BREAKING NEWS: SALAZAR TO BACK DOWN ON WILDLANDS POLICY
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
It seems the Obama Administration has realized it over-reached with the December 2010 Secretarial Order establishing the Wildlands Policy. The Associated Press is reporting that Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has today signed a memo saying his agency will not designate any "Wildlands."
The AP reports Salazar intends to work instead on efforts to "work with members of Congress to develop recommendations for managing millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West."
See:
APNewsBreak: Obama abandons wilderness plan
http://www.sfexaminer.com/politics/2011/06/apnewsbreak-obama-abandons-wilderness-plan
The impacts of this announcement on access and recreation on vast areas of public lands is not readily evident, but it certainly appears to us the DOI made the only reasonable decision since BLM lands have already been inventoried for wilderness characteristics. Those lands meeting the criteria are Wilderness Study areas and have been managed to protect wild character for many years.
Many other BLM lands remain attractive and available for a variety of recreation uses. We look forward to working with Congress and the agency to plan the management of these lands for all recreationists now and in the future.
Brian Hawthorne
Public Lands Policy Director
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 102
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. With members in all 50 states, BRC is focused on building enthusiast involvement with organizational efforts through membership, outreach, education, and collaboration among recreationists. 1-800-BlueRib – www.sharetrails.org
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