Allan K. Fitzsimmons is the Wildlands Fuel Coordinator at the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

. This is a newly created position where he will coordinate and implement fuels treatment on lands managed by the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

Fish and Wildlife Service A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fins and a hard skull, but lacking limbs with digits. Fish can be grouped into the more basal jawless fish and the more common jawed fis ...

and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

Career

Fitzsimmons has 25 years of experience working with natural resource issues previous to this position, including previous service at the Interior Department. From 1983 to 1985 he served as a special assistant to the Deputy Director of the National Park Service. From 1985 to 1989 he was the special assistant to the assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks and from 1989 to 1992 the special assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary for Policy, Planning and Development at the Department of Energy.

Philosophical and political views

Fitzsimmons’ views regarding

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

management, specifically endangered species, have created some controversy among environmentalists, such as

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other ...

. In his 1999 book ''Defending Illusions: Federal Protection of Ecosystems'', he renounces the existence of ecosystems, claiming they are merely “mental constructs.” Interior Secretary

Gale Norton Gale Ann Norton (born March 11, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. A member of the Republican Party, she previously serve ...

, who appointed Fitzsimmons to the Fuel Coordinator position, stated that he feels confident that Fitzsimmons has a “wide range” of experience with environmental issues.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20071025114552/http://www.doi.gov/news/020828.htm * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimmons, Allan Living people United States Department of the Interior officials United States Fish and Wildlife Service personnel National Park Service personnel Year of birth missing (living people)