<
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-government/2023-08-23/idaho-bennett-hills-backcountry-conservation-area>
"Backcountry Conservation Areas are a relatively new creation of the Bureau of
Land Management, and a large new area was just established in our region.
The Bennett Hills conservation area covers more than 120,000 acres of rolling
grasslands in southwest Idaho, just outside Mountain Home. It’s home to upland
game bird species and serves as winter habitat for elk and mule deer.
“If anybody goes up there in the winter, you can see herds of mule deer,
hundreds and hundreds of them,” said Executive Director Brian Brooks of the
Idaho Wildlife Federation, which pushed for the designation. “It's pretty
spectacular.”
Bennett Hills is just the third – yet largest – area established since the BLM
opened the doorto their creation in 2017, Brooks said. It’s also Idaho’s first
BCA.
These areas are intended to “support wildlife-dependent recreation and hunting
activities” – without banning uses like mining, according to the recently
renewed BLM resource management plan for a large swath of Idaho.
But while other uses are typically allowed, Brooks noted that developers trying
to set up a mine or wind farm could face an “uphill battle.”
“They would be met not only with the sort of policy opposition because of the
establishment of the [Backcountry Conservation Area], they're going to be met
with opposition from the folks like my organization, my constituents, hunters
and anglers to protect this area as well,” he said. “It would be a very
significant battle that they may not be willing to take on.”
These conservation areas recognize that “the highest value and use of this
landscape is the habitat and the wildlife and the recreation and economy
derived from those things,” Brooks said. “So it's sort of unique.”
His coalition of conservation groups encouraged hundreds to submit comments
supporting Bennett Hill’s creation. He says westerners could do the same when
other management plans come up for renewal."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-education-girls-crime-uk-ocean-conservation-new-zealand/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
