** Interior announces collaborative plan to conserve American bison
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Friday, May 8, 2020
American Bison at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado. Photo: Ryan Moehring, USFWS ([link removed])

The Interior Department announced ([link removed]) a collaborative 10-year plan to conserve the American bison, an iconic species that made it back from the brink of extinction. The newly established Bison Conservation Initiative ([link removed]) (BCI) will build on the work initiated by Interior's Bison Working Group to further coordinate ([link removed]) conservation strategies between the agency's bureaus as well as states, tribal nations, and nongovernmental organizations.

One of the first actions ([link removed]) to be taken by the BCI is to transfer bison from the herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota to promote genetic diversity across herds. The next project will be a collaboration with the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation to establish a new herd ([link removed]) on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota to support ecological restoration, cultural practices, economic development, food security, and public education.

Cristina Mormorunni, director of U.S. conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement ([link removed]) , "Launching a collaborative strategy for the ecological and cultural recovery of our national mammal, a symbol of unity, resilience, and health, could not come at a better time for the American people and our unique natural heritage." Congress designated ([link removed]) the American bison as the national mammal in 2016.


** Podcast: How (and when) should national parks reopen?
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The latest episode ([link removed]) of CWP's "Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed]) " includes a conversation with Phil Francis, the chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks ([link removed]) , and Joan Anzelmo ([link removed]) , a longtime spokesperson for numerous National Park Service units, about Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's rush to reopen national parks despite warnings from career NPS staff about risks to employees and the public.
Quick hits


** When it comes to social distancing, do as Interior Secretary David Bernhardt says, not as he does
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CNN ([link removed])


** Interior announces collaborative plan to conserve American bison
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Grand Forks Herald ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Podcast: How (and when) should national parks reopen?
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Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed])


** The BLM undermines the purpose of virtual public meetings by muting participants
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Communities that rely on oil industry face prospect of years-long economic recovery from market crash
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Harvard study links coronavirus death rates to pollution, calling to question Trump's environmental rollbacks
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** New report examines impacts from human development on big game migration corridors
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Grand Junction Sentinel ([link removed]) | Public News Service ([link removed])


** Opinion: There's no such thing as a "safe" uranium mine, especially near the Grand Canyon
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We are doing something that has never been done. It shows what is possible when business, philanthropy and government work together to create multiple bottom line initiatives supporting the environment, people, fiscal responsibility and Native nation building.”
—Wizipan Little Elk ([link removed]) , CEO of the Rosebud Economic Development Corp.
Picture this


** Bear cubs resting on the beach at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve ([link removed])
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