CRAIG, Colo. – By deferring an oil and gas lease in northwest Colorado that could have jeopardized native trout, the Bureau of Land Management has signaled a new day for energy development in sensitive fish and wildlife habitats, a sportsmen’s coalition announced today.

Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development was troubled by oil and gas development proposed for the 900-acre parcel due to its potential impacts on two populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout, a species of special concern in Colorado. The public land in the proposal, located 25 miles northeast of Craig, encompasses Cataract Creek and the Roaring Fork of Slater Creek. It was originally reviewed for leasing in 1991.

Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development is a coalition of more than 500 businesses, organizations and individuals dedicated to conserving irreplaceable habitats so future generations can hunt and fish on public lands. The coalition is led by the National Wildlife Federation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Trout Unlimited.

In the 18 years since the lease was proposed, much has been learned about balancing fish and wildlife habitat with energy development, but the decision to lease this parcel has not been updated. However, the BLM is revising its resource management plan for the area, and the sportsmen’s coalition expects the agency to establish measures to protect the fish.

“Deferring this lease was the right decision,” said Steve Belinda, energy policy manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Considering that the BLM is revising its Little Snake Resource Management Plan, which governs administration of the area’s natural resources, waiting to proceed with leasing these lands makes a lot of sense.”

The BLM’s action in Colorado has precedent elsewhere and indicates a revised approach by the agency in evaluating proposed energy leases on federally managed public land. In a special report issued earlier this month, the BLM identified similar cases of inappropriate decisions to lease land for development after reviewing 77 leases in Utah that were withdrawn.

“This lease was a victim of a broken process that’s in dire need of repair,” said John Gale, Colorado regional representative for the National Wildlife Federation.

“Secretary Salazar has recognized that a more balanced process is needed,” Gale added, “and the sportsmen of the West stand ready to help the BLM develop a process that works for fish and wildlife, sportsmen and for industry.”

“It made no sense to sell this lease now when old, outdated policies would have conflicted with a new direction in resource management,” said Corey Fisher, energy field coordinator for Trout Unlimited.

“By deferring this lease, the BLM is signaling that it is going to stop leaping before it looks,” said Fisher. “Sportsmen welcome this change and appreciate the BLM thoroughly reviewing this lease to make sure that multi-state and multi-agency efforts to conserve Colorado River cutthroat trout are not compromised.”

For more information about the SFRED coalition, visit www.sportsmen4responsibleenergy.org.

Sportsmen’s group takes next step in action to hold BLM accountable for commitments made
regarding management of fish and wildlife resources on the Pinedale Anticline

WASHINGTON – The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today took an aggressive step forward in holding the federal government accountable for management commitments it made on a southwestern Wyoming energy project by filing a legal brief in a suit against the Department of the Interior. The sportsmen’s group asserts that the Bureau of Land Management has mishandled adaptive management on the Pinedale Anticline natural gas development project. The TRCP initially filed its lawsuit because the BLM formally adopted and then abandoned adaptive management plans intended to protect a host of species.

At issue in the TRCP suit are commitments made by the BLM to sustain the region’s natural resources through an “adaptive environmental management” process in its authorization in 2000 and a supplemental authorization in 2008 for the Pinedale Anticline project area, which encompasses approximately 200,000 acres of the Green River Basin in Sublette County, Wyo. The project authorized development in a region that supports substantial numbers of sage-grouse and contains crucial winter range for one of the state’s largest mule deer populations. The latter has declined by 30 percent in the project area since development began. These species and other game in the region offer some of Wyoming’s best hunting and fishing opportunities; hunting seasons and recreational use have been reduced due to the impacts from development.

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WASHINGTON – TRCP held its 2nd Annual Capital Conservation Honors, held last night near their headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership recognized the achievements of some of the sportsmen-conservation world’s brightest stars and launched a fundraising effort honoring the legacy of former TRCP chairman and co-founder Jim Range. The two-year campaign for the TRCP Jim Range Conservation Fund begins with $150,000 in contributions already in hand and has a fundraising goal of $2 million.

“The TRCP’s Capital Conservation Honors recognizes the best of the past, present and future of conservation in America,” said George Cooper, TRCP president and CEO.

Read more on this event here!

News for Immediate Release
Sept. 28, 2009
Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, kmckalip@trcp.org

TRCP’s Life in the Open Season Five Premieres
on VERSUS Country on Oct. 4

WASHINGTON – TRCP’s Life in the Open begins its fifth season on VERSUS Country on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 9 a.m. EDT with a combination Sitka blacktail deer hunt and salmon fishing trip in the heart of Alaska’s publicly accessible, 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest.

Brought to you by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in conjunction with VERSUS Network and Orion Multimedia, this series of do-it-yourself adventures “where the road ends and life in the open begins” will air Sundays at 9 a.m. EDT with encore daytime airings on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of the year.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, TRCP’s Life in the Open explores today’s pressing fish and wildlife conservation issues while venturing to some of the best hunting and fishing destinations that are both accessible and affordable to hardworking American sportsmen.

Each week, host Ken Barrett transports viewers from their living rooms into the wild to pursue stealthy big game, fast-flying birds and aggressive fish in inspiring destinations across the United States and beyond. This season, viewers will earn about stalking Montana’s big bull elk, braving Alaska’s elements and monster salmon, and calling in javelina in New Mexico. Other adventures will feature pheasants and bruiser bucks in western Kansas, kudu and hartebeest in Africa, striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay and ducks in California’s famed rice fields.

“Access is one of the top concerns facing today’s sportsmen and a key ingredient in preserving our outdoor heritage for our children and grandchildren. TRCP’s Life in the Open introduces viewers to the full spectrum of hunting and fishing opportunities available in America with plenty of ‘how-to’ details along the way,” said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper.

“TRCP’s Life in the Open is unique among hunting and fishing shows,” said Barrett. “It focuses on accessibility and conservation issues while never losing sight of the real trophy: T.R.’s legacy and the lands and waters that form the basis of our hunting and fishing traditions.”

Visit www.TRCP.tv for complete schedule, photos and more.

TRCP’s Life in the Open is made possible in part by the generous support of many of America’s leading trade unions and contractor associations, including the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Training Fund, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Mechanical Contractors Association of America, Mechanical Service Contractors of America, National Electrical Contractors Association, National Fire Sprinkler Association Inc., Sheet Metal Workers

International Association, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, United Affiliated Contractors and the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.

News for Immediate Release
Sept. 24, 2009 Contact: Joel Webster, 406-360-3904, jwebster@trcp.org
Economic Value of Roadless Areas Touted by Sportsmen

Hundreds of businesses and groups sign support of ‘Banking on the Backcountry,’
promote responsible management of inventoried roadless areas

WASHINGTON – As Americans head outdoors to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day, hundreds of sportsmen-focused businesses and organizations are voicing their support of roadless area conservation by signing on to “Banking on the Backcountry,” a letter emphasizing the economic value of backcountry lands, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership announced today.

The new sportsmen’s coalition is urging the federal government to maintain the maximum acreages of roadless areas on public lands, thereby conserving valuable fish and wildlife habitat, upholding hunting and fishing activities and supporting the sustainable economy that relies on backcountry areas. The Banking on the Backcountry letter is being delivered today to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“Fishing and hunting annually contribute more than $190 billion to our nation’s economy,” the letter reads. “Conscientious backcountry management can maintain strong economic engines in rural communities and continue to supply stable jobs associated with hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.”

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WASHINGTON – The Obama administration today announced that Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department Natural Resources, will be nominated as undersecretary of natural resources and the environment for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a position that oversees vast tracts of America’s public lands and fish, wildlife and recreational resources. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a national sportsmen’s group, responded to Sherman’s nomination by stressing the continued need to safeguard these valuable lands and resources.

A primary focus of the undersecretary involves leadership of the U.S. Forest Service, which administers more than 191 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The TRCP is particularly invested in ensuring the responsible management of the nation’s close to 60 million acres of inventoried roadless areas. To that end, the conservation group has mobilized a broad cross-section of sportsmen, conservationists and recreationists in support of roadless area management that sustains important habitat and activities such as hunting and fishing.

“We would like to congratulate Mr. Sherman and ask that he promote the long-term conservation of our backcountry hunting and fishing traditions,” said Joel Webster, associate director of campaigns for the TRCP Center for Western Lands, “including upholding and defending the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which safeguards our nation’s roadless areas, should he be confirmed as undersecretary.”

Outdoors-oriented groups and others presently are engaged in the creation of a state rule for the management of more than 4 million acres of roadless areas in Colorado. The proposed Colorado roadless rule has drawn criticism from sportsmen for language allowing significant backcountry development that could negatively affect these lands and the outdoor traditions they support.

“The Colorado roadless rule must live up to the high standards set by the national roadless rule,” continued Webster. “Roadless areas provide important habitat security for big-game animals and clean water for trout and salmon. We will continue to work to ensure that Colorado’s backcountry heritage and economy are sustained through a strong roadless rule.”

Sherman’s nomination must be confirmed by Congress before he officially assumes the role of undersecretary.

Learn more about the TRCP’s work to safeguard America’s roadless areas.

MISSOULA — The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in Missoula is mapping favorite hunting spots in Montana in hopes of avoiding conflicts between hunters and oil and gas developers.

The map is based on surveys of hunting and outdoors advocacy groups throughout the state and is intended to help land managers understand where high-value hunting areas are.

One such area is the Missouri Breaks.

“That’s the golden area of the state,” said Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership policy expert Bill Geer. “If we can’t do something there, I don’t know what I’m in this business for.”

A network of 40 hunting clubs has requested removal of 225,000 acres of public land from consideration for oil and gas leasing through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Their petition has won support from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and received official review by BLM offices in eastern Montana.

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