Cowboy Ken rides again- this time, in an ORV

As our readers must know, we despise Cowboy, er, Secretary Ken Salazar. For many reasons, including this and this and this. And we certainly thought that no photo of the man would make us want to puke as much as the photo in that last link, with his cowboy hat and his bolo tie signifying for all the world that the western public lands land grab would continue under his watch.

Until now.

(Via.)

That's right. Secretary Ken Salazar went riding on an ORV in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (also known as the Algodones Dunes) last weekend and thought, "It was fantastic."

Not, "Wow. What a unique geological treasure, the largest dunes in North America, with so many awesome species that are found NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH!"

Not, "Isn't is great that conservation groups have worked so hard to gain closures and protect Wilderness in this area so that there is plenty of room for Peirson's milk-vetch to persist?"

Nope. Instead,

Sunday, Salazar was talking up off-roading on federal land.

“It’s important that we allow the different kinds of uses,” he said.

Salazar said the off-highway vehicle area is an example of the many ways federal lands are used to create jobs. The dunes draw 1.3 million visitors, he said, calling that “a huge contribution to the local economy.”

The reason for this reassurance? Because people are FREAKING OUT that Obama's "Great Outdoors Initiative" might actually mean something about conservation.

They needn't, not with guys like Ken Salazar and Bob Abbey in charge of vast acreages of public lands.