Published: Sept. 7, 2012

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will address the role of public lands in American life at the °µĶų½ūĒų on Sept. 13 as part of a conference commemorating the 200th anniversary of the General Land Office.

Salazarā€™s talk is part of a conference titled ā€œThe Nation Possessed:ā€ØThe Conflicting Claims on Americaā€™s Public Landsā€ being held at CU-Boulder Sept. 11-14. The conference is sponsored by the Center of the American West and the Public Lands Foundation.

ā€œIt is a great privilege to host the Secretary of the Interior, along with many other distinguished public servants and influential Western figures,ā€ said Professor Patty Limerick, faculty director of the Center of the American West. ā€œThis is truly a ā€˜be there or be squareā€™ kind of event; for instance, the session at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday -- ā€˜Burning Man Meets Managing Man,ā€™ on the relationship between the Burning Man Festival and the Bureau of Land Management -- cannot be missed.ā€

Salazarā€™s talk is open only to conference attendees, and people may register for the conference on site at the University Memorial Centerā€™s Glenn Miller Ballroom on Sept. 12 starting at 10 a.m. But several other events are free and open to the public, including two evening events:

-- On Sept. 12, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the UMCā€™s Glenn Miller Ballroom, a former director of the Bureau of Land Management, Bob Abbey, will be interviewed by Timothy Egan, an author and writer for The New York Times.

-- On Sept. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the UMCā€™s Glenn Miller Ballroom, actors Clay Jenkinson and Bryce Townsend will present ā€œThe Public Domain and the Public Lands: 1812, 1912, 2112ā€ØRe-enactment/Pre-enactment Event with Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and a Visitor from the Future.ā€

A complete schedule of conference events is available at . For information on the CU-Boulder Center of the American West call 303-492-4879 or visit .

Contact:
Patty Limerick, Center of the American West, 303-492-4879
Kurt Gutjahr, Center of the American West, 303-492-6120
Peter Caughey, CU media relations, 303-492-4007

Ken Salazar

ā€œIt is a great privilege to host the Secretary of the Interior, along with many other distinguished public servants and influential Western figures,ā€ said Professor Patty Limerick, faculty director of the Center of the American West. ā€œThis is truly a ā€˜be there or be squareā€™ kind of event; for instance, the session at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday -- ā€˜Burning Man Meets Managing Man,ā€™ on the relationship between the Burning Man Festival and the Bureau of Land Management -- cannot be missed.ā€