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For Immediate Release -- Tuesday, November 16, 2022 [click for full News Release PDF (2-pg) ]
Contacts:
- Mike Quigley, Arizona State Director of The Wilderness Society, 520-334-8741
- Sandy Bahr, Director of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, 602-253-8633
- Kelly Burke, Executive Director of Wild Arizona, 928-606-7870
NEW BLM Guidance will Help Protect Arizona’s World Class Wildlife
Washington, DC – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued new guidance to land managers today prioritizing wildlife conservation and connectivity on the agency’s 245 million acres across the west. The Instruction Memorandum titled “Habitat Connectivity on Public Lands” directs the agency to assess wildlife corridors on BLM lands and to make plans to safeguard them for the future. The new policy directs local public land managers to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders – including Tribal Nations, state and local wildlife officials, conservation groups, and scientific experts – to help incorporate local knowledge and best practices as well as the latest scientific research in developing plans to conserve and restore wildlife habitat connectivity.
From renowned mule deer migration routes into Utah, to mountain ranges and river riparian corridors of the Sky Islands region crucial to the survival of imperiled jaguars, Arizona’s BLM lands provide vital connections for native wildlife – whether they’re common big-game animals, or rare species hanging on by a thread. This new direction comes at a critical time for protecting Arizona’s wildlife, as BLM managers have initiated extensive Travel Management Planning efforts across the state to be completed over the coming few years. Roads and vehicle traffic that fragment natural habitats are major impediments to wildlife movement, and the new policy provides much needed guidance to identify key habitats and reduce the potential for conflict and mortality...