President's message by Commissioner Jennifer Belcher

Congratulations to everyone who assisted with the recent joint Western States Land Commissioners Association (WSLCA) and Eastern Lands and Resources Council (ELRC) meeting in Washington, D.C. It was a great success that served to highlight the many opportunities for our organizations to continue working together.

The meeting was excellent: well planned and organized to make the most of our few days together. In addition to the roundtable discussion with federal agency directors, ELRC President Rodney Stokes and I were able to meet personally with key people such as Senator Larry Craig, Sylvia Baca, and Bob Armstrong. One result was an agreement from Sylvia and Bob that they would participate with our task force on land exchanges to improve that process.

In response to our discussions in Reno about land exchanges, I've appointed Curt Johnson (SD), Dave Terry (UT), and Ray Powell (NM) to work with me to develop a proposal to take to a discussion with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. Our idea is to propose to them that they prioritize a couple of key states and work with us to reach a successful solution as quickly as possible. Both agencies seemed willing to do so.

Planning for the WSLCA Summer Meeting in Bismarck, ND, July 27-31, is complete and we've developed a great program for you. Key agenda items at the meeting will include:

• divestiture of federal lands;
• fair market value for school trust lands;
• federal surface issues;
• urban and transitional lands -- non-traditional uses
• leasing of submerged lands -- asset management;
• investment management;
• the Endangered Species Act;
• surface valuations and valuations for exchanges; and
• investment oversight of permanent funds.

I'd like to thank Bob Olheiser and his great planning team in North Dakota for their efforts to date. For everyone else, I strongly encourage you to make time in your schedules to attend what promises to be a great meeting.

As I prepare to leave office and turn the reins of WSLCA over to Ray Powell, I can tell you the time goes by quickly! While we've accomplished several things on my agenda, I have several left to pass on to Ray.

I'm looking forward to seeing each of you next month.