News for Immediate Release
May 2, 2008
Contact:
Terry Z. Riley, 505-286-8602, triley@trcp.org
TRCP Lauds New BLM Plan to Protect Rare Species in Southeastern New Mexico
Multi-year process united diverse stakeholders over conservation of lesser prairie-chicken and sand dune lizard
WASHINGTON — The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today lauded a Bureau of Land Management plan to protect two rare species of wildlife in southeastern New Mexico and enhance their public-lands habitat. The BLM plan for the lesser prairie-chicken and sand dune lizard draws heavily from a conservation strategy developed by a stakeholder group in a multi-year collaboration, a process facilitated in part by the TRCP. The agency's formal record of decision amends the resource management plans for its Roswell and Carlsbad field offices.
"During a time when public-lands management is fraught with conflict and loss, the BLM's adoption of this conservation plan is a breath of fresh air," said Steve Belinda, TRCP energy initiative manager and a former BLM biologist who worked in the agency's Carlsbad field office.
"It's gratifying to see that what started as a pie-in-the-sky dream — driven by the simple desire to see these species survive — has resulted not only in a solid conservation strategy but a plan that addresses the diverse priorities these stakeholders brought to the table," Belinda continued.
Under the BLM plan, oil and gas development on public lands will continue, subject to restrictions and modifications intended to protect habitat of the two species. Approximately 58,000 acres of lesser prairie-chicken habitat will be established as a special preserve, called an "area of critical environmental concern," or ACEC. Although future energy leases are prohibited in the ACEC, existing developments may proceed as long as they adhere to conservation guidelines stipulated by the BLM.
"The TRCP consistently has maintained that energy development and fish and wildlife conservation are not mutually exclusive," said Dr. Terry Z. Riley, TRCP vice president of policy and former member of the New Mexico State Game Commission. "The BLM's action in New Mexico testifies to the validity of the TRCP's position, which is borne out in our policy guidelines for public-lands energy development.
"The leadership of New Mexico BLM Director Linda Rundell is commendable," added Riley. "She and I worked on lesser prairie-chickens in New Mexico in the 1970s and '80s. The many stakeholders involved in the development of this conservation strategy helped both of us better understand the impacts of energy development on livestock grazing, recreation, wildlife habitat and rural communities."
"The New Mexico BLM's willingness to work with stakeholders is an invigorating break from the agency's ‘business as usual' approach," said TRCP Board Chairman James Range, also a member of the Valles Caldera National Preserve board of trustees. "Americans have a right to expect our government to exercise innovation and sound judgment in managing these precious natural resources. We look forward to the example set in New Mexico guiding the BLM's administration of public lands across the West."
The TRCP believes that to better balance the concerns of fish and wildlife in the face of accelerating energy development, federal land management agencies must follow the conservation tenets outlined in the FACTS for Fish and Wildlife.
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.
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