Teen Takes Active Role In The Land Letter To Commissioner Gets Girl Seat On Advisory Panel

It was the appointment of a lifetime.

When 13-year-old Katy Turner wrote state Commissioner of Public Lands Jennifer Belcher in 1993, she never expected to be assigned to an 11-member advisory committee chaired by Seattle civic leader Dorothy Bullitt.

Turner, now 15, and a freshman at Omak High School, wrote a letter to Belcher as part of a middle school project. She asked Belcher what it was like to be public lands commissioner and said she wanted to be commissioner one day.

Turner was surprised when Belcher responded by appointing her to the statewide Public Lands Advisory Committee that advises the commissioner on management of more than 5 million acres of state trust lands, including forests, agricultural and aquatic areas.

“I didn’t understand the whole gist of what she was doing,” Turner said. “It took awhile to sink in.”

Belcher said she was impressed with Turner because her letter was so sophisticated. She said Turner realized how complex it is to manage resources for today and for future generations.

“She looked at both sides of the issue,” Belcher said. “She’s able to grasp complex issues.”

“I’d like to think she’s representative of most teenagers.”

Turner is like many teena. She runs track, watches “Northern Exposure” on TV and listens to country music. She takes science, English, typing and P.E. classes and is eager to get her driver’s learning permit in May.

Still, she sometimes gets teased by her friends for being on the committee.

“I take a little flak for it,” Turner said.

She got interested in forest management in sixth grade, when she attended a camp on the Colville Indian Reservation. She said classes taught at the camp by staff from the state Department of Natural Resources made her aware of forestry issues.

“When I’m there, I’m not a little kid,” she said. “I’m like everyone else.

Bullitt said Turner not only fits in well with the older committee members but has her own point of view.

“She doesn’t seemed cowed by the committee,” Bullitt said. “She displays a lot of natural leadership in my opinion. She’s not parroting the other committee members. She has very definite ideas of her own.”

Turner, who flies from Wenatchee to Sea-Tac every three months to meet with the committee, said some people her age are interested in adult issues, but few actually think about them.

Turner, who wants to go to Washington State University and possibly major in agricultural communications, said the best thing about the advisory committee is the experience.

“This is going to look perfect on (my) resume,” she said. “I’ll be ready for just about anything after this.”