Arthur “Butch” Blazer (Mescalero)

"I don’t believe in magic. I believe in the sun and the stars, 

the water, the tides, the floods, the owls, the hawks flying, 

the river running, the wind talking.They’re measurements. 

They tell us how healthy things are. How healthy we are. 

Because we and they are the same. That’s what I believe in.”

- Billy Frank Jr.

The presentation will reflect my personal reflection and experiences over the course of my 40+ years career. I will be sharing my thoughts and perspectives on how tribal natural resources (forestry) management has evolved and discussing possible courses of action moving forward.

Speaker Biography

Arthur “Butch” Blazer, a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was raised on the beautiful 463,000 acre Mescalero reservation, which is located in South-central New Mexico. Upon his graduation from New Mexico State University (’75) with a BS Degree in Range Science, he returned home to embark on what turned out to be a very successful career.

In January of 2003, Butch temporarily left federal service to accept an appointment by former Governor Bill Richardson to the position of New Mexico State Forester.  As the first ever Native American in this position, Blazer successfully initiated many positive changes within the State during his eight-year tenure, including the development of a unique state-wide forest and watershed health plan.

In 2011, Blazer accepted an appointment from President Obama to serve as Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) where he provided oversight and direction to the U.S. Forest Service. He retired in May 2016 having served 32 years with the federal government including a distinguished 27-year career with the U.S. Department of Interior (BIA), serving in various executive management positions, while also participating in important natural resources related Tribal Non-profits (i.e. Native American Fish & Wildlife Society, etc.)

In November of 2017, Butch was elected by his tribal membership as the President of the Mescalero Apache Tribe. He served in this position for his two-year term, providing executive leadership to the Mescalero Tribal Council and the Tribal constituency.

Over the course of his diverse career, Blazer has served on numerous Boards and Councils that have assisted Tribal Leadership in addressing key issues and concerns within Indian Country.