Issues
IPAA sends letter to Department of Interior regarding species mitigation policies. In conjunction with nine other industry associations, IPAA sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), largely commending the agency for recent revisions made to mitigation policies that, according to the letter, “far exceeded statutory authority.” The associations credited many of the policy improvements to an executive order (EO) President Trump signed last year.
“We specifically support the EO’s rescission of the November 3, 2015 Presidential Memorandum on Mitigating Impacts on Natural Resources from Development and Encouraging Related Private Investment (Presidential Memorandum). The Presidential Memorandum directed federal agencies to implement a litany of additional policies that introduced regulatory and cost uncertainty that prevent, increase the cost of, or delay responsible resource development,” the associations wrote in the letter.
While they thanked the agency for these recent actions, the industry groups also note there are still “mitigation policies in place at DOI that, despite exceeding statutory authority, continue to be used by state and local field offices which are directly impacting the industry’s ability to move forward with responsible development.”
The letter reiterates efforts the industry takes to conserve and protect the species and their habitats in areas in which they operate and that IPAA and its co-signers look forward to providing further suggestions as to how the DOI can improve its mitigation policies in the future.
Activists sue federal government for lack of protection of California waterways. Early this week, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging federal officials broke the law by failing to develop plans to conserve eight rivers in Southern California.
On March 31, 2009, Congress designated portions of eight rivers in California to be protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Act necessitates that management plans for the rivers must be implemented to “protect and enhance…outstanding remarkable values” for “future generations” within a three-year time-frame. According to the lawsuit, because the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service – the parties responsible for developing the management plans – failed to do this, the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to ensure they implement the plans.
The Center for Biological Diversity argues that the management plans are important because the rivers in question “provide critical habitat for endangered birds and other imperiled species,” such as various butterflies, the Piute spotted bat, California spotted owls, southwestern willow flycatchers, among others.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
In the News
Zinke backs importing grizzlies to North Cascades. E&E News (Sub req’d). Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today restarted a study of reintroducing grizzly bears into the North Cascades ecosystem, setting in motion again a controversial plan that could unfold over decades if it survives the inevitable litigation. During a late-morning briefing at the headquarters of North Cascades National Park in Sedro-Woolley, Wash., Zinke announced that the grizzly bear reintroduction study and decision should be complete by the end of 2018. “Restoring the grizzly bear to the North Cascades ecosystem is the American conservation ethic come to life,” Zinke said. “We are moving forward with plans to restore the bear to the North Cascades, continuing our commitment to conservation and living up to our responsibility as the premier stewards of our public land.” Zinke’s announcement marks the latest turn in a long and politically sensitive policy dispute over an iconic animal that’s been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1975.
Romney, Stewart, Bishop back Utah group pushing for local control over public lands. The Spectrum. Mitt Romney and U.S. Reps Chris Stewart and Rob Bishop talked tough on public lands during a visit to St. George on Tuesday. The three Republicans, all of whom are running for election this year, discussed weakening the Antiquities Act and Endangered Species Act, dropping the filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate and rewriting federal public lands policy to require state approval of new regulations. The push for such Utah-style policy proposals — taking advantage of a Republican Congress and the willingness of President Donald Trump’s administration to go along with those plans — drew mostly applause from the small audience gathered at Dixie State University for the conference of a conservative advocacy group called the Foundation for Integrated Resource Management.
‘Truly alarming’: No babies for endangered right whales. Associated Press. The winter calving season for critically endangered right whales has nearly ended with zero newborns spotted in the past four months — a reproductive drought that scientists who study the fragile species haven’t seen in three decades. Survey flights to look for mother-and-calf pairs off the Atlantic coasts of Georgia and Florida are scheduled to wrap up when the month ends Saturday. Right whales typically give birth off the southeastern U.S. seacoast between December and late March. Researchers have recorded between one and 39 births each year since the flights began in 1989. Now experts are looking at the possibility of a calving season without any confirmed births. “It’s a pivotal moment for right whales,” said Barb Zoodsma, who oversees the right whale recovery program in the U.S. Southeast for the National Marine Fisheries Service. “If we don’t get serious and figure this out, it very well could be the beginning of the end.”
Gros Ventre wolves targeted. Jackson Hole News & Guide. Wyoming wildlife managers aim to kill more wolves in the Gros Ventre area in hopes of drawing some elk back into that river valley during winter. Aerial and ground surveys from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department this year detected just 86 elk on the Gros Ventre’s three feedgrounds and natural winter ranges, which is the lowest number on record. The near-complete absence of elk in the Gros Ventre does not equate to a herd population that’s crashed — it’s where the herd goes in winter that has changed — but some state officials see the situation as a crisis. Game and Fish Deputy Chief of Wildlife Doug Brimeyer, a former Jackson region biologist, told his commissioners earlier this month that the wintertime elk exodus has been “emotional” for managers and others who have watched the changes. “There has been some huge changes,” Brimeyer told the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on March 14 in Cody.
Eddy County conservation efforts supported by millions. Carlsbad Current Argus. The sprawling mountains and rangelands of southeast New Mexico might be beautiful, but preservation of the land and ecosystems isn’t free. Conservation efforts in southern Eddy County got a boost from millions of dollars in grant funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The Foundation’s 2018 grant slate provided funding for seven projects in southeast New Mexico and west Texas, as part of the Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative. In total, the initiative provided $1.4 million in grant funds, and generated $2.3 million in matching funds, for a total $3.7 million impact to conservation projects in the region. Energy producers committed another $3.5 million over the next three years, read an NFWF news release, and the Foundation agreed to match those funds for another $7 million. Grants were combined with matching funds, donated by oil and gas companies with assets in the area and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
