Defenders' Experts
America's Wildlife Heritage Act
America’s public lands are synonymous with iconic fish and wildlife species such as pronghorn antelope, cutthroat trout, black bear, wolverine and mule deer, but these species, as well as countless others, face increasing pressures brought on by a changing world. A growing population and associated development, energy exploration and production on public lands, as well as a changing climate all combine to put stresses on our fish and wildlife populations on public lands. Healthy, sustainable fish and wildlife populations signify healthy public lands, and healthy public lands provide countless benefits to people and communities across America.
America's Wildlife Heritage Act Introduced in 111th Congress
On Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced the America’s Wildlife Heritage Act (H.R. 2807) in the 111th Congress. Defenders of Wildlife would like to thank Rep. Kind and Rep. Jones for their leadership on this important wildlife issue.
America’s Wildlife Heritage Act, brings a balanced, common-sense approach to wildlife management on our U.S. national forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. The legislation ensures that the fish and wildlife we currently enjoy on our national forests and BLM lands remain healthy and that populations remain sustainable into the future. The bill provides public land managers with sound, science-based tools for conserving wildlife – tools that help us fulfill our obligation to maintain America’s fish and wildlife legacy for future generations.
Text of America's Wildlife Heritage Act, H.R. 2807
A Need for Clear Fish and Wildlife Policy
Coherent fish and wildlife policy requires clear, measurable objectives plus tools to evaluate agency achievement of those objectives. Unfortunately both the Forest Service and BLM lack these basic ingredients – neither agency has clear, measurable objectives to sustain fish and wildlife populations. While Forest Service fish and wildlife policy has fluctuated from one administration to another, and varied in terms of clear policy objectives, BLM has lacked standards to sustain fish and wildlife populations on its lands altogether.
Absent well articulated policy objectives, or standards, to sustain and evaluate the condition of fish and wildlife populations, Forest Service and BLM land management is skewed towards unsustainable development, opportunities for hunting and angling are reduced; sedimentation of streams increases, affecting water quality; fish and wildlife habitat is modified, fragmented or outright destroyed and wildlife migration routes are severed; and air and water pollution rises. Absent policy to sustain fish and wildlife populations, the legacy of our federal public lands, and all the benefits that those lands provide, suffers. To sustain fish and wildlife populations and retain associated public benefits we need to restore the balance and ensure a practical, efficient and effective fish and wildlife policy that includes a sustainability standard and evaluation tools to measure agency performance.
The Forest Service and BLM cannot succeed in isolation. Effective fish and wildlife policies require enhanced coordination and cooperation among federal, state, local and tribal entities to address cross-jurisdictional issues like climate change. The time is right to refine and coordinate fish and wildlife policy across agencies and jurisdictions and to enhance cooperation to address current and future challenges.
The Solution: America’s Wildlife Heritage Act
Enactment of America’s Wildlife Heritage Act will establish balance and common-sense, science-based fish and wildlife policy to the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. By establishing clear, permanent fish and wildlife policy objectives across these agencies, the bill ensures that all of the benefits bestowed by America’s Forest Service and BLM lands are available to current and future generations.
The time is now for a balanced shift in public lands wildlife policy that ensures permanent protections for your lands, and your wildlife.
Learn more about wildlife and our public lands.
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