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TRCP Supports Continued Access to World-Class Opportunities on BLM Lands in Northern Alaska
The Central Yukon Resource Management Plan Record of Decision maintains important habitat and recreation opportunities
This week, the Bureau of Land Management released the Record of Decision for the Central Yukon Resource Management Plan that will manage 13.3 million acres of BLM lands in northern Alaska. This conclusion of the RMP process comes after more than a decade of engagement with local residents, Alaska Native Tribes, hunters and anglers, and conservation and development interests.
The RMP will guide landscape-level management and the various uses allowed on BLM lands in this region for the next 20 or more years. The plan includes management strategies to ensure outstanding hunting and fishing opportunities remain along the Dalton Corridor and outlines steps to prepare for the growing recreational demand that is expected to increase over the next two decades. In addition, the RMP maintains existing conservation safeguards to uphold the quality hunting, fishing, and other recreational opportunities of the region and incorporates specific habitat management areas for caribou and Dall sheep.
The Central Yukon planning area is home to iconic big game species such as Dall sheep, moose, and caribou and 25 species of fish. The area is accessed by most hunters and anglers by the Dalton Highway Corridor. BLM-managed lands along the “Haul Road” provide important habitat connectivity between several conservation units that are prized by hunters and anglers, including five national wildlife refuges.
“TRCP thanks the BLM for including habitat-focused conservation in the ROD, and for balancing conservation and development interests,” said Michael O’Casey, deputy director of Forest Policy & Northwest Programs for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “We appreciate the agency’s responsiveness to requests from the hunting and fishing community who has been involved in this plan revision for many years.”
Hunters and Anglers Support the BLM Lakeview Field Office’s Final Resource Management Plan Amendment
Final plan includes a proposed management approach that would conserve big game habitat, ranching, and outdoor recreation
Today, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership applauds the release of the BLM Lakeview Field Office’s Final Resource Management Plan Amendment, which would establish a blueprint for the conservation and management of nearly 3.2 million acres of southeastern Oregon’s public lands for the next 20 years or more.
“The Lakeview RMPA revision was an important opportunity to improve the management of these public lands, and we appreciate the many hunters and anglers who weighed in on this plan to advocate for the region’s wild and working landscapes,” said Tristan Henry, Oregon field representative for the TRCP. “The plan’s proposed alternative would conserve undeveloped backcountry and wildlife corridors essential for big game and other wildlife across this intact landscape.”
Hunters and anglers have been involved in the Lakeview plan revision since 2014, and the release of the Final RMPA is a significant step in a public process that will determine how wild landscapes, wildlife habitat, recreation, grazing, development, and other uses will be balanced. Tribal governments, wildlife agencies, the Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council, and members of the public provided valuable input and feedback during the planning process. The BLM considered approximately 1,300 comments while developing the plan amendment.
“We commend the BLM’s dedication to a balanced plan that upholds sustainable use, working lands, and conservation, all of which ensure quality hunting and fishing opportunities in the Lakeview District will endure for future generations,” said Michael O’Casey, TRCP’s Deputy Director of Forest Policy & Northwest Programs.
The TRCP and its partners are committed to supporting an ultimate Record of Decision and final plan that prioritizes habitat conservation of backcountry landscapes, while also supporting active land stewardship for restoration and sustainable economic activities like ranching, hunting, and recreation.
The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.
BLM’s Final Greater Sage Grouse Plan Amendments Will Direct Management Across 10 Western States
TRCP emphasizes the need to finalize plans, turn to implementation to advance conservation on the ground
(Washington, D.C.)—The Bureau of Land Management has announced its final greater sage grouse plan amendments that will guide management of 65 million acres of sage grouse habitat across 10 Western states.
“After more than a decade of collaboration between federal and state agencies, private landowners, industry and NGOs to revise management plans to conserve the greater sage grouse, we thank the BLM for their efforts to finalize these amendments,” said Madeleine West, interim vice president of Western conservation for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “This milestone must be a marker that ends the cycles of planning and moves attention back to on-the-ground management to benefit the sagebrush ecosystem and the Western communities that rely on it.”
Since 2012, the BLM has engaged in three separate planning efforts to amended management plans to conserve the greater sage grouse and its habitat for the purpose of preventing the need for federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. The first set of plan amendments were finalized in 2015 in tandem with a determination by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the greater sage grouse did not warrant ESA protections. This effort was a result of unprecedented collaboration between state and federal agencies, private landowners, industry and NGOs. The BLM initiated a new round of planning in 2018 to enhance cooperation and improve alignment with the state plans or management strategies. Legal deficiencies found in those plans, finalized in 2020, required the BLM to initiate this latest cycle of plan amendments, now for the third time.
The planning area for the BLM’s plan amendments is nearly 121 million acres of sagebrush ecosystem – the largest terrestrial biome in the Lower 48 at over 165 million acres across the West. It is home to the iconic greater sage grouse as well as 350 other fish and wildlife species, many of which are game species valued for the hunting and fishing opportunity they allow. A 2022 U.S. Geological Survey report revealed that half of the original sagebrush ecosystem has been lost at a rate of approximately 1.3 million acres each year over the last two decades. Numerous fish and wildlife species depend upon this ecosystem, but so do rural economies such as agriculture, hunting and fishing and outdoor recreation, which makes reversing the decline a priority for all Westerners.
“With these new plans, the BLM has removed some poison pills that existed in the 2015 plans, retained important changes included in the plans finalized in 2020 to respect state authorities, and incorporated updated science to reflect our improved understanding of ecosystem needs over the last decade,” added West. “TRCP looks forward to working with the BLM, state agencies, and other public land users to implement these plans in a durable, lasting manner that has the greatest positive impact on sage grouse and Western communities.”
The BLM is accepting protests on the plan until December 16, 2024. Documents are available on the agency’s eplanning website.
The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.
Wyoming Land Board Votes to Move $100 Million Sale of Iconic Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park Forward
Wyoming sportspeople thank Governor Gordon, Auditor Racines, and Treasurer Meier for supporting school children and iconic big game migrations.
(Cheyenne Wyoming) — Wyomingites are celebrating a crucial step forward in conserving the outstanding wildlife values of the Kelly Parcel with the State Board of Land Commissioners approval of a $100 million sale to Grand Teton National Park. The sale, which will generate a windfall for public education, was authorized by the Wyoming legislature during the 2024 legislative session pending the Governor’s favorable review of the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RS RMP). It has broad support from citizens across the state including a coalition of nine hunting and angling organizations.
“The Kelly parcel contains the longest known pronghorn migration route in the world, numerous elk migrations, winter range for bighorn sheep and moose, and native cutthroat trout habitat,” said Josh Metten, Wyoming field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Selling this parcel to Grand Teton is a win for Wyoming school children, and for its outstanding wildlife resources including the ability to hunt and fish on the parcel in perpetuity.”
The 640-acre parcel, located adjacent to Grand Teton National Park, is managed by the Office of State Lands and Investments to optimize revenues for public education. The sale of the Kelly Parcel is estimated to generate over a billion dollars in compound interest revenue in the future, according to a recent analysis by the Treasurer’s office.
“Wyomingites have spoken loud and clear that they want the Kelly parcel preserved for future generations,” said Metten. “The TRCP and our coalition of Wyoming Sportspeople are grateful to Governor Gordon, Auditor Racines, and Treasurer Meier for endorsing the desire of local stakeholders to meet the financial needs of our students while conserving this iconic parcel.”
The Governor’s final authorization of the sale will come after the Record of Decision is released for the Rock Springs RMP, which is expected by the end of the year. Supporters are invited to thank the Governor, Auditor, and Treasurer at the following email addresses:
- State Treasurer: Curt.meier@wyo.gov
- Governor: Mark.gordon@wyo.gov
- State Auditor: Kristi.racines@wyo.gov
Learn more about TRCPs Wyoming migration work here.
Photo Credit: Josh Metten
The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.
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