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Born and raised in rural Colorado, I feel a deep connection to the wildlife and vast public lands that surround us. Many of these lands are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and are home to a wide variety of wildlife. At the national level, BLM manages 43 million acres of elk habitat and her 23 million acres of bighorn sheep habitat.
I’ve spent many weekends and vacations hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing on these lands, and in recent years I’ve seen how drought, wildfires, invasive species, and human development have affected both the wildlife and the land. I have seen firsthand the damage it causes. I’ll call home. BLM estimates it has a $5 billion backlog in deferred maintenance. Here in Colorado, we have over 8 million acres of BLM land, 40% of which does not meet basic rangeland health standards.
Fortunately, the BLM recently proposed a public lands rule. This will give authorities new tools to restore these degraded landscapes. The overall goal of this rule is to increase protection on par with other uses of BLM land. Conservation has always been mandated by Congress as one of the multiple uses of these lands, but oil and gas development, mining, and grazing have too often been prioritized. This puts conservation on equal footing with their use.
Big game animals will especially benefit from the new rules. Elk, mule deer, and pronghorn often migrate tens or even hundreds of miles between their summer and winter habitats to find food essential to survival. Identifying intact landscapes on which migratory species depend is part of BLM regulations and helps restore migratory corridors across jurisdictions.
Identifying untouched landscapes will also help protect sagebrush ecosystems across the West, which have declined by 50% since the 1800s. These areas, on which more than 350 species depend for survival, continue to face threats such as wildfires, invasive grasses, and development. This rule focuses on protecting pristine landscapes and restoring degraded habitats and will help protect remaining sagebrush and the wildlife that depend on it and reverse this trend.
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Finally, this rule creates an entirely new land management tool: restoration leases and mitigation leases. These leases provide an opportunity for organizations and the sporting community to play an active role in restoring blighted land. These leases help the BLM address land degradation and health, as the agency has historically been underfunded.
For example, hunting groups could obtain leases to improve portions of mule deer migration corridors by removing unnecessary fencing or removing old asphalt on unused roads. Masu. Angler groups can obtain leases to repair riverbanks and remove blocked culverts to improve fish habitat and increase fishing opportunities. When landscapes are restored to allow wildlife to thrive, hunting and fishing opportunities increase.
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Remediation and mitigation leases do not affect existing valid mining, oil and gas development, or grazing rights. These are similar to other BLM leases or permits that are project-based and renewable for a limited period of time and for land restoration or mitigation purposes.
As a sportswoman, I am excited that these new tools are now available to restore fish and wildlife habitat. I will support the implementation of this innovative plan to ensure that wildlife thrives, sporting traditions survive, outdoor recreation expands and rural economies thrive for generations to come. We look forward to working with Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, and the entire Colorado Congressional delegation.
Carly Koutnik is the program manager for Artemis Sportswomen, an initiative of the National Wildlife Federation that fosters community and advocacy among sportswomen.
