 |
Arthur "Butch" Blazer New Mexico State Forester, Western Governors' Association representative |
Arthur
"Butch" Blazer, New Mexico State Forester, is a member of the
Mescalero Apache Tribe. Elected to the tribal council in 1998, he served
on the Executive Committee as Treasurer until the end of his second term
in 2002. Prior to his State appointment, Blazer held the position of Director
of Planning and Development for the Tribe, working on several economic
and social initiatives, including the development of a tribal fish hatchery.
Blazer, 50, carries a 27-year career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs
to his new position with state government. With the BIA, he served in
the capacity of a Range Specialist, the Albuquerque Area Natural Resources
Manager, and as Agency Superintendent on two different reservations. In
1983, he co-founded the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS),
an organization now comprised of 230 member tribes and Alaskan villages;
Blazer served as the President of NAFWS from 1997-2000. Recently, he was
elected as Interim President of the newly established Southwestern Tribal
Fish Commission. A graduate of New Mexico State University, he received
a Bachelor's of Science degree in agriculture in 1975.
