Time to Go On Offense to Protect Our Cherished Public Lands
Unlike most every other country, America has a huge backyard. The federal public lands of the western United States are the equivalent of a giant commons that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re a New Englander sightseeing in the Grand Canyon while on vacation or a Wyoming resident fishing the backcountry of your home state, western […]
Wildlife Funding Diverted to Fight Wildfires
Just last month, fire crews rescued a group of wolf pups from the almost 200,000 acre Funny River Fire in Alaska. Firefighters found the puppies in the blaze after hearing them yipping, and they are now being cared for at the Alaska Zoo. Large wildfires can directly impact the wildlife that depend on our public lands and open spaces […]
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument: Established From the Grassroots Up
People from all backgrounds and political leanings have really put the “public” in “public lands” in New Mexico. For more than a decade, ranchers, business owners, church and civic leaders, Native Americans, sportsmen and women, wildlife advocates, hikers, campers, politicians and many others have built support from the ground up for establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert […]
Today is Kids to Parks Day!
Where I grew up, in the suburbs of New York City, we didn’t have easy access to what everyone thinks of as America’s iconic parks—getting to Yellowstone or Yosemite required a long plane ride, and we were much more likely to run into a squirrel in our backyard than a bison or an antelope. But […]
Montana supports Public Lands and Renewable Energy
Guest post by Hayley Connolly-Newman This week, Senator John Walsh signed on as co-sponsor of the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act (S. 279). This demonstrates several things to Montanans. First, Sen. Walsh supports smart development of renewable energy in our wind rich state. Montana is ranked 2nd for wind energy potential, which requires Montanans to […]
What’s Good for the Grouse is Good for the Grandeur … and Big Game Hunting
Due to its decreased numbers and status as a warranted species for Endangered Species Act listing, the greater sage grouse is no longer a popular game species. Some Western states do still offer very limited hunts on sage grouse, but in general, when it comes to hunting, it’s about the importance of sage grouse habitat for […]
New Public Lands Policies Could Mean Better On-the-Ground Practices
The National Wildlife Federation and its partners in the Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development coalition have been urging the Interior Department to fully implement its promised reforms of oil and gas leasing on public lands since the agency announced the changes in 2010. The reforms would include more comprehensive, upfront planning – a “look-before-you-lease” approach […]
The Carbon Impact of Coal Exports
This week, NWF released an issue brief entitled “Accounting for Carbon Pollution from Coal Mining on Federal Lands” which looks at the overall carbon impact of the coal being leased and exported from public lands. In primarily western states like Wyoming and Montana, coal on public lands is leased to coal companies for mining. Increasingly, […]
Can Congress Renew Hope for Renewable Energy Development?
As the second session of the 113th Congress develops, it is my great hope that Congress can leave its abysmal bill passage record in the past. In 2013, Congress signed just 57 bills into law, the lowest count in history. Much of the stalemate characterizing the last two congressional sessions has been blamed on bipartisan gridlock. […]
Antiquities Act Attack Latest Affront to Sportsmen
Whether you are an avid angler, only go fishing occasionally, or have fished just a time or two, you likely remember the first fish you caught. I can’t remember the first time I watched the television show Knight Rider or the first time I played the Nintendo game Super Mario Brothers, but I remember vividly […]