Indecent Proposal; What is Proposed on BLM Lands?

Indecent Proposal; What is Proposed on BLM Lands?

By Brandon Mason

The potential proposal that I wrote about in April on our blog (click here to read the April blog) is progressing, seemingly becoming a legit proposal.

Wyofile.com recently reported more status on the proposal, which appears to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The article stated, “The U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposes to change how it manages millions of acres across the nation — and in Wyoming — by reestablishing conservation as an equal priority in its “multiple use” doctrine, according to the agency.”

As a hunter and a guy with a background in wildlife & land management, I’m always hoping for continued improvement of habitat management on the landscape, especially on BLM lands. This bill, however, screams corruption and dangerous motives to shut down various activities on public land, in my opinion.

The terminology of “reestablishing conservation as an equal priority” seems good on the surface, until you read between the lines. Meghan Riley, an advocate for Wyoming Outdoor Council Public Lands and Wildlife, uses the verbiage, “some areas are in need of remediation from industrial activities” and “We have increasing drought, increasing wildfire and of course there’s been degradation in landscape health due to the effects of climate change and even development pressures. So there’s a lot of good reasons to put out a new rule right now.”

Not sure but that sounds an awful lot like political fodder to me. Notice there are no specific ideas or projects, just an overarching message of shutting down lands.

On the flip side, Petroleum Association of Wyoming President Pete Obermueller said, “It doesn’t put conservation on par [with other uses]. “It elevates it above everything else, to the exclusion of everything else.”

Keep in mind this isn’t only a Wyoming issue guys and gals! I raised a brow at some of the comments on my previous blog on this topic when a couple individuals said they don’t care about the issue since Wyoming and other western states haven’t been “friendly” to non-resident hunters. These comments are confusing the issues of supply and demand economics with respect to non-resident big game licenses and tags, compared to public lands at a national level being threatened by extreme agendas.

You can read the whole Wyofile.com article (click here to read the Wyofile article) and form your own opinion…we just wanted you to know what the issue is and how it may affect your future recreation on BLM lands nationwide.

On a more positive note, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) recently posted an article titled Once-In-A-Generation BLM Investment Sets the Stage for Habitat Improvements Across the West. You’ll be able to read more about increased BLM funding under current BLM orders (not the new proposed order) on another blog I’m working on.  Stay tuned…