Wild Lands Policy Returns to Sense

Albuquerque Journal, Mar 4, 2011; Section: Op-Ed / Letters to the Editor
http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/042032579576opinionguestcolumns03-04-11.htm

By Bob Abbey
Director, Bureau of Land Management

As I testified before members of Congress this week at a hearing on Capitol Hill, Americans love the wild places
where they hike, fish, hunt or just take a break from their busy lives, and they expect these lands to be managed wisely
on their behalf.

At the end of last year, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar laid out a commonsense approach to managing these
special places with his Wild Lands policy, established by Secretarial Order 3310.

The policy restores balance and clarity to the management of our public lands by providing for a clear, open process
for local communities, states, tribes, the public and stakeholders to help determine how to manage Western lands with
wilderness characteristics.

The Wild Lands policy doesn’t change the management of a single acre of public land. It simply clarifies how the
Bureau of Land Management should manage the public lands for all of the values and multiple uses for which it is
responsible, from energy development to recreation and backcountry protection.

It also provides practical and muchneeded BLM guidance for identifying and managing lands with wilderness
characteristics. BLM has not had this comprehensive guidance since it was revoked in 2003 as a result of a
controversial out-of court settlement between then-Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, the state of Utah, and other
parties.

Affirming the BLM’s ability to work with the public to protect lands with wilderness characteristics is not just a
common sense step, but it also makes sound economic sense. Last year, hunting, fishing, and other recreational uses
of BLM lands generated $7.4 billion for local economies throughout the West.

Conservation must be — and should be — on the table when making decisions about our public lands. It’s what the
American people expect, and it’s also what the law requires.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which guides the management of 250 million acres of Western lands,
states that — along with energy production, grazing and other uses — the preservation and protection of lands in their
natural condition are part of the BLM’s mission. The act directs the BLM to maintain an inventory of the public lands
and their resources and other values, which includes wilderness values.

The Wild Lands policy provides comprehensive guidance for the BLM on how to uphold its management
responsibilities under the law.

To be clear — and contrary to some claims — the Wild Lands policy does not designate land as wilderness. Only
Congress can do that. Nor does it designate wilderness study areas.

The Wild Lands policy simply creates more options for the public as they participate in the BLM’s normal land
management planning process. Now, local communities, states, tribes and stakeholders can recommend that
appropriate areas of their public lands be managed to protect their wilderness values. Unlike congressionally mandated
wilderness areas, the management of these “Wild Lands” can be adjusted or modified over time through new planning
processes based on new needs and changing realities. The new “Wild Lands” designation, I believe, will prove to be an
important tool and resource for local communities that rely on tourism, energy production, fishing, hunting and recreation
for their livelihood.

Wilderness values have long been — and continue to be — a high priority for the American people, and that priority
should be reflected in the BLM’s policies. With the Wild Lands policy, we are returning to the balanced, common-sense
approach to land management that the public expects.