Peter J. Goldmark - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Peter James Goldmark is the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands and heads the Washington Department of Natural Resources

Washington Department of Natural Resources

The Washington Department of Natural Resources manage over of forest, range, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tidelands, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers...

. He is a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

from a rural part of Okanogan County, Washington, outside of the town of Okanogan

Okanogan, Washington

Okanogan is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,552 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Okanogan County.It has a small commuter airfield, Okanogan Legion Airport - with one paved runway of in length....

.

Peter Goldmark has placed a lifelong emphasis on agriculture, science, education, and public service. His primary career experience includes ranching in Eastern Washington; over thirty years of volunteering to fighting wildland fires

Wildfire

A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...

; and a PhD in molecular biology. He has published papers in national and international scientific journals on plant molecular genetics and currently runs a wheat breeding program for crop improvement.

In 2008, Goldmark won the election for Commissioner of Public Lands (head of the Washington Department of Natural Resources

Washington Department of Natural Resources

) against incumbent Doug Sutherland

Doug Sutherland (American politician)

Doug Sutherland, Republican, is the former Commissioner of Public Lands for the state of Washington. Sutherland was first elected to this statewide position in 2000, when he defeated former Governor Mike Lowry. He was re-elected in 2004, defeating challenger Mike Cooper. In 2008 Sutherland ran for...

in a tightly contested race. The major focus points of his campaign for Public Land Commissioner include preventing forest from being converted into strip malls or development; encouraging sustainable timber practices to maintain steady income and areas of recreation for the state; cleaning up Puget Sound

Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...

; promoting the use of biofuels; effective wildland fire management; and maintaining clean water for drinking, salmon habitat, and shellfish harvesting.

Early life

His father, John E. Goldmark bought the family ranch in 1946. Peter began his education in a one-room school house at Duley Lake near Okanogan, Washington. He graduated from Okanogan High School in Okanogan

Okanogan, Washington

in 1963 and Haverford College

Haverford College

Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...

in 1967.

Goldmark's father, John, had been a Washington State legislator. After a local newspaper, the Tonasket Tribune, smeared him as a Communist and probably cost him re-election in 1962, John and his wife Sally sued for libel and won, in a landmark case. Goldmark's brother Charles, along with his immediate family, was murdered in Seattle in 1985 by David Lewis Rice

David Lewis Rice

David Lewis Rice is a follower of the Christian Identity movement who, on Christmas Eve 1985, gained entry to the Seattle home of civil rights attorney Charles Goldmark using a toy gun and pretending to be a deliveryman. He tied the family up, chloroformed them into unconsciousness, beat them with...

, who falsely believed them to be Communists.

Education

1967: Bachelor’s degree from Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...

in Haverford, Pennsylvania
Haverford, Pennsylvania
Haverford is an unincorporated community located partially in Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA, but primarily in Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, about west of Philadelphia. It is on the Main Line, which is known historically for its wealth. As of August 2009,...
1971: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...

from the University of California at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

Career

Peter J. Goldmark is the owner of Double J. Ranch, which covers 7000 acres (28.3 km²) in Okanogan County. He also is the founder and chief scientist of a biotechnology research laboratory, DJR Research, Inc., in Okanogan

Okanogan, Washington

. Most recently he served on the Washington State University

Washington State University

Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...

Board of Regents.

Career awards include being named Washington State Conservation Farmer of the Year (1983). Additional career notes include thirty years as a volunteer wildland firefighter in Washington State. He was also former Director of the Washington Department of Agriculture, resigning in under six months (reports of exact time differs) saying "It is not possible for me to fulfill the requirements of this important and demanding job in state government and still meet the needs of my family."

He was recently noted as saying he is ready for a full-time government post as Commissioner of Public Lands, and addressed concerns over the short period of time with the Department of Agriculture, citing that his children are now grown and he has hired additional staff to help manage the ranch.

1971 - 1972: he was a Research Associate at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

Medical School.
1972: brought his wife back to the Double J Ranch for their honeymoon and never left.
1976 - 1986: served as a member and chair of the Okanogan County Planning Commission.
1993: appointed the director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture by former Governor Mike Lowry
Mike Lowry
Michael Edward "Mike" Lowry served as the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1993 to 1997. Lowry is a Democrat.Lowry was born and raised in St. John, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University in 1962...

.
1994 - 1996: served as chair of the Governor's Council on Agriculture and the Environment.
1996 - 2005: appointed to the Board of Regents to the Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...

.
1996 - 1998: worked as Vice President of Quality Northwest.
1997 - 2005: served on the Board of Directors of the Okanogan School District.
1999 - 2000: served as President of the Board and chairman of the presidential search committee.
1999–present: Co-founded Farming and the Environment, a non-profit to bridge farmers and environmentalists.
2002 - 2003: served on the Governor's Council for a Sustainable Washington.
2003 - 2008: served on the Advisory Board of the Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...

- University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

Policy Consensus Center.
2004 - 2005: served on the Governor's Council on Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

.
ongoing: Over thirty years as a wildland firefighter with Okanogan County Fire District No. 8.

2006 campaign

In 2006, Goldmark ran for Congress against Cathy McMorris

Cathy McMorris

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district, based in Spokane, includes most of the eastern third of the state. She is a member of the Republican Party.She is currently one of two female U.S...

, who was hailed as a rising star and a heavy favorite for re-election. The increasing visibility and fundraising ability of Goldmark's campaign prompted CQPolitics.com to change its race rating to Republican Favored from Safe Republican in late August, 2006—stating that that McMorris was still likely to win re-election, but that Goldmark was providing her with serious competition. McMorris ended up defeating Goldmark (56.4% to 43.6%) by 13% even after the DCCC designed the race as one of their "Red To Blue" races, targeting it for donations and support.

2008 campaign

Goldmark's 2008 campaign focus was to "restore the integrity of the management of 15 million acres (60,702.9 km²) of forest, rangeland, and water resources." He brings ranching and science experience, as well as a conservation ethic

Conservation ethic

Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...

, to Washington Department of Natural Resources. He hopes to maximize the productivity and sustainability of jobs, recreation, and wildlife. He beat Doug Sutherland by 31,000 votes.

Energy Policy

Goldmark is campaigning for a reduction in dependence on foreign oil by supporting the use of fuels derived from biomass, like biodiesel and raising the mileage requirements for new cars and trucks. He also supports decentralized renewable energy initiatives to promote energy self-reliance in rural areas and supports investing in wind energy.

Puget Sound and the Environment

Goldmark places a strong emphasis on the conservation of the Puget Sound

Puget Sound

, and the various rivers comprising its basin, for the restoration of salmon and other aquatic species. Clean water is important to the Washington Department of Natural Resources

Washington Department of Natural Resources

because a portion of their budget is based on the harvesting of wild geoduck

Geoduck

The geoduck , Panopea generosa, is a species of very large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Hiatellidae.The shell of this clam is large, about to over in length, but the very long siphons make the clam itself very much longer than this: the "neck" or siphons alone can be ...

.

Goldmark is a board member of the Washington State Biodiversity Council. Former Governor Gary Locke created the Council in 2004 to develop and promote more effective ways of conserving Washington's biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

Farming

Goldmark ranches with a strong conservation philosophy. He adheres to methods that would conserve the soil while growing crops and managing the whole ranch with a philosophy of care instead of one of exploitation. In 1999, Goldmark co-founded a nonprofit called Farming and the Environment comprising a coalition of environmentalists and farmers. The group is dedicated to ensuring the ecological and economic health of agricultural lands and rural communities. The hope is to build a bridge between farmers and environmentalists. The group has worked together to meet the needs of a healthy environment and maintain economically viable agricultural opportunities at the same time.
Goldmark says that farmers and ranchers fulfill a mandate to provide food for people and at the same time, they seek to be good stewards of the land and have to be very much concerned with the environment.

Sustainable Forest Management

Goldmark is concerned over the loss of working forests to sprawl and unsustainable logging practices. He wants to "end sweetheart deals that give away public resources" and is working to limit clearcutting on dangerous slopes.

Campaign Financing and Government Ethics

Peter Goldmark takes a very strong stance against lobbyist gifts and meals given to elected officials. He has vowed to refuse all such gifts and has challenged his opponent to take the same position. Goldmark did accept $202,855 in PAC money during the 2006 election cycle.

External links

Purification and Properties of the recBC DNase of Escherichia coli K-12 A scientific article on E. coli co-authored by Goldmark in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Molecular Cloning and Expression of Abscisic Acid-Responsive Genes in Embryos of Dormant Wheat Seeds A scientific article on wheat co-authored by Goldmark in Plant Physiology.
Cloning and expression of an embryo-specific mRNA up-regulated in hydrated dormant seeds A scientific article on wheat co-authored by Goldmark in Plant Molecular Biology.
A short Goldmark campaign video
Goldmark's 2008 campaign website
Goldmark's 2006 campaign website
Washington State DNR website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Early life

Education

Career

2006 campaign

2008 campaign

Energy Policy

Puget Sound and the Environment

Farming

Sustainable Forest Management

Campaign Financing and Government Ethics

See also

External links