragedy is not an isolated incident. Employees who do not "go along to get along" while working for the federal government will receive harsh treatment in the form of bullying, intimidation and adverse personnel actions. Ms. Braun's supervisor used these tactics against her to get her to "behave" and to retaliate when she did not.
There is an insidious method of shutting down employees who raise allegations of harassment, discrimination, reprisal, whistleblower, etc. Management uses conduct and performance to terrorize employees. It usually works because the employee is trumped up with false allegations and is often terminated. Or the employee loses his/her physical and/or mental health and can no longer cope with the job. I've seen employees with 15 years in federal service just quit the job. I've seen employees become physically incapacitated, become deeply depressed and anxious, go into mental hospitals, attempt suicide, get divorced, lose children to Child Protective Services, go into unrecoverable debt, and lose their homes - all because of the impacts of working in a hostile environment.
I worked for the USDA for 25 years. I filed a class action lawsuit, "Donnelly v. Glickman" and "Donnelly v. Veneman" against the Forest Service in 1995. Website searches will provide info on the lawsuit and the many interviews in newspaper articles. I won certification of the lawsuit on behalf of 6000 female employees in California. A settlement resulted. The entire ordeal lasted from October, 1993 through January, 2006. Because I was the lead class agent in the lawsuit the agency went after me with every resource they had. Prior to 1994 I had never had a conduct or performance problem and, in fact, had received numerous cash awards. After I filed the lawsuit I was investigated 3 times, accused of being violent, given unacceptable performance ratings, received letters of reprimand (too many to count), 2 suspensions, Leave Without Pay, AWOL, had my duties removed, had my job abolished 3 times, was placed on leave restriction etc. I had my phone tapped, was stalked by Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers while off work, received threatening phone calls and had my home broken into twice that I knew of. Coworkers that I had known for years were afraid to speak with me because management would grill them about our discussions. Some employees were told to spy on me. The agency did a background investigation on me. Management came into my office and took pictures of everything in it and all the pictures/jokes that I had on the walls. I was harassed about taking time off for my father's funeral. I could go on and on about what the USDA & Forest Service management did to me from 1993 through 2002. I had approximately 50 EEO complaints filed.
I fought them and won.
Not only that, I represented other employees who filed EEO complaints. I mentored with my attorney and learned the ins and outs of employment law. I left the agency in 2002 with a large settlement. Since I had been representing employees since 1994 (on government time)I started a business with my brother - Donnelly & Donnelly Alternative Dispute Resolutions. We've represented hundreds of employees in the EEO process from informal through hearing. We've represented employees at MSPB. I've done hundreds of mediations and settled many complainants. I read one response that said there was no where to go and no one to turn to. If anyone out there needs help, CALL ME! My number is 530-365-3456 (Anderson, CA. just south of Redding). Government managers want EEO complainants to think they are isolated, alone and have no recourse. It is a way of shutting down complaints and complainants. I currently represent some employees who work for the Interior. I've represented BLM employees in the past. If you know anyone who needs EEO help or just needs to talk to someone who has been through it, give them my number. It is important that we support the employees who are going through the nightmare of workplace bullying, harassment or any type of hostile environment. As Marlene Braun has shown, some employees very lives depend upon it.
Lesa L. Donnelly
Response to the Greg Aumann Post
by lesa donnelly at 2006/03/01 15:22:16 US/Mountain
Since my post I've received contacts from quite a few folks out there. Everything is confidential and no one will know who has contacted me. I am glad to be of assistance. Again, my phone number is 530-365-3456 and my email is lesa@snowcrest.net
My spam blocker is on high so please put something regarding BLM or DOI in the subject line so I don't miss the message. I may have missed one, so if I don't respond to you, try again.
Regarding the post from the alleged Greg Aumann...I do not believe it was from him. I've received no contacts from anyone claiming to be him. I think that someone posted the comment to try to scare people away from contacting me. Please be assured that I will not speak with any investigator, employee or member of the public regarding Ms. Braun or any other situation I am aware of. Confidentiality is the utmost importance in civil rights or workplace matters. I take it as seriously as if it were atty-client privledge. I admire all of you out there who are trying to fight discrimination and harassment in the workplace. We all must support each other. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that when one of us is oppressed we are all oppressed. When one of us rises, we all rise. Keep fighting The Good Fight.
Lesa
There are several of us ladies down here who work for the Bureau and we have been reading these blogs and it is disgusting what we hear you all are involved in. We support you and were wondering if it is true that one of you was terminated? We heard it was because you failed a test or something, but isn't it really about retaliation? We have the same thing going on in two of our offices and we are afraid to speak up because we would then be subjected to retaliation and fear, more so than we already are. We are even afraid to join the Union.
My co-worker friend and I called Ms. Donnelly for advice and her phone kept ringing so we didn't leave a message. Is she really on the employees side or is this another plot from state office management?
We are afraid to email her. Our questions to you are; can we contact you or if we emailed Ms. Donnelly would our names be kept confidential? Is there anyway we can join you in your case without our names being disclosed or can you fight for all women in BLM who have and are subjected to discrimination, bullying etc.? Can women who retired from the BLM recently join in your case as well?
Word travels fast in the BLM and we think that what you are doing having the courage to stand up against management and fight for our rights is outstanding.
We don't know if you can talk to us or not or repond on the blog thing so if you can, great if not, can we communicate through Ms. Donnelly without anyone knowing our names?
You all have alot of support and I hope you win and make a difference.
God Bless all of you
www.ecoslo.org/press/ecosummit5
by Lesa Donnelly at 2006/03/04 20:39:14 US/Mountain
Hello ladies. Thank you for your support. Fear of retaliation is healthy. It is your survival instincts kicking in. It is much easier to survive reprisal when there is support from coworkers. I see that you tried calling. My internet phone line is not working and until I get SBC in to look at it I've been using my phone line to get on the internet. When that occurs callers will either get a constant ring or a busy signal. Sorry about that. Try again. My voice mail goes to my home and is confidential. My email is the same. Your names and information will be kept completely confidential.
I am getting quite a few calls from BLM women in CA. I'm thinking that it might be ripe for a CA class action complaint similar to Donnelly v. Veneman/Donnelly v. Glickman in the Forest Service in CA. For those who fear coming forward at this time, we can speak with you confidentially to gather information. Women who retired, were fired or quit the BLM recently can join a class action. If you don't have an active EEO complaint you would still be considered a class member. When I filed the Donnelly Class there were approx. 2,500 FS women working in CA. When the judge certified the class, he certified it on behalf of 6,000 women in CA. That is because it included women who quit, retired and were fired. It also included temporary employees.
For those who may feel more comfortable speaking with a BLM employee instead of me or prior to speaking with me, I suggest calling or emailing these two women.
Traci Hallstrom
phone: 530-241-1676
email: swisBeagle@snowcrest.net
web: www.swisBeagle.com
and/or
Andrea Carter
phone: 530-347-4524
email: littlebrat29@yahoo.com
Traci and Andrea have alot of information to share. We are working together on BLM issues of discrimination, HWE and reprisal. There is truly strength in unity. We look forward to working with other BLM women and men.....lesa
BLM CA State Office EEO
by Local News at 2006/03/04 20:56:02 US/Mountain
It's too bad BLM employees throughout California do not know the real reason why one of the EEO specialist retired recently and why the EEO Manager is retiring in April of 2006.
Women in BLM
by SafeTNut at 2006/03/05 05:50:48 US/Mountain
Everything you read about Lesa Donnelly is true. She had a major case that she won and she is an advocate for the employees. You have to check about legal confidentiality. A firm like Donnelly and Donnelly will certainly keep your info confidential, but what you need to know is whether it can be subpoenaed. An attorney's files can't. There is absolute privilege. Lesa Donnelly is on the up and up. It is good to check though.
You should join your union. A union gains strength from its members. I am a long time union rep and before some new blood joined it was a pretty hopeless group. If you join, make sure you get involved! Don't just join and expect that whoever is there now is going to take care of you. Work with the union.
It is awful to know this is going on throughout BLM's California offices. People win more EEO cases than they lose if they persist. You might have to appeal. That's a fact though. If you have a complaint that has merit, your chances are good, yet it can suck you dry for a while. Have courage!
"Because It Was the Right Thing to Do"
I keep thinking over and over to myself, "I don't get it, I just don't get it!" Here I am a single female, 5'5" and I don't pack a gun, yet I work with Special Agents and LE Rangers who do and the one's with all the seniority and/or are strong and/or stand a towering 6'10" and even they are afraid to speak out about the corruption in the Department of Interior within their own offices as well as the office of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Law Enforcement (LE) in National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the Bureau of Land Management Director's Office of Law Enforcement Service (OLES) in Washington, DC. They are afraid to say anything, yet asked me to be their voice, what am I suppose to do? How do I handle this? I am just "one", do they think I can change anything or make a difference....I am just "one". I am just "one" and continue to hear the "voices" of many.
Let's see, we have four in Arizona, two in Nevada, and more in California than I can count on my toes and fingers. These are law enforcement personnel including agents who have confided in me, they put their faith in me, they tell me what they know, what they have seen. They say it's because I am not afraid and have already been retaliated against and my name is known all over. "I am the brave one" some say, other's say, "Don't ever question the twins, if they say it's wrong, it's wrong, if they say it's right, it's right." Maybe it's an honor that Stace and I are well liked and respected, but sometimes I wonder if having high morals and ethics are worth it? Do we play by the rules? Yes! Are we perfect? No. Yet, why do I feel so compelled to help them out?
Well, maybe it's because I have been abused verbally, retaliated against for disclosing wrong doing, bullied, harassed, one gal was terminated, have I heard it all? Yep! I was afraid once, I coward in the corner shaking, I cried, I experienced every thought and emotion....and then I got to "the breaking point"....no one ever told me about that one! That's the point where you either fall or climb up the mountain and over it. I chose to climb the mountain. It hasn't been easy and I swing on my rope every other day just to take a break and look down to see how far I have climbed. The top is not very far away....I have to keep climbing. Let me tell you what I see right now as I swing from my rope; I look down and I see a wonderful, smart, funny, spunky, outgoing, well educated, talented female fire fighter who is respected and well loved by her peers, family and friends, she has been bullied, abused, retaliated against and now terminated from the Federal government for doing what she thought was, "the right thing to do". She is now sad, angry, depressed; she doesn't know what she is going to do to support her family without a job. She never thought this would ever happen to her after 18 years of government service.
I just took several more steps climbing this mountain watching her!
Now I see a lot of what appears to be shiny objects on several small scurrying life forms a long way down below me. It appears as if it is an ant colony and their Queen has left the building so to speak. They are dysfunctional because they have no leader. They remind me of the agents and rangers who no longer have faith in their own law enforcement leaders. There is no trust amongst any of them and they are seeking to find a new Queen, someone who can nurture them back into the organization that they were once happy in, an organization of leaders whom they trusted, an organization that believed their mission statement to be 100% followed and true.
I am getting stronger for the next steps ahead just watching them. I wonder if they can see me. They should follow my path.
As I swing out a little more I can see a medium size box. In it are several pieces of furniture, some are made of glass (breakable), some are made of plastic (can bend a little bit), and some are made of steel (unbreakable, ya can't even bend it), it looks like a remodeling project going on and the project manager isn't building the office with the correct architectural plans. Its chaotic, a lot of project manager's giving off tasks, but the workers are leaving the construction site and walking off the job so fast that there appears to be more chiefs and not enough Indians and it is very dysfunctional. A lot of cheating, stealing, and yelling going on. This is a bad place to be. Someone needs to come in and take over and get it organized and rebuild because it looks like the roof just now caved in.
This appears to be the office in which I work in; Thank God I have my rope tied to me because when I get to the top of the mountain......I'm gonna cut it off!
I look down and I see my parents, there's my dad, "hi dad", oh I see my mom there too, "hi mom". They are such loving parents, 60 years together and they still sit next to each other watching TV day and night together. I see my dad, a WWII Hero, both of them instilled with working and going after want you want. They never gave any of us children a dime, we had to earn it. I am glad they brought us up that way. We never took advantage of anything and I have learned to appreciate things. Before I started climbing the mountain my dad gave me the best talk. He told me of the war he was in and within that war there were many battles, battles he lost and battles he won, but he never lost focus of the War and that's what we have to do, "never lose focus of the War" My therapist told me that as well and these are two men in my life that I have the utmost respect for.
I often wonder throughout my life what my purpose is in this life. I don't think I have much time, but this is the conclusion I came up with. Maybe I am single for a reason with no kids; maybe climbing this mountain will make some sort of difference after all. Maybe when I get to the top I will be able to yell loud enough that people all over will hear what I have to say. Someone down there has to listen, there has to be a lesson taught through all of this, people will need to be removed, people will need to be suspended, there has got to be a major lesson taught and learned from all of this. A point needs to be made, a big one. No one is above the law! The only thing I have to lose over this is my job, because I will not lose my dignity, my values, my morals, and my character. I will still have my loving friends and family. I love the people I work with; I don't want to quit my job because of some dysfunctional greedy people. Ethics need to be restored. Someone wrote something on the internet and it really hit home to me, they said that as public servants, we are "we the people” are working "for the people" and "for the people" pay us as "we the people" or is it the other way around?
I have heard project managers in that box down there say, "I hope Traci gets a settlement and quits" and "I want her out of here" (meaning me), another gal who said something, "Because it was just the right thing to do!" I am no environmentalist, I am not very religious, but I was raised with old fashion family values with morals and ethics that will never be taken away from me. Someone once told me, "Go for the Gold"; I asked them what they meant. I explained to them that money is not going to solve the problems, it's the principle and lessons need to be learned. They said to me, "lessons will be learned if a lot of money is taken away from their budget because they did wrong doing to you." That made sense, but that's not what our War is about. So I have been on Air Force One and Air Force Two, I have sat with the President and the First Lady, alone. I have sat next to famous people and politicians, but you know what, they put their pants on just like we do. No one intimidates me. I would give anything to stand before Congress and the Senate and speak from my heart without a planned speech. What is happening in our offices are wrong, what is happening within the Department of Interior (DOI) Law Enforcement program officials is wrong, corruption is wrong, having no faith in your Supervisor's, Manager's, and Directors, is just down right sad!
I hope they hear me and I hope they listen! Why? "Because it's just the right thing to do!"
http://www.billingsnews.com/story?storyid=17959&issue=280
Re: another problem
by One of the "whiners" at 2006/04/22 20:30:31 GMT-6
Kelly,
It has taken me a while to respond to you because I was not sure how to go about it. Yes we knew it was you all this time. You know for someone who likes to quote the facts you should get yours straight. The Redding issue has not gone away and even now you and the others are being watched by people a lot bigger than work in that office. You may have thought you and the others got away with it but " those who steal from the people must pay back to the PEOPLE" I hope you still feel that the side you chose was the right one when your jail cell is next to your "good buddy". Good luck with your paranoia now. Marlene's death will never be in vain if it brings the corruption in the California BLM out in the open. AND BELIEVE ME IT WILL!!!
The women have claims of misappropriation of fire monies along with other whistleblower claims. There were at least two controversial fires that drew negative public attention – homes and property destroyed. BLM admitted their error in starting the 1999 Lowden fire due to untrained and unqualified personnel. Among other claims, the 2004 French fire rehab monies have been used fraudulently by the above-managers.
Additionally, there are still men making decisions about burning and doing controlled burns that do not even have Red card qualifications and are not following proper procedures. This could result in another fire like the 1999 Lowden fire which was started by BLM error and burned homes. One of the whistleblowers was recently fired by the BLM CA Associate State Director, the Redding Field Office manager and her supervisor because they are alleging that she is not qualified in her fire position due to not passing a pack test. She had 18 years in Federal Government service and only 8 years left to retire. One woman, during her recent performance evaluation was physically and verbally intimidated by her supervisor. The CA State Office is doing nothing to stop this behavior.
I think those women are brave and the public should know about the waste, fraud and abuse of the tax payer money that was earmarked to go to fire rehab and that unqualified employees and the unprofessional behaviors that resulted in the BLM fire that burned homes are still happening and there is a public safety risk. The local Redding, California community and the overall California community will be needlessly, but rightly so, concerned or frightened for their safety.
Fire season is starting soon and something must be done with the managers in the BLM Redding, California Office as well as some officials in the BLM CA State Director’s office to alleviate the safety problem and the retaliation matter. The BLM CA State office has been covering up for the BLM Redding manager’s and supervisors. It’s time to bring ethics back into the office which is much needed in the BLM CA.
If the CA BLM State Office hasn't listened to the Redding women and their were originally 6 complainants and now down to three (Quid Pro Quo?), then one can only assume they never listened to Marlene Braun in Bakersfield. Something is very wrong with the way the BLM CA State office handles the No Fear Act Zero Tolerance Policy as well as Sexual Harassment Zero Tolerance Policy. They seem to cover-up for their managers who are doing the wrong-doing and could care less about the other employees.
Public Corruption -- Voters deserve politicians and public servants who are honest and spend public money wisely. When there is wrongdoing, however, the FBI will work to convict those who have broken trust with our citizens.
http://www.legacy.com/bakersfield/Guestbook.asp?Page=Guestbook&PersonID=17624308
The women have claims of misappropriation of fire monies along with other whistleblower claims. There were at least two controversial fires that drew negative public attention – homes and property destroyed. BLM admitted their error in starting the 1999 Lowden fire due to untrained and unqualified personnel. Among other claims, the 2004 French fire rehab monies have been used fraudulently by the above-managers.
Additionally, there are still men making decisions about burning and doing controlled burns that do not even have Red card qualifications and are not following proper procedures. This could result in another fire like the 1999 Lowden fire which was started by BLM error and burned homes. One of the whistleblowers was recently fired by the BLM CA Associate State Director, the Redding Field Office manager and her supervisor because they are alleging that she is not qualified in her fire position due to not passing a pack test. She had 18 years in Federal Government service and only 8 years left to retire. One woman, during her recent performance evaluation was physically and verbally intimidated by her supervisor. The CA State Office is doing nothing to stop this behavior.
I think those women are brave and the public should know about the waste, fraud and abuse of the tax payer money that was earmarked to go to fire rehab and that unqualified employees and the unprofessional behaviors that resulted in the BLM fire that burned homes are still happening and there is a public safety risk. The local Redding, California community and the overall California community will be needlessly, but rightly so, concerned or frightened for their safety.
Fire season is starting soon and something must be done with the managers in the BLM Redding, California Office as well as some officials in the BLM CA State Director’s office to alleviate the safety problem and the retaliation matter. The BLM CA State office has been covering up for the BLM Redding manager’s and supervisors. It’s time to bring ethics back into the office which is much needed in the BLM CA.
If the CA BLM State Office hasn't listened to the Redding women and their were originally 6 complainants and now down to three (Quid Pro Quo?), then one can only assume they never listened to Marlene Braun in Bakersfield. Something is very wrong with the way the BLM CA State office handles the No Fear Act Zero Tolerance Policy as well as Sexual Harassment Zero Tolerance Policy. They seem to cover-up for their managers who are doing the wrong-doing and could care less about the other employees.
What's up with the investigation report into Marlene Braun's death?
We as taxpayers have the right to know, otherwise I guess we will have to hear it from the media.
Thanks
Locate both California District and Capitol office information from their websites. Telephone the offices before emailing. If you dont live in Calif. then find out what your state is doing, who your reps are.
Members of the either the Assembly Labor or Judiciary committees would make ideal authors of the bill. Here are their names and phone numbers at both their District and Sacramento offices. Call today and tell them you want AB 1582 resurrected in the 2006-07 session.
Assembly Labor Committee members
Member Name -- (Party, District #), District office city, office phone
Paul Koretz (D-42), Chair, West Hollywood, 310-652-4242 / (916) 319-2042
[Koretz was author of original bill in 2003 and who dropped the bill in 2004 without a hearing]
Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-61) Montclair, 909-621-7483 / (916) 319-2061
[She was co-author of original bill in 2003.]
Gene Mullin (D-19), Vice-chair -- 650-341-4319 / (916) 319-2019
John Laird (D-27) Santa Cruz (831-425-1503) Seaside (831-384-1980)/ (916) 319-2027
Loni Hancock (D-14) Berkeley, 510-540-3660 / (916) 319-2014
Judy Chu (D-49) Monterey Park (323-981-3426) El Monte (626-450-6116) / (916) 319-2049
Shirley Horton (R-78) San Diego, 619-234-7878 / (916) 319-2078
Guy Houston (R- 15) Brentwood (925-513-8558) Livermore (925-606-4990) / (916) 319-2015
Assembly Committee on the Judiciary
Ellen Corbett, Chair (D-18) San Leandro, 510-6140181 / (916) 319-2018
Tom Harman, Vice Chair (R-67) Huntington Beach, 714-843-4966 / (916) 319-2067
Patricia Bates (R-73) Oceanside (760-757-8084) Laguna Niguel (949-495-0730) / (916) 319-2073
John Dutra (D-20) Fremont, 510-440-9030 / (916) 319-2020
Loni Hancock (D-14) Berkeley, 510-540-3660 / (916) 319-2014
Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-35) Santa Barbara (805-654-1649) Ventura (805-648-9943) / (916) 319-2035
John Laird (D-27) Santa Cruz (831-425-1503) Seaside (831-384-1980)/ (916) 319-2027
John Longville (D-62) San Bernardino, 909-388-1413 / (916) 319-2062
Cindy Montanez (D-39) Mission Hills, 818-838-3939 / (916) 319-2039
Robert Pacheco (R-60) City of Industry, 626-839-2000 / (916) 319-2060
Todd Spitzer (R-71) Orange, 714-998-0980 / (916) 319-2071
Darrell Steinberg (D-9) Sacramento, 916-324-4676 / (916) 319-2009
Juan Vargas (D-79) Chula Vista, 619-409-7979 / (916) 319-2079
Scheduling appointments to make your case:
Schedule appointments
Instead of saying that you are seeking someone to sponsor the bill, initially simply say that you would like to schedule an “information session”
Keep your focus narrow and to a few simple points
Research the legislator’s biography and past voting record on your issue, and explain how supporting you will further their goals, and will not be perceived as a shift in their platform
Leave simply stated written material, stating your view, and also the opposing view, with your counter remarks to those with opposing viewpoints
Optimally, you should have 3-4 people in your group at the appointment (one person is not as strong and too many simply make the legislator focus on “getting through the meeting” amicably, instead of really discussing the issues)
Match the people in the room to the person being lobbied
Always have a constituent of the legislator present at the meeting
If possible, have someone at he meeting who shares common history with the legislator (i.e. if the legislator is an ex-teacher, the presence of someone in education is beneficial)
Finding a legislator to sponsor a bill:
If you can find a legislator who has a firm personal belief in what your bill represents, this is optimum
Try to find a sponsor that will “own” you legislation, making yours one of the 12 bills that they believe must pass. (This is best realized if the legislator or a family member of theirs has been affected by the issue raised in your proposed bill).
You can call a legislator’s office and simply ask if the legislator has in the past supported legislation of this kind; if not, go on to someone else
If the legislator or their family member (especially a spouse or child) has been affected by the issue you represent, you have the strongest chance for support
Always make a case for how your legislation will in no way conflict with the legislators agenda/platform, and how in fact it further supports it
Emphasize to the legislator what’s in it for them to support your legislation
In addition to stating your case, give the legislator in writing what the opposition may say, and how the opposition can be successfully counter argued
Accept that politically some legislators may not be able to sponsor your bill, but may still be able to simply vote favorably for it, and that some simply will not support it
Rallying support for the legislation:
Offer that if the legislator can offer their expertise to amend and improve the legislation, that this help is valued and appreciated (When they their add ideas they become stakeholders and therefore “own” the legislation and become much stronger proponents of it)
Gain support of people representing bodies of people where possible (i.e. unions, associations or organizations)
Realize that individuals can only heavily influence is they are a spouse or major financial contributor
Realize that grassroots letters from constituents are very effective
Know that media can be used to support your legislation (Don’t forget that when you attempt to gain media coverage, your information must be sent two places: 1) to the news division, and, 2) to the editorial division
Advocacy Skills:
Know that the goal of advocacy is to affect the legislative process
Know that you are asking legislators to either reinforce their stance (easy) or to change their stance (difficult)
Know that if you fail on your first attempt that raising the issue again, and again, can win on a subsequent attempt
Tell legislators how their support of the legislation helps them to achieve their agenda (That it supports their platform, provides gains in constituent support, leaves a legacy of voting for an issue that they can be proud of in retirement)
Try to anticipate questions you might be asked and rehearse your point, counterpoint, response skills
Go beyond the talking points by knowing your material and by reading the bill
“Inoculate” the legislator to attacks they may get by supporting you, by telling them the arguments that can be made against your proposed legislation and how the legislator can counter argue for you
If you have many points, stick to just the three strongest ones
Written materials should be left behind
Written materials should state your case simply, can be humorous, or can be a dramatic statement, that includes a visual, and should memorable
Never mistake polite listening for agreement or endorsement
After a meeting, access its chemistry, and if you should either continue your efforts with the legislator, or move on to someone else
Never debrief in the hallways, elevator, restroom, or anywhere near where the actual meeting took place (You can never tell who may be overhearing you)
If you are unsure of what a legislator said, call their office for clarification (They will appreciate being given the opportunity to clarify, rather than be misquoted)
Always follow up every step of the process with thank you letters and emails (so few do this)
http://www.newtimes-slo.com/index.php?p=showarticle&id=1788
Basically, the government is stalling. Write to the Secretary of the Interior:
Hon. Dirk Kempthorne
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Thanks.
Bureau of Land Management
News Release
For Release: July 26, 2006 CA-SO-06-11
Contact: John Dearing (916) 978-4622 or Dave Christy (916) 985-4474
Carrizo Plain National Monument Planning to Resume
With the recent appointment of the new Carrizo Plain National Monument Advisory Committee, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is ready to resume work with the public on a draft resource management plan (RMP) to guide the monumentâ?Ts future, according to BLM State Director Mike Pool.
The committee, a nine-member panel appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, will advise BLM on development of the plan, said Pool. â?oWeâ?Tre very pleased to have the new committee in place and we look forward to their help in crafting a land use plan that both recognizes the special values that led to the monumentâ?Ts designation and provides for an appropriate level of public use and enjoyment.â?
BLM has decided to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to support the plan, based on â?opublic requests and our interest in expanding public involvement in the planning process,â? he said.
In cooperation with the committee, the BLM and its monument managing partners, The Nature Conservancy and the California Department of Fish and Game, will be conducting additional public scoping meetings later this fall to gather input on issues to be addressed in the draft RMP and EIS, expected to be ready for public review and comment sometime in 2007. Prior scoping comments received will also be addressed to ensure the documents are responsive to all public issues and concerns.
The Carrizo Plain, the largest undeveloped remnant of the once vast San Joaquin Valley ecosystem, was designated a national monument in 2001 in recognition of its special resource values, including threatened and endangered species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. It also contains nationally significant geological features, such as one of the best exposed examples of the 10-million year old San Andreas Fault, as well as one of the most significant cultural sites in California at Painted Rock. In the spring, the Plain exhibits a lavish wildflower display of goldfields, purple owls, lupine, and the rare California jewelflower.
Carrizo Plain Advisory Committee members are: Ellen Cypher, PhD, plant ecologist and research ecologist, Bakersfield; Neil Havlik, PhD, natural resources manager, San Luis Obispo; Raymond Hatch, former mayor, Taft; Michael Khus-Zarate, an educator and member of the Carrizo Plain Native American Advisory Council, Fresno; Dale Kuhnle, rancher, Santa Margarita; Jim Patterson, San Luis Obispo County supervisor, Atascadero; Robert Pavlik, environmental planner, San Luis Obispo; Carl Twisselman, rancher and member of the BLM Central California Resource Advisory Council, McKittrick; and Raymond Watson, Kern County supervisor, Bakersfield.
Further information on the Carrizo Plain can be obtained from BLMâ?Ts Bakersfield Field Office, 3801 Pegasus Dr., Bakersfield, Calif., 93308 or (661) 391-6000.
-BLM-
California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825
New hopes for action at Carrizo Plain arise
San Luis Obispo Tribune
By David Whitney
dwhitney@thetribunenews.com Posted on Sun, Dec. 03, 2006
Huntsinger is leaving Bakersfield to work under the science coordinator's office in DC. The RMP is back on the schedule of the advisory committee and things are not looking as bleak!
David Sneed
dsneed@thetribunenews.com
A dormant resource advisory committee will meet Jan. 27 to discuss management of the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
It will be the first meeting of the group since it unraveled in 2005 over disagreements about appropriate levels of grazing within the 250,000-acre monument in southeastern San Luis Obispo County.
The nine-member advisory group will hold a daylong meeting starting at 10 a.m. at the Carrisa Elementary School on Highway 58 near Soda Lake Road. A public comment period will be held from 3 to 4 p.m.
The monument is home to an abundance of rare and endangered plants and animals. Former manager Marlene Braun committed suicide in May 2005 citing disagreement over grazing issues with her Bureau of Land Management boss Ron Huntsinger.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The agency has reappointed the advisory panel and is resuming efforts to complete a resource management plan. For more information, call Johna Hurl at (661) 391-6093.
In addition, the Draft RMP for the Carrizo Plain National Monument is available on the BLM Bakersfield site for review and comment.