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The New Law of the Land
Secretary Ken Salazar takes the reins as the
steward of America’s natural and cultural landscape and sows
the seeds of progress.
It somehow seems fitting that
the man running the office that manages more than 500 acres of land,
the national parks, the fish and wildlife division, and much of
the country’s water resources spent his youth in the great
outdoors. In January, former Colorado senator Ken Salazar, was confirmed
as the 50th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The
day marked his rise to becoming one of the highest-ranking Hispanics
in U.S. government, and placed him in the role of being chief caretaker
for America’s land.
Salazar recently sat down with Hispanic to discuss the new role
he’s playing in government, his personal and familial relationship
with the land and how he intends to change the game for Latinos
in conservation.
In his elegant dark wood paneled office in the heart of D.C. hangs
a portrait of George Washington and several paintings of scenes
of natural America—from roaming Bison to a natural geyser
to a snowy landscape. In the corner hang his suit coat and his famous
cowboy hat, which he often pairs with a Western-style bolo tie.
Peeking out from beneath his suit pants are glossy brown cowboy
boots. Portrayed by the media as the Interior’s new sheriff,
the tall, cowboy-hat-donning Westerner seems to fit the bill perfectly.
The boots and hat juxtaposed with his crisp Washington suit ring
true to his current post as well as his upbringing.
For more than 30 years, Salazar was himself a farmer and rancher
in Colorado, tending to animals and vegetation as a partner in El
Rancho Salazar, his family’s ranch.
“The ranch for me is a very special place because it’s
been in my family’s ownership now for five generations and
it’s a place where my great grandparents and so many others
formed the possibilities that I have today,” says Salazar
from the plush surroundings of his Washington, D.C. office.
Ken Salazar’s family has a long history in the American West,
working off the land. It is reported that he can trace his genealogy
back 12 generations. The Salazars settled in what was to become
the state of New Mexico some 400 years ago, and established the
city of Santa Fe. Salazar himself grew up with his seven brothers
and sisters far from urban life on a homestead without electricity
or telephones. It’s where he believes he cultivated his appreciation
for the natural world.
“Everything I am, frankly, started out in that place from
great parents, parents that taught us about service to our country,
love of family which is so important to me today, the understanding
that we live in the community and we give back to the community,”
he says.
After college—his generation was the first in his family to
graduate—he turned his attention to the law and worked as
a water and environmental attorney for 11 years.
 Salazar’s
appointment to the Cabinet position comes amid cries that President
Obama has done little to advance Hispanics in top posts. Yet, his
appointment does that and more, both elevating a top Latino official
and placing a Hispanic in a position of conservation steward during
a time when Hispanics overall are not seen as a leading group in
environmental and conservation efforts.
“I think that the Hispanic community overall has been in the
mode of survival and so ... they care most about are the issues
of survival—they care about a job, they care about having
their kids go to a good school, they care about having healthcare,”
he says. “So I don’t think there has been a significant
presence of Latinos in environmental professions, [and] that makes
it difficult, frankly, when you are hiring and bringing in new people.
But I hope that that’s one of those things that we are able
to change—to attract a whole new generation of young people
from throughout America—including the Latino community—to
be a part of what I would call an appreciation and understanding
of the outdoors and conservation and the environment.”
In one of his first acts Salazar announced the Bureau of Land Management
would withdraw leases for oil and gas development from 77 parcels
of public land (about 103,225 acres) that the Bush Administration
sold in December.
One of his plans to foster environmental commitment is to build
what he refers to as “the best youth civilian conservation
corps program the country has ever seen.” Another goal toward
incorporating Hispanics into the national tapestry is to simply
open up a discussion about what the Hispanic people have proffered
to the United States though their long history by incorporating
that into the department’s historic and cultural preservation
programs.
“I would hope that one of the things that we can accomplish
is making sure that the history of the Hispanic community and their
contributions before the Revolutionary War, through the Revolutionary
War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II and throughout
the ages of this country will be a story we’ll be better able
to tell,” he says.
Salazar already has begun the process with other groups. In a discussions
with Native Americans, Salazar assured their inclusion by the Interior
regarding their concerns (the department oversees the Bureau of
Indian Affairs).
Still, though Salazar is a big believer in the big tent and inclusion—he
has been referred to as “too nice” by critics—he
has strong feelings about where to draw a clear line. He has come
down hard on those who would take advantage of their positions.
 As
one of his first decrees, Salazar announced that he would ensure
great changes to the troubled department, which has been rocked
by scandals in the past few years. Its former deputy secretary was
sent to prison in 2007 for obstruction of justice during the highly
publicized investigation of Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. And
in the Colorado office of the Minerals Management Service, which
the Interior oversees, some employees were fired or reprimanded
last year over allegations that they had received gifts, taken drugs
or even had sexual relationships with executives from the energy
industry.
In fitting with the media’s depiction, Salazar has recently
made public comments regarding the transgressions of the recent
past and his new plans to see them left behind. In late January,
Salazar also launched an ethics reform initiative that will look
into restructuring one of the agency’s programs.
“Over the last eight years, the Department of the Interior
has been tarnished by ethical lapses and criminal behavior that
has extended to the highest levels of government,” he said
during a White House press briefing in January. “It will be
clear that we will no longer tolerate those types of lapses at any
level of government. ... The American people should be proud of
their government.”
If bipartisan support, a favorable public and Salazar’s own
reception to his position is any indication, the people may just
be on their way.
timeline
Since his early days, ken salazar has achieved much.
1999-2004
As Colorado’s Attorney General, Salazar chairs the Conference
of Western Attorneys and earns a Profiles in Courage Award.
November 2004
Salazar is elected as Colorado’s 35th U.S. Senator. In the
Senate he serves on the Finance Committee, among others.
1987-1994
Salazar serves as chief legal counsel to Colorado Gov. Roy Romer
and is the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural
Resources.
2008
He teams up with then-presidential candidate Barack Obama during
the 2008 campaign.
January 2009
Salazar is confirmed a U.S. Secretary of the Interior by unanimous
vote.
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