I spoke with many men and women who work for the Bureau of Land Management. Three things struck me. The rangers work without backup, where cell phones don’t reach and rules don’t apply. Dangerous stuff. All the people who work for the BLM are caught in the middle of powerful social and political forces that tug them this way and that. They are often the subject of blame, but rarely the subject of praise. Yet despite frequently being targeted for public bashing, these people love their work and the lands they protect. We owe them a debt of thanks.