February 14, 2018 | Category: Land Use, NEPA, News

 

On February 9, 2018, Department of Interior (“DOI”) Secretary Ryan Zinke issued a secretarial order (Secretarial Order No. 3362) designed to improve habitat quality and western big game winter range and migration corridors for antelope, elk, and mule deer.

The order directs the DOI to work with the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming to improve the quality of big game winter range on federal lands. Increased involvement by the federal level in the management of big game winter range and migration corridor will by aim to recognize the state’s authority to conserve and manage big game species and will aim to respect private property rights.

Over the long history of western development and population growth, habitat quality crucial to western big game populations has been degrading and declining. Populations of these western big game animals contribute to the economy of communities across the West. Specifically, hunters and tourists travel to the West to enjoy this wildlife. Moving forward, pipelines, housing and other new developments need to be coordinated with proactive efforts to protect wildlife.

Importantly, the order directs the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”), and the National Park Service (“NPS”) to identify and coordinate with one person from each unified region at the state level to collaborate on methods to protect winter range and migration corridors. The players involved are then required to produce annual reports (aligned with the fiscal year) to detail how bureau field offices, refuges, or parks cooperated to further winter range and migration corridor habitat conservation. Overall, the order is intended to improve the internal management of DOI to better coordinate and assist state efforts to understand habits of big game animals.

The provisions of this order take place immediately and remain in effect until all provisions are implemented and completed, or until it is amended, superseded, or revoked.

A link to the order can be found HERE.