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Biodiversity Conservation Alliance * Friends Of A Legacy * Greater Yellowstone Coalition NEWS RELEASE November 3, 2008 CONSERVATION, LANDOWNER GROUPS
CODY—Conservationists and local residents are calling for a balanced conservation approach for the new BLM land-use plan for the Bighorn Basin, which is just getting underway this month. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has started the scoping process, identifying issues, for the Bighorn Basin Resource Management Plans (RMPs) and is taking public comments to identify important issues to be addressed in the plan by mail or at public meetings in the Bighorn Basin beginning on November 5, 2008 through November 12, 2008 (see below for schedule). An RMP is the document which guides all land use decisions on BLM lands for a period of 15 to 20 years. The BLM plans to develop two RMPs to cover the entire Bighorn Basin. Conservationists and landowners are advocating for a balance between energy development and the natural resource needs. “The Bighorn Basin supports a greater diversity and abundance of big game, trophy game, small game, game birds, waterfowl, and game fish than any other equivalent area in Wyoming,” said Dick Kroger of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. “The Public Trust Doctrine and federal regulations mandate that the public lands be managed responsibly and sustainably for the benefit of the public and future generations, and the BLM needs to ensure, as the guardian of our public lands, that the new plan fulfills these requirements." “The Bighorn Basin is rich in cultural and historical resources, wildlife, and outstanding desert recreational opportunities,” added Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “Working with residents in the Basin and the rest of the public who enjoy the recreational opportunities here, the BLM has a unique opportunity through the RMP to maintain these ecosystems intact for the benefit of wildlife and future generations.” A broad range of issues will be addressed by the BLM’s planning process. Chief among these are where and how oil and gas development will be allowed, which lands will be prioritized for conservation and public enjoyment over industrial use, and what types of stewardship measures will be required to protect populations of native wildlife. “Our members in Deaver, Clark, and Pavillion are already being severely impacted by oil and gas development. Drinking water has been contaminated and air quality degraded,” said Deb Thomas, a community organizer with the Clark Resource Council and Powder River Basin Resource Council. “The BLM must take into consideration the cumulative impacts to public health across the entire Bighorn Basin when revising the resource management plan.” “The Bighorn Basin contains unique badland scenery that is found in few other areas in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” said Hilary Eisen, Public Lands Advocate for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “While the Bighorn Basin may not garner as much attention as the Jackson or Bozeman areas, this part of the Ecosystem is truly an unknown gem and it would be a shame to see it transformed into an industrial landscape. In addition, it is important that the BLM consider how their decisions in this RMP may affect the wildlife herds of the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Many of the populations in the Park are strongly tied to those that migrate to the Beartooth and Absaroka Fronts and into the Basin.” "The Big Horn Basin has two remaining wild horse herds: the McCullough Peaks herd and the Fifteen Mile herd," said Marshall Dominick, President of Friends Of A Legacy (FOAL), a wild horse advocacy group based in the Bighorn Basin. "These herds are both managed by the BLM. Wild horse viewing and photography have become very popular activities in this area, but the wild horse habitat is currently threatened by petroleum development. The wild mustangs and their habitat need protection through revision of the RMP." “The Bighorn Basin thus far has preserved the most desert and badlands wilderness study acres in the state, outside the Red Desert,” said Liz Howell, Director of the Wyoming Wilderness Association. “These thirteen BLM and Citizen proposed wilderness areas should be preserved for future generations. Treasured gems, including places with wildlife and recreation wonders like the Honeycombs, Trapper Canyon, Paint Rock and Medicine Lodge canyons, McCullough Peaks and Bobcat Draw could and should get the protection they deserve from the new plan,” Conservationists are advocating the following conservation measures for the Bighorn Basin RMP revision:
"In the new Pinedale Resource Management Plan, the BLM designated 48 percent of the Field Office off limits to future oil and gas leasing. We need to see a similar commitment to protection of important resources in the Bighorn Basin," conclude Bruce Pendery, program director of the Wyoming Outdoor Council. "Lacking this level of protection, many special places like the Beartooth Front that are treasured by the public will be lost," he said. The BLM will be hosting public meetings for the Bighorn Basin RMP to be held at the following dates and times. The conservation and landowner groups are urging the public to attend and get involved. Contact information: |
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Biodiversity Conservation Alliance P.O. Box 1512, Laramie, WY 82073 (307) 742-7978 - carmi@voiceforthewild.org |