Magagna Named Wyoming
Stock Growers Leader

CHEYENNE, Wyo. —(AP)— Former Wyoming state lands director Jim Magagna was appointed to head the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the group announced Tuesday.

The association appointed Magagna to the re-established position of executive vice president effective Dec. 1.

"Jim Magagna's many years of experience in addressing issues facing the livestock industry will directly position the association to strengthen its policy development and advocacy on behalf of Wyoming livestock producers," said association President Nels Smith of Sundance in a release.

Magagna is a lifelong sheep rancher and has held the presidencies of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, Wyoming Public Lands Council, National Public Lands Council and American Sheep Industry Association.

Magagna was fired as state lands director by Gov. Jim Geringer on Nov. 25, 1997, because of an unauthorized change made to a rule regulating access to state public lands. Geringer ordered an investigation by the state Division of Criminal Investigation, which found the change was made by someone in the state land office. Geringer fired Magagna after he refused to resign.

Laramie County District Attorney Jon Forwood declined to prosecute anyone as a result of the incident and Geringer and former Attorney General Bill Hill refused to release the report of the investigation.

Magagna said he is excited to be dealing with natural resource issues after nearly a year of full-time ranching on the family sheep operation near Rock Springs and said he was not bothered by his dismissal.

"I had no bad feelings. I'd done a job to the best of my ability and hadn't done anything wrong, so when the governor decided that he didn't want me there, I figured that's part of the territory and that's his prerogative," Magagna said. "I just went on to the next thing and I didn't look back."