Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Running for office? Your voters are outdoors, and you should be, too
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Tuesday, August 23, 2022
The proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Clark County, Nevada. Source: Ken Lund, Flickr ([link removed])
In a Colorado Sun op-ed ([link removed]) , Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala makes the case that conservation is a winning issue in the West.
A new Winning the West poll ([link removed]) from the Center for Western Priorities shows that outdoor and public lands issues are critical to motivating Western voters in the swing states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. According to the poll ([link removed]) , 81% of voters in these states say that conservation issues will play an influential role in how they choose to vote. The finding holds true across party lines with 87% of Democrats, 81% of Independents, and 73% of Republicans ([link removed]) reporting that these issues will impact their vote.
Public land conservation always polls well out West, but what’s different this year is voters’ evident frustrations around elected officials’ lack of action on these issues they care so much about. According to the poll ([link removed]) , 77% of Western voters are concerned that politicians in Washington do not understand the way of life in the West and that the decisions being made in D.C. hurt the economy and quality of life in Western and rural areas. Voters want action on public lands conservation, wildfire prevention, and drought resilience.
Despite a moment of high gas prices (which have declined significantly from their June peak) the majority of Western voters still want to protect public lands from oil and gas development. According to the Winning the West poll ([link removed]) , 68% of Westerners are concerned about environmental disasters like oil spills that threaten to destroy critical land and water resources, and another 64% agree that oil and gas development on public land should be only allowed with strict limitations and regulations to ensure that our land, wildlife, water, and public safety are protected first and foremost.
The advice to candidates is simple. Get outside and find your voters.
Quick hits
** BLM announces $1.1 million in contract awards to plug orphaned wells in Utah and California
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Sierra Sun Times ([link removed])
** Flee for your life? Wildfires transform hiking in California’s mountains
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Mercury News ([link removed])
** Corner crossers: Ranch owner broke federal access law
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WyoFile ([link removed])
** 'There's simply not enough water': Colorado River cutbacks ripple across Arizona
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])
** New website sheds light on Colorado’s 350 most sensitive species
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])
** As many as one in six U.S. tree species is threatened with extinction
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** Opinion: Lower Dolores River Working Group is a rare example of effective stakeholder collaboration
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Durango Herald ([link removed])
** Grijalva: Watch out! Here comes the climate deal's other shoe
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Newsweek ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” We ought to collectively consider why our response to natural disasters often differs so extensively from how we react to chronic hardships. Why is it that, as a community, we tend to offer our selfless assistance only in extremely emotional circumstances that override our natural fears and biases?”
—Trish Zornio ([link removed]) , scientist and writer who lost her home in the Marshall Fire
Picture this
** @GlacierNPS ([link removed])
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Fire, the Aurora Borealis, and shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower have been lighting up the night sky in Glacier National Park, creating some beautiful color palettes.
Find out more about fire in Montana: [link removed] ([link removed])
NPS/K. Vinduska
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