** Fences come down to make way for wildlife
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Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Absaroka Fence Initiative ([link removed])

A community initiative in Wyoming is bringing down miles of fencing in order to help migrating wildlife. National Geographic profiles the Absaroka Fence Initiative ([link removed]-) , which organizes volunteers to dismantle unused barbed wire fences.

An estimated 600,000 miles of fences run across the American West. Scientists mapped 4,500 miles of fencing in one Wyoming county alone, many of them serving no purpose, and others erected without consideration for how they can harm native wildlife.

Scientists in an emerging field of research known as fence ecology are helping land managers and ranchers understand the impact of fencing. Because fences can't be seen in most satellite imagery, they're often left out of conservation planning and research.

The good news is that collaborative efforts like the Absaroka Fence Initiative are not controversial, even in places like Wyoming where conservation groups and ranchers sometimes disagree. As Tony Mong, the chair of the initiative, told National Geographic ([link removed]-) “Everyone can agree on this.”


** Leasing to resume—but when?
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Climate advocates and the oil industry are watching to see how quickly the Interior Department moves to auction new oil leases, following the agency's announcement this week that it will resume oil and gas leasing while it appeals a court ruling.

University of Colorado law professor Mark Squillace told Bloomberg ([link removed]) that a sale in late 2021 is possible, adding that “So long as Interior can show it is planning a sale for the 4th quarter I don’t think that the court is likely to intervene.”
Quick hits


** Interior, Forest Service raise pay for federal firefighters to at least $15/hour
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Hovenweep's dark skies at risk from oil and gas drilling
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** What's clear and what's unknown after Biden administration's oil leasing announcement
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Bloomberg ([link removed])


** Opinion: Opportunity knocked for oil and gas fixes, but Wyoming slammed the door
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** From Alaska to Florida, dire climate predictions are already proving true
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Tribes work to protect the 'sleeping giants' of the Arizona desert
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Mustang roundups fuel deepening debate as drought grips the West
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Essay: How mountain biking helped my mental health after growing up in an anti-immigrant environment
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Outside ([link removed])
Quote of the day
From a human perspective, fences are for managing land and livestock, and they are barely visible from afar. For animals that need to roam, however, every ‘invisible’ fence line could be an actual barrier that they have to figure out how to overcome.”
—University of California Berkeley graduate student Wenjing Xu, National Geographic ([link removed]-)
Picture this


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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Welcome to the "Land of Enchantment!" New Mexico's Sabinoso Wilderness is filled with narrow mesas, cliff-lined canyons, and piñon pine and juniper woodlands. Sabinoso's peaceful quiet offers visitors a true wilderness experience.

ICYMI - The Department of the Interior recently accepted a land donation that increases the Sabinoso Wilderness by nearly 50 percent — the largest wilderness land donation in the agency’s history. 📸 Bob Wick.

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