Peter J. Goldmark Politician

Peter James Goldmark (born August 4, 1946) is the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands and heads the Washington Department of Natural Resources. He is a Democrat from a rural part of Okanogan County, Washington, outside of the town of Okanogan.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; 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) against incumbent Doug Sutherland 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; promoting the use of biofuels; effective wildland fire management; and maintaining clean water for drinking, salmon habitat, and shellfish harvesting.

Personal facts

Birth date	August 04, 1946
Birth place	Okanogan Washington
Nationality	United States
Residence	Okanogan Washington
Education	University of California Berkeley Haverford College
Profession	Molecular biology