One of the Bureau of Land Management’s most senior range specialists has announced that she is leaving the agency reportedly “in disgust” over its declining ability and willingness to protect the lands entrusted to it. Her exit memo was posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Her central concern is that a shrinking cadre of BLM range staff are not allowed to stem the damage caused by chronic overgrazing and rampant grazing trespass.
Melissa Shawcroft has been a BLM Range Management Specialist for more than 32 years, working in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. She had been responsible for administering 70 grazing allotments and 50 grazing permits. In 2012, BLM gave her its Outstanding Rangeland Management Specialist Award. She resigned from the agency effective April 30, 2024.