Monthly Archives: November 2014

Healthy public lands mean healthy economies

Commentary by David Dragoo

Roll Call

As the owner of a successful outdoor business, one of many such businesses in this country, I’ve become puzzled over how Congress debates public lands issues. Often the care for these resources is pitted up against “strong economies” and “more jobs”, implying support for one means denying the other. This is a false choice. Outdoor businesses show that healthy public lands create and sustain strong rural economies and viable jobs. As we pursue other economic activities like energy development on public lands we must make sure we balance those uses with the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat so that our outdoor economy will thrive.

We as sportsmen and sportswomen are the drivers of important industry. Hunting and fishing in America generated more than $90 billion in economic activity in 2011 and supported more than 1.5 million jobs, according to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and National Shooting Sports Foundation. If we were to rank the industry as we rank other businesses, it would be 24th on the Fortune 500 list, ahead of companies such as Kroger and Costco.

Think about that for a moment.

It should be no surprise that when it comes to policy, our stake in public lands is second to none. After all, without access to healthy public lands, we don’t have an industry.

Each sportsman and woman spends an average of $2,407 per year. In 2011, 47.7 million people hunted or fished in America. That’s more than the population of California, Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and Nevada combined (and the numbers are rising). In 2011, the number of hunters increased by 9 percent and anglers by 11 percent, demonstrating that the economic benefits of hunting and fishing will continue as long as our lands and waters remain healthy enough to support abundant fish and wildlife and quality outdoor experiences.

Moreover, public lands are a big part of the sporting and outdoor recreation economy. Fiscal 2010 saw more than 58 million visitors to lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, with a resulting benefit of $7.4 billion dollars to the economy. In 2012, national forest lands hosted 160 million visitors and generated $11 billion in recreation-related spending.

Public land use is a sustainable bedrock pillar of America, particularly for the small, rural communities where hunters and anglers visit as well as for businesses like ours that provide the equipment and services used by sportsmen and women. Yet, in the 113th Congress we’ve seen numerous attempts to undermine policies that ensure all aspects of the public land economy are strong.

For example, no fewer than three “jobs” bills attempted to do away with the Master Leasing Plans, a Bureau of Land Management policy to identify, up front, areas where public lands oil and gas development is appropriate along with places where fish and wildlife habitat needs to be conserved. In short, Master Leasing Plans are a way to prevent surprises and provide certainty for sportsmen, the outdoor industry and energy developers, but this policy been in the crosshairs of those who unfairly characterize the concept as being anti-jobs.

The future of 245 million acres of public land

By Eric Petlock

TRCP Blog

A lot of folks around the West are frustrated with federal land management agencies these days.

Our federal public lands are facing a lot of challenges, like catastrophic wildfires, the spread of noxious weeds like cheatgrass, public land grazing conflicts, conflicts over energy development, and the loss of key wildlife habitat. Agencies are running in circles trying to deal with these conflicts while making resource management decisions that will determine the future of multiple uses on our public lands. Simultaneously, agencies also must manage myriad lawsuits from multiple interests unhappy about the decisions being made. It seems the West is shrinking as more and more people are competing for our public land resources.

As sportsmen, we have our own list of priority public land policy issues: maintaining quality, unfragmented habitat; rehabilitating habitat that has been damaged; and improving existing habitat to make it more resilient and productive so that fish and wildlife can thrive. All of these are important aspects of public land management. We understand the need for development of our natural resources and recognize that economic vitality involves choices and compromise. But we also understand that in a world where high quality, undeveloped wild places are becoming scarcer, it is imperative that we work to identify and protect these public places through balanced management.

As federal agencies try to plan for the future, all these issues come into play. Blaming the agencies for everything wrong in the West is easy, but in reality agency decisions are usually the result of agency mandates – which can have controversial outcomes. Important to remember as well is that these policies and laws result from various interest groups working within the system to advance their particular interests. Often these groups are at odds with one another, and the agency is left to sort out the conflict and formulate a compromise, leaving both parties unhappy about the outcome.

Sportsmen must take action ‘early and often’

This might sound like a fatalist’s view, but to the contrary, the takeaway is that we all have a responsibility and a right to work within our democratic system to put forth our interests and values – and then see to it that these interests and values are implemented. Sportsmen are often conspicuously absent from agency decision making processes and sometimes fail to get involved until they are reacting to decisions that already have been made. Instead, we must get involved early and often.

Earlier this year, the federal Bureau of Land Management launched a new initiative to revamp its long term land use planning processes. Dubbed “Planning 2.0,” this initiative will comprise the most comprehensive overhauls of the BLM’s planning process in decades.

Recently, representatives from the TRCP and some of our partners attended meetings convened by the BLM in Denver, Colo., and Sacramento, Calif. These meetings began the process of gathering public input on Planning 2.0 and discussing how the BLM might make this process as effective as possible.

Altogether, the Denver and Sacramento meetings attracted close to 150 participants. In addition to representatives from a number of sportsmen’s organizations, the off highway vehicle community, other environmental and conservation organizations, state and local agencies, wild horse advocates and citizens at-large were represented. Each meeting lasted about four hours and included “breakout sessions” so that participants could discuss the goals set by the BLM for Planning 2.0

Some of the themes that emerged during the breakout sessions included the following:

Public involvement in the 2.0 process is a must – and should be maximized.

What is the definition of “landscape-level” planning? What is the BLM’s definition, and how will these boundaries be defined?

How will baseline data be gathered? How will “citizen science” or data gathered by citizen groups and other non-governmental organizations be compiled and used?

How can the BLM do a better job of enabling public engagement in the process?

Ultimately, some of the key takeaways comprised the following:

The BLM doesn’t have a clear definition of what defines a landscape, what elements would define boundaries, and how priorities would be set for various interests, e.g., wildlife, grazing, energy development.

The BLM must review what has and hasn’t worked with other agencies, particularly the U.S. Forest Service, with regard to public engagement and the process of gathering and integrating data and information provided by the public.

How will this new process improve the status quo regarding how politics impacts the process – and to what extent will powerful special interests such industry groups still be able to manipulate it to fit their agendas?

These meetings are just the beginning. Sportsmen and sportsmen’s interests must be at the table, working with other stakeholders to find common ground and resolving the conflicts that will inevitably arise. The TRCP and other partner groups will be providing input and advocating on behalf of sportsmen and wildlife conservation throughout this process. We hope this will lead to better policy – as well as conservation of some of our most important and valued Western public lands.

If future generations of Americans are going to enjoy our outdoor heritage, abundant wildlife and unspoiled landscapes, then we all have to get involved and make our voices heard. :

To learn more about Planning 2.0, visit the BLM websitehttp://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/planning/planning_overview/planning_2_0.html

Take action: Submit your comments to the BLM on the Planning 2.0 process. 

EPA Backs Scientific Basis for “Waters of the U.S.”

On Thursday, October 23, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) released its 103-page review of the agency’s hydrology connectivity report.

The report, Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence, reviews and synthesizes hydrology literature and is largely the scientific basis for the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed rule to define “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The review generally affirms the report’s scientific integrity, stating that the literature review is thorough and technically accurate.  While not an analysis of the proposed WOTUS rule or federal policy itself, the SAB did offer recommendations to improve the report’s clarity and consistency for policymakers.

“The [connectivity] Report is a science, not policy, document that was written to summarize the current understanding of connectivity or isolation of streams and wetlands relative to large water bodies such as rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans,” the Board writes.  “Given the policy context, however, the Report could be more useful to decision-makers if it brought more clarity to the interpretation of connectivity, especially with respect to approaches for quantifying connectivity.”

In its review, the SAB recommends that the EPA modify its connectivity report to:

Provide a greater emphasis on biological and groundwater-mediated connectivity between streams, wetlands and downstream waters, as well more analysis of human alterations to the hydrological landscape;

Include more discussion-perhaps represented through case studies-of connectivity on a gradient and understanding connectivity from a watershed or landscape perspective;

Increase the consistency and clarity of terminology used throughout the report, particularly related to terms like “floodplain wetlands;” and

Provide further analysis and more specificity regarding cumulative or aggregate effects of similarly situated waters (i.e., groups of headwater tributaries).

The SAB’s review comes as a seven-month comment period on the WOTUS rule wraps up.  Final comments on the rule are due November 14, 2014.

About the Rule

The WOTUS rule attempts to provide greater clarity to the definition of “waters of the United States” in the CWA after several Supreme Court cases have cast confusion over the phrase.  The EPA and Corps propose making all tributaries, as well as adjacent waters, jurisdictional under the Act.

While the conservation community broadly supports the rulemaking as a necessary step to maintaining the integrity of the nation’s waters, some sectors of the business and agriculture communities have called the rule a burdensome and costly regulatory overreach.

NSAC has followed WOTUS from the beginning and will submit formal comments to the agencies to make sure sustainable agriculture has a voice in the rulemaking process.

Click  here to read NSAC’s Q&A on the WOTUS rule.

From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Weekly Update

Greater Prairie-chicken research leads to great award

A KansasStateUniversity professor is part of a group of researchers receiving a national award for the best journal article from The Wildlife Society for research on Greater Prairie-chicken population declines that may change conservation practices.

Brett Sandercock, KansasStateUniversity professor of wildlife ecology, and his colleagues, wrote the award-winning article “Demography of Greater Prairie-chickens: regional variation in vital rates, sensitivity values, and population dynamics.” Sandercock’s co-authors include two KansasStateUniversity alumni, Lance McNew, assistant professor at MontanaStateUniversity, and Andrew Gregory, assistant professor at Bowling GreenStateUniversity; and Samantha Wisely, associate professor at the University of Florida.

The article, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, investigates demographic mechanisms driving the population declines of Greater Prairie-chickens at three sites in Kansas: one site in the Smoky Hills and two sites in the Flint Hills.

“A lot of wildlife agencies monitor prairie-chickens by counting birds at leks, so they know population trends but they don’t know what is driving the numbers,” Sandercock said. “This research — one of the most comprehensive analyses of any grouse species — identifies that reproductive failure is driving the population declines.”

The researchers did a complete demographic analysis, which included estimates of clutch size, nest survival, brood survival, juvenile survival and female survival, across two ecoregions and multiple years. According to Sandercock, prairie-chickens have poor reproduction in managed grasslands, with an average productivity of one juvenile for every seven nesting females.

Their results suggest that the rate of population decline was sensitive to the patterns of landscape fragmentation and land use, and that the Greater Prairie-chicken population would benefit from immigration and better productivity. The research also indicated that nest and brood survival were low because of land management practices and changes in predator numbers.

The article was written as part of McNew’s dissertation while he was a graduate student in the Division of Biologyat KansasStateUniversity. The award was presented at the society’s annual conference Oct. 25-30 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Volunteers needed for prairie restoration project

Seeds collected will be planted at the Kansas Children’s DiscoveryCenter

Kansas Native Plant Society (KNPS) members are looking for volunteers to help collect prairie wildflower and grass seeds at Burnett’s Mound, 3511 SW Skyline Pkwy, Topeka,  from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 16. Seeds collected will be planted as part of a prairie restoration effort at the Kansas Children’s DiscoveryCenter. The Kansas Children’s DiscoverCenter is a facility nestled on 4.5 wooded acres at Topeka’s GagePark where children can explore, create, discover and learn through play.

Burnett’s Mound contains substantial upland prairie along with views of the city from its highest point. The scenic landscape offers plenty of opportunity to collect seeds of grasses, asters, goldenrods and more. Volunteers should dress appropriately for weather and wear sturdy footwear and long pants. No experience is necessary and all ages are welcome.

The group will meet at the main gate to the park, one block west of 35th and Skyline Pkwy. Bring a plastic pail or paper sack for collecting seeds, and pruning sheers, if available.

Following seed collection, volunteers are welcome to join KNPS members at the Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant, 417 SW 37th St, Topeka, for drinks and refreshments on your own.

For more information, or if you plan on attending this event, contact Vivien Smith at (785) 231-4030.

Ethan Carroll memorial coyote calling contest

Event to honor young; outdoorsman, support 4-H shooting sports

To honor the life of a young outdoorsman and past 4-H Shooting Sports member, members of the Morris County Sharp Shooters club invite hunters to join them for the annual Ethan Carroll Memorial Coyote Calling Contest Nov. 29. The event will be based at the MorrisCounty 4-H Building, 612 US Highway 56, Council Grove and is open to hunters of all ages.

The cost to enter is $100 per team, which may be comprised of two hunters age 15 or older, with the option of including one youth age 14 or younger. The top five placing teams will receive cash prizes, and youth prizes will be available for participants 14 or younger. Entries must be postmarked by Nov. 16 in order to receive an event t-shirt, and a pre-contest meeting will be held at the 4-H building Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. for those interested.

Apart from the competition, attendees can also enter into adult and youth raffles, and a 50/50 drawing. All proceeds will go toward purchasing new equipment and supplies for the Morris County Sharp Shooters 4-H Shooting Sports Project.

For an entry form and rules, contact Tim King, (620) 767-2133, or e-mail [email protected], or Clifford Carroll, (785) 466-1405, or e-mail [email protected].

Eight hunters face federal charges linked to dove hunt

Eight hunters – seven from Kansas – were charged November 4l court in Wichita with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The men are accused of violating the federal law protecting migratory birds when they participated in an annual opening weekend dove hunt in GrahamCounty on the first two days of September, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a statement.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act classifies mourning doves as migratory game birds, he said. It classifies owls as migratory non-game birds. Restrictions on hunting mourning doves include a daily bag limit of 15 and a possession limit of twice the daily bag limit.

Those charged include three men from Derby and one from El Dorado.

Daniel R. Dinkel, 63, of HillCity is charged with one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves.

Kent Webber, 52, of Derby faces one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves and one count of taking an owl.

Evan Webber, 25, of Derby is charged with one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves and one count of taking an owl.

George Morgan, 52, of Gordonville, Texas, faces one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves.

Kenneth Beran, 67, of Derby is charged with one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves.

Clark Law, 57, of HillCity is charged with one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves.

Tracy Higgins, 54, of El Dorado faces charges of one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves and one count of taking an owl.

John Kobler, 62, of Topeka is charged with one count of exceeding the daily bag limit for mourning doves.

If convicted, the eight men face a maximum penalty of six months in prison on each count and a fine of up to $15,000.

Strengthening and protecting the Clean Water Act

By Jimmy Hague and Jan Goldman-Carter

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The Clean Water Act, which turned 42 this year, is the most successful tool our country has to protect our water. In the past four decades, it has been responsible for reducing pollution, making our drinking water safer. It has increased hunting and fishing opportunities, and provided an economic boost to a myriad of industries, including outdoor recreation, beer brewing and many more.

Yet, for the last third of its lifetime, the effectiveness of the act has been in decline because we no longer have a clear understanding of its scope. This lack of clarity came about as a result of two Supreme Court rulings, in 2001 and 2006, that created uncertainty about which bodies of water were to be protected under the Clean Water Act, ultimately leaving a large part of the nation’s drinking water supply at increased risk of pollution and destruction.

In the years immediately following the Supreme Court decisions, this confusion reversed some of the remarkable gains our nation has enjoyed as a result of the act. One stark example of this is wetland deterioration: between 2004 and 2009, there was a 140 percent increase in the rate of wetlands loss, which translates to the destruction of critical waterfowl habitat and decreased hunting opportunities.

Earlier this year the federal government began a public process to resolve this problem by proposing a new rule to clarify the Clean Water Act. The proposed rule has the potential to definitively restore protections to headwater streams and wetlands while maintaining our longstanding commitment to agricultural producers.

In addition to improving the safety of drinking water sources for 1 in 3 Americans, the proposed rule can provide clean water for trout streams, salmon spawning grounds, duck habitat and other waterfowl breeding grounds. This is good news for America’s sportsmen, who fuel a $200 billion sporting economy that supports 1.5 million jobs each year. Simply put, clean water means good hunting and fishing.

Although the public comment period on the proposed rule doesn’t close until Nov. 14, critics bent on blocking the rule are stoking fears about the proposal by spreading hyperbolic misinformation. Many of these critics are the same groups that have been asking for just such a public process for years. Protecting our waters shouldn’t be a political issue – it should be common sense.

Sportsmen are supporting this rulemaking because it can improve hunting and fishing access and increase the number of quality days in the field. Once finalized, the proposed rule can help us sustain these traditions and the associated economic benefits for generations to come.

A suitable anniversary present for the Clean Water Act would be for the White House to move swiftly to finalize the rule, and for all of us to recommit to completing the process, improving the clean water rule so that it provides clarity and certainty to the regulated community while conserving fish and wildlife. The health of our economy and longevity of America’s outdoor traditions depend on it.

Jimmy Hague is the director of the Center for Water Resources at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Jan Goldman-Carter is the senior manager of Wetlands and Water Resources at the National Wildlife Federation.

Public meeting to discuss Mined Land Area improvements

Upcoming projects necessary for public safety will also enhance access and habitat

A public information meeting to discuss improvements planned at several Mined Land Wildlife Area units will be conducted on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Southeast High School Auditorium, 126 W 400, Cherokee. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) staff will provide an overview of upcoming reclamation projects designed to address safety hazards on the area.

The Surface Mining Section of KDHE has several reclamation projects planned that will address numerous safety hazards while minimizing impacts to existing vegetation, wildlife and aquatic habitats. In the process, improvements such as alignment, grade, sight of travel and surface course will be made to interior roadways. Popular fishing areas will be improved by raising water levels, increasing shoreline foot access, and enhancing fish habitat by adding large boulders to the ends of strip mine lakes.

According to David Jenkins, KDWPT wildlife area manager, “The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and the Surface Mining Section of KDHE have worked together to design an end product that will improve vehicle safety, increase shoreline access and improve wildlife habitat. The improvements will greatly decrease future maintenance costs, improve the long-term stability of roads and improve habitat diversity.”

The 14,500-acre Mined Land Wildlife Area is a product of coal surface mining and is a public wildlife area like no other in the state. The distinctive topographical features, numerous strip-mine lakes and abundant wildlife make the Mined Land Wildlife Area a favorite destination for many anglers, campers, hunters, trappers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Although the roads dissecting these rugged properties are needed to access many of the more remote fishing areas, many of the interior roads were not constructed with safety or long-term use in mind, posing significant safety hazards and maintenance problems.

Construction will begin this spring on one of the three upcoming safety reclamations.  The first project will affect units No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 and is called the “Lee Hurt Road Project.”  This area is located near the intersection of 570 and 260 avenues east of Pittsburg, a few miles along the Kansas and Missouri state line in CrawfordCounty.

The second project to undergo construction will take place on Unit No. 11 and is called the “Southwest Scammon Project.” Once this project has been completed, the unit, which has been closed for two years, will be re-opened to fishing. The closure has allowed the game fish to grow in size and numbers, and a fish feeder has been maintained throughout the closed period to enhance the fishery. This opener should provide some excellent angling opportunities. Unit No. 11 is located on NW Coalfield Road, one-half mile west of NW Coalfield Road and 7 Hwy in Cherokee County.

The third reclamation project will occur on units No. 20, No. 22 and No. 23 and is called the “Belleview Road Project.” This project is located near the intersection of NW 80 and NW Belleview Road in CherokeeCounty, south and west of the field office, which is located on Belleview Road. Most of the Belleview Road project will consist of road widening and a few minor end-fills on strip mine lakes. Temporary closing may occur to allow projects to be completed.  Signs will be posted on the boundaries to make constituents aware of the closures.

For more information, call David Jenkins at the Mined Land Wildlife Area office, (620) 231-3173.

Do you care about the future of Bureau of Land Management public lands?

All hunters and anglers should, they offer more than 245 million acres of some of the best hunting and fishing in the nation.

The Bureau of Land Management is beginning the process of updating its national land use planning handbook, used by all BLM land use planners and district managers, to guide its long-term planning decisions. While it may sound unexciting, this process will impact sportsmen’s access, how habitat improvement projects are prioritized and important conservation tools for fish and wildlife. In short, our public lands sporting opportunities are at stake. Sportsmen should be involved.

The BLM has dubbed this process “Planning 2.0” and has hosted public listening sessions in Denver and Sacramento. Help sportsmen make a strong showing by contacting BLM

Suggested talking points for contacting BLM:

I hunt and fish on BLM-managed public lands in the West, and I understand personally the value of these areas for fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing. As a sportsman I ask that you consider the following measures when rewriting the BLM planning regulations:

▪ Priority habitats and migration corridors: Set clear direction for the identification, conservation and restoration of important fish and wildlife habitats and migration corridors.

▪ Landscape level planning: Plan energy developments at the landscape level to ensure that future developments are balanced with the needs of fish and wildlife and outdoor recreation.

▪ Backcountry areas: Create a management tool for the responsible management of intact and undeveloped backcountry areas with high-quality habitats and dispersed hunting and fishing opportunities. This tool should meaningfully conserve intact lands, include a strong active restoration emphasis and maintain important public access.

▪ Travel management: Provide direction that prioritizes the retention and maintenance of roads and trails that are important access points for hunting, fishing and wildlife management. The agency should also make it a priority to conserve important wildlife security areas from fragmentation and the development of new roads.

▪ Multiple use: Recognize that fish and wildlife habitat conservation and outdoor recreation such as hunting and fishing are components of multiple-use management that deserve equal consideration with other uses.

▪ State wildlife agency objectives: Through the BLM’s land use planning handbook, the BLM should specifically support state wildlife agency population and management objectives.

Sportsmen in the West are dependent on publicly accessible, highly functioning BLM public lands. These lands are essential for producing quality big game, sustaining robust fisheries and maximizing maintainable hunting and fishing opportunities. Hunters and anglers are urging the agency to consider important lands and unfragmented habitats – and ways to responsibly administer them to ensure the future of our sporting traditions – as it develops management tools for the future. Planning 2.0 is our opportunity to create a BLM planning approach that directly benefits hunters and anglers and fish and wildlife populations, along with the billions of dollars of annual economic boost provided by public land recreationists.

Take a moment to sign a letter to the BLM. Go to: https://secure3.convio.net/trcp/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=2F0D481700C8B67B7C78226476EFC49A.app332a?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=381&AddInterest=1301