When President Obama was re-elected there were clear signals that changes were going to be made in the Cabinet. That caused many people in the broader conservation and environmental communities to ponder the possibilities for a new Secretary of the Interior and who or should that be. But while we certainly knew who we did not want (i.e., another James Watt or Gale Norton), the community had not quite settled on who they did want.
All of that has changed in the past few weeks as more and more the name of Raul Grijalva was whispered about. As time went on and the idea ripened more than 230 groups—including Cascadia Wildlands—all signed a letter urging the President and the administration to nominate Congressman Grijalva from Arizona to the position.
Now that the idea is public, it is getting some attention as well as galvanizing into a campaign including a petition to the White House. The next person in that seat will sit there during an important time. So get active and raise your voice on this issue.