Sportsmen Support Common-sense Energy Planning to Conserve Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Note: Steve Belinda led a group of us from the American Wildlife Conservation Partnership on a tour of the Pinedale anticline where gas drilling has turned a prime wintering mule deer area into an industrial site.  Eric
The following from the Outdoor Wire:

Thursday, July 14, 2011

WASHINGTON - In response to criticism by some Western lawmakers of a new federal energy-planning protocol, a coalition of prominent sportsman-conservation groups has reasserted the need for balanced public-lands energy leasing that enables responsible development while sustaining the West's fish and wildlife heritage and hunting and fishing traditions.

Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development underscored its support of the policy issued last year that included the use of "master lease plans," or MLPs, for future leasing of public lands in areas not experiencing significant energy activity. The approach would address deficiencies in the old process that have led to high conflict with fish and wildlife values and significant public objections, or "protests," to lease sales. The MLPs also would require an analysis of impacts from development of leases, a key evaluation that was not done in the past, before leases are sold, providing an opportunity for the public and other affected stakeholders to be involved earlier to resolve any conflicts.

"Upfront planning and conflict resolution will lead to greater certainty for management of fish and wildlife habitats and for industry," said Steve Belinda, director of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Center for Responsible Energy Development and former BLM biologist. "The old process was not developed for leasing in the sensitive areas that now are being sought for development, nor did it adequately address other values like fish and wildlife before commitments to develop were made." The TRCP is a member of the SFRED coalition.

Members of Wyoming's and Utah's congressional delegations, however, have denigrated the new master leasing process in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, requesting that the Department abandon implementation of the process.

"It's unfortunate that any Western politician would oppose reforms specifically designed to protect the West's public lands and allow for more public involvement on public lands that help define us as region," said Steve Torbit, regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, an SFRED member.

"MLPs provide ample opportunity for energy companies to exploit oil and gas deposits but allow for a more careful process to evaluate how best to avoid or minimize impacts to our wildlife and other natural resources," Torbit continued. "As a native of this region and a lifelong hunter and angler, it saddens me to see elected representatives show their disdain for the wildlife resources that are part of our Western heritage and culture."

Brad Powell, energy director for Trout Unlimited, an SFRED member, and former regional forester for the Forest Service, questioned why the members of Congress would attack a process that enables a rational approach to leasing and will better balance multiple uses of public lands.

"This new approach to leasing incorporates sensible reforms that allow the public, including hunters and anglers, to be more involved in the management of their lands and allow for earlier conflict resolution rather than having to resort to protests when poorly planned lease sales are announced," Powell said.

"We understand that energy development will occur, and we support it," Powell continued, "but as sportsmen we believe that fixing problems early in the leasing process enables industry to receive leases that they can use rather than backlogged leases held up by protests. The previous process led to thousands of protests and a system that was broken for both industry and sportsmen."

"We have documented dramatic declines in our mule deer herds because of poorly planned and hastily approved energy leasing in parts of the West," Belinda concluded. "Threatening the West's fish and wildlife populations using the old, broken model for public-lands leasing makes no sense. The MLPs and other lease reforms allow responsible energy development without jeopardizing our fish and wildlife habitat, our streams and rivers, and our public lands."

Learn more about the Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development coalition.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.

Contact:
Brad Powell, 928-300-5451, bpowell@tu.org

TRCP highlighting the importance of public land management

Orion Board members Gayle Joslin and Jim Posewitz are active members of the Hellgate Hunter's and Anglers mentioned in this video, also Land Tawney's dad was a founder of Orion:

From the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership newsletter "The Square Dealer"

A newly approved easement incentive allows for an increased pace of private, voluntary land conservation. Photo courtesy of USDA.gov.

 

Conservation Friendly Tax Incentive Gets New Life

After a yearlong lapse that left many important conservation donations in limbo, Congress renewed an enhanced tax incentive for easements that increased private land conservation to more than 1 million acres per year. Renewed a week before Christmas, the incentive will be in effect through Dec. 31, 2011, and retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010. That gives a full year to work on getting landowners to donate easements to this program. 
By helping landowners deduct the full value of their contributions, this easement incentive allows for an increased pace of private, voluntary land conservation. Such programs are especially important since America loses land to development at a rate of 1.5 million acres per year. Game species like whitetail deer and turkeys that often rely on wildlife habitat on private lands, especially in the eastern half of the United States, will greatly benefit from this renewed effort to encourage landowners to conserve lands.
A broad coalition of sportsmen, outdoors enthusiasts, farmers, ranchers and national conservation groups, including the Land Trust Alliance and the TRCP, worked together to renew the incentive and will push to make it permanent in the 112th Congress.
The enhanced incentive, which applies to a landowner’s federal income tax, includes the following incentives:
• Raises from 30 percent of their income in any year to 50 percent the deduction landowners can take for donating voluntary conservation agreements;
• Allows farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their incomes; and
• Increases the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from six to 16.
Landowners interested in conserving their land under this provision should contact a land trust in their community.
 

Sign National Petition to Protect Wetlands

From the Izaak Walton League of America and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partners:


Sign National Petition to Protect Wetlands

Every year, 80,000 acres of wetlands disappear across America. Every acre lost is an acre of important habitat for fish and wildlife or an area that reduces flooding more effectively than almost any levee can. In spite of their importance, recent Supreme Court decisions make it easier to drain, fill, or tile wetlands and harder to stop them from being polluted.

The League and other national hunting and angling groups continue to work to protect wetlands by convincing Congress to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act. We made real progress this summer when the U.S. Senate Environment Committee approved an amended version of the bill. Now, the focus shifts to the U.S. House of Representatives.

You can help send a clear message to Congress and the President about how critical this legislation is by signing an on-line petition about protecting wetlands. The goal is to garner 80,000 signatures – one signature for every acre of wetlands lost annually. Sign the petition today and join more than 65,000 other people who have already said “protect our wetlands.”

Learn more about the League!

Congress Urged to Renew Commitment to Conservation in Highway Bill

From the Outdoor Wire:

Congress Urged to Renew Commitment to Conservation in Highway Bill

WASHINGTON - With President Obama's signing of the $7 billion short-term extension of the Surface Transportation Authorization Act on Friday, August 7, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership calls for an increase in conservation-related policies and funding as Congress moves toward crafting a new Highway Bill in the coming months. The TRCP specifically urges the inclusion of conservation measures in the next Highway bill related to storm water runoff and promotion of sportsmen's access to public lands. Congress is expected to debate new legislation in September as the current $286 billion bill is set to expire at the end of that month.

Earlier this year, the TRCP helped initiate the Transportation Conservation Coalition to proactively educate and engage with key policymakers as the Highway Bill takes shape. Made up of 54 sportsmen's, conservation and other outdoor, the coalition sent a letter outlining these recommendations to committee leaders in Congress.

"Whether a new Highway Bill occurs this fall or at a future date, now is the perfect time for Congressional leaders to consider ways to strengthen the conservation components of this broad-reaching legislation," said Geoff Mullins, TRCP policy initiatives manager. "The last bill saw some key conservation gains in transportation policy, but there is so much more that can be done to protect crucial fish and wildlife habitat and promote sportsmen's recreational use of public lands."

The sportsmen's group highlights two key components to a wildlife-friendly highway bill:

Storm Water Management: Highways are a major source of storm water runoff and ultimately a leading cause of water quality impairment in lakes, rivers and estuaries across the nation, including the Chesapeake Bay. The TRCP believes that all new and reconstructed highway projects should be required to assess and mitigate for storm water impacts, especially as they relate to sustainable fish and wildlife habitats.

Public Lands Access: Federal public lands and waters are an important destination for American hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Nearly half of all hunters conduct a portion of their hunting activity on these areas. Inadequate access to public lands is cited as a primary reason that hunters stop participating in this traditional sport. People who fish, canoe and kayak also would benefit from improved access to our nation's rivers and streams. The TRCP believes funding and policy changes should be directed to the Recreational Trails Program and other areas within the U.S. DOT to improve public hunting and fishing access to these areas.

"The Highway bill has a tremendous impact on the quality of our hunting and fishing habitats," continued Mullins. "Through proper planning and making science-based decisions, the policies set in this legislation can go a long way to conserving our fish, wildlife and the habitats on which they rely."

Read the Transportation Conservation Coalition's letter outlining their recommendations for the Highway Bill.

Contact:
Geoff Mullins (202) 654-4609, gmullins@trcp.org