A "monumental, long-overdue step"
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** The conservative case for the public lands rule
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Monday, September 16, 2024
Bureau of Land Management, Utah ([link removed])
The Bureau of Land Management's Public Lands Rule, which was finalized earlier this year, created a pathway to restoring degraded tracts of national public land. "Restoration leasing" will allow conservation groups to partner with the federal government to bring back landscapes in ways that benefit wildlife and ecosystems.
The rule acknowledges that conservation is a use of public lands, alongside extractive uses like mining and drilling. The idea is being praised in a New York Times op-ed ([link removed]) from the conservative Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a free-market group that has long supported paying landowners for conservation work.
Shawn Regan, PERC's vice president of research, points out ([link removed]) that the BLM rule mirrors private habitat leasing that PERC started in 2021 to restore critical elk habitat in Montana's Paradise Valley. PERC paid a rancher to install wildlife-friendly fencing and eradicated invasive cheatgrass, providing winter food for Yellowstone's elk herds.
Regan called the BLM Public Lands Rule a "monumental, long-overdue step" that ensures "America's public lands aren't just leased to extract their resources, but also to conserve them as well."
Such high praise from a conservative group is a demonstration of the balance that BLM found in finalizing the rule. Progressive organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council ([link removed]) and Western Environmental Law Center ([link removed]) also lauded the final rule. Barbara Chillcott, senior attorney at WELC, said the rule will "modernize public lands management for conservation and climate protection in the 21st Century."
At the end of the comment period for the draft Public Lands Rule, the Center for Western Priorities found that 92 percent of public comments supported the BLM rulemaking ([link removed]) .
Podcast: The tiny fish that could save a desert community
In the latest episode of CWP's podcast ([link removed]) , The Landscape, Kate and Aaron talk to Wyatt Myskow, reporter for Inside Climate News, about his reporting on the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada ([link removed]) , where the Devil's Hole pupfish is undergoing a rebrand from villain to hero.
** Quick hits
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Judge blocks Interior from enforcing methane rule in five states
E&E News ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])
National park visitors spent $5 billion in Mountain West gateway towns last year
Wyoming Public Media ([link removed])
18.5 million acres are on the line in Utah's latest land grab lawsuit
Outside ([link removed])
BLM eyes more than 5 million acres in Utah for potential solar development
Utah News Dispatch ([link removed])
Federal bill takes aim at Wyoming's embrace of killing wildlife with snowmobiles
WyoFile ([link removed])
Climate pollution reduction grants send $300 million to 33 Tribal nations
KUNC ([link removed])
New BLM foundation grants nearly $1 million for virtual fencing efforts in Colorado
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
The volunteer armada that fishes out couches, hot tubs, and tons of trash from the Colorado River
CPR News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Visiting Canyonlands National Park or Deadhorse Point State Park (the most visited state park in Utah), and want to camp somewhere a little less crowded? Horsethief Campground is located nearby, and the surrounding BLM land is accessible for dispersed camping. That’s also the site of a proposed lithium mine ([link removed]) . The BLM has to balance the potential economic impact of that mine with the interests of campers and other recreational users, plus its environmental impacts. By law, Utah would only have to consider profitability if it took over management.”
—Wes Siler, Outside ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Alaska fall colors are coming in hot!
Serpentine Hot Springs is one of the most visited areas at @beringlandbridgenps ([link removed]) . With a gravel airstrip, hot springs piped into an enclosed bathhouse and a bunkhouse open year-round, Serpentine offers an incredible way to experience the unique and remote landscape of the region.
One of Serpentine’s most dramatic features is the large granite spires known as tors. These giant granite monoliths are even more incredible when summer’s bright pinks, yellows and purples turn into deeper and darker reds, oranges and yellows during the fall.
Enjoy the change of seasons wherever you may be!
Photo by Katie Cullen / @nationalparkservice ([link removed])
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