Wild Lands Wild Lives – BLM’s Public Lands Rule Comment Period Extended to July 5th. Chance to Rebalance Public Land Use

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES, June 30, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — The conservation movement in the United States began in the late 19th century. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law in 1872. Yellowstone became the country’s first national park. The movement gained momentum in the early 20th century. Its goals were to preserve natural resources, promote the efficient use of resources, and to protect wildlife. People realized with settlement of the American west came exploitation of the lands and wildlife.

One of the movement’s most influential leaders was President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman. Roosevelt is referred to as the “conservationist president.” He understood the importance of preserving the natural resources. Roosevelt’s conservation policies were not always popular. His decision to set aside large tracts of land in the West for national forests and parks angered many ranchers and loggers. They felt they were being denied access to resources that they had a right to use. However, Roosevelt’s actions helped to preserve many of America’s natural resources for future generations.

Public Lands Rule seeks to balance land use. The Bureau of Land Management issued a press release on June 15th, granting an extension for people to submit their opinions about the proposed Rule. They have extended the comment period to July 5th, 2023. The BLM encourages the public to provide feedback on this important issue. This rule would strike a balance between conservation and development.

The Public Lands Rule “would uphold the Bureau of Land Management’s multiple use and sustained yield mission, ensuring the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. By putting conservation on an equal footing with other uses, the proposal would help guide responsible development while safeguarding important places for the millions of people who visit public lands every year to hike, hunt, camp, fish, and more.”

5900 Club founder, Cheryl Turner, believes, “the day conservation is not accepted as multiple use management on our public lands is the day we, the people, lose our public lands to private profiteers.”

Turner adds, “they could sideline the Federal Public Lands Rule under a bill passed by the U.S. House Natural Resources panel last week. The measure, H.R. 3397, would require the government agency to withdraw the conservation rule proposed in March 2023. It would obstruct the BLM from issuing a similar rule in the future. The House Committee, with a 20-16 vote, approved the bill to halt the Bureau of Land Management from offering conservation land lease parcels.”

“The demarcating part of the proposed rule for opposing groups is the BLM allotting leases for conservation. This would be like the leases the agency issues for mineral extraction, logging or grazing on federal lands. They view the proposed rule as undermining the BLM’s multiple-use mandate. The question one must ask is, why is conservation viewed as a bad thing? They should balance conservation leases with public land use for private interests.”

There is wording in the proposal regarding wild horses and burros that needs attention. People may learn more by reading the AEA and 5900 Club prior press release, ‘How Does the Bureau of Land Management’s Proposed Public Land Rule Affect Wild Horses and Burros?’ Supporters of on-range management of wild equines may consider including wording in their comments asking that this verbiage, “wild horse and burro management”, be stricken from the proposed rule. This would ensure wild equine are on equal footing with wildlife, livestock, mineral extraction and other uses of our public lands.

Please support the Department of Interior’s Public Land Conservation Rule. This link gives readers the comment link, a sample comment and submission points.” https://5900club.org/doi%2Fblm-rule-comment.

The conservation movement has had a significant impact on the way Americans use and value natural resources. It has helped to create national parks and protected areas that provide recreational opportunities, conserve wildlife and protect natural habitats. The movement has also helped to raise awareness of the importance of conservation and the need to protect our natural resources for future generations.

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American Equine Awareness and 5900 Club provided this news piece.

Donna Brorein, AEA Advocacy News, Cheryl Turner, 5900 Club
American Equine Awareness
+1 770-870-7589
[email protected]