** New poll shows influence of "Outdoor Voting Bloc" in Mountain West states
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Friday, October 4, 2019
Winning the West 2020 ([link removed])

A new Winning the West 2020 ([link removed]) poll by the Center for Western Priorities shows an “Outdoor Voting Bloc” in the Rocky Mountain West has cemented itself as an influential factor in election outcomes. The Winning the West poll ([link removed]) and accompanying presentation ([link removed]) —conducted for the third consecutive election cycle in Colorado, Montana, and Nevada, and for the second time in Arizona and New Mexico—reveal how issues involving public lands, parks, and wildlife play an outsized role in moving Western voters to the polls and influence how voters choose candidates.

Overwhelming majorities ([link removed]) of voters in the Mountain West are committed outdoor enthusiasts. 93 percent agree the mountains and outdoors are what makes living in their state special. They not only use public lands but care about how they are protected, with 51 percent of Western voters labeling themselves as “conservationists” and 61 percent who believe the U.S. needs to protect new deserving public lands. When it comes to voting priorities, 78 percent of voters in the West consider issues involving public lands, waters, and wildlife to be important when deciding whether to support a candidate for public office, outpacing climate change as a top concern.


** Report raises alarms on attacks to federal science
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A bipartisan report ([link removed]) released by New York University warns of the marked increase of threats to scientific integrity under the Trump administration. The report mentions a policy letter forwarded to U.S. Customs and Border Protection from the Interior Department that deleted concerns from biologists about the border wall’s effects on wildlife.
Quick hits


** Climate change is bad news for Gunnison sage-grouse
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High Country News ([link removed])


** New poll shows influence of "Outdoor Voting Bloc" in Mountain West swing states
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Westwise ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Colorado Politics ([link removed]) | Missoula Current ([link removed])


** BLM headquarters and staff relocation moving forward despite opposition
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KUNR ([link removed]) | CPR ([link removed])


** Extension of William Perry Pendley's role at BLM clouded by legal questions around "acting" status of officials
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NPR ([link removed])


** Report: Attacks on federal scientific integrity soar under the Trump administration
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Proactive gel fire retardant could help prevent wildfires in high-risk areas
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KUNC ([link removed]) | Stanford News ([link removed])


** Former BLM state directors say the reorganization will gut the agency
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AZMirror ([link removed])


** Opinion: Decision to keep the parks open during the federal government shutdown was reckless
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The Hill ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We continue to see the rise of public lands and the outdoors as an important issue in competitive races in the Mountain West. Westerners care deeply about our public lands and we vote on them. Against the backdrop of the current administration’s unpopular agenda on public lands, it will be worth watching to see if more candidates highlight an agenda of protecting the West’s outdoor way of life in their strategies to win.”
—Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])
Picture this


** @ ([link removed]) KatmaiNPS ([link removed])
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If you've wondered what the brackets will be like for the 2019 Fat Bear Week, wonder no more; here they are! Make sure to waddle over to Facebook to cast your votes daily, from Oct 2nd through Oct 8th. #FatBearWeek ([link removed]) #FindYourPark ([link removed])

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