Recently, Forest Guardians accused the Bureau of Land Management of not enforcing closures on public lands for wildlife, claiming that exceptions to our policy are routinely granted to oil and gas companies for drilling operations to the detriment of wildlife.
This is not true. I believe it's essential to share the facts.
The BLM has indeed identified public lands in the San Juan Basin to be closed to oil and gas activity in the winter for deer and elk, plus habitat for the lesser prairie chicken in southeastern New Mexico during their breeding season in the spring. Wildlife is benefiting from these actions.
Exceptions to closures are not granted pro forma as Forest Guardians alleges, but can be granted for short-term operations when wildlife species are not present in closure areas or will not be impacted. Criteria for exceptions were developed in collaboration with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, members of the environmental community and energy industry representatives.
While Forest Guardians claims that elk are suffering in the San Juan Basin, the fact is that elk numbers have increased dramatically— more than doubling— since the late 1980s. Consequently, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has increased the number of elk permits in Unit 2 (Northwest New Mexico) from about 100 per year to almost 800 each year over the past two decades.
Forest Guardians also failed to mention that BLM has more than doubled the acreage of winter closure areas in the San Juan Basin in 2003, from 160,000 acres to 350,000 acres. Not only are elk doing better, but so are wintering bald eagle populations. While deer populations remain static, we're working with Game and Fish and other partners to enhance mule deer habitat.
Population trends for lesser prairie chickens show that the species is increasing on public lands; prairie chickens are now repopulating areas that were previously abandoned. As with the northwest part of our state, the BLM is working with a variety of partners to set aside and improve habitat for the species.
Statewide, BLM is following a wildlife conservation strategy developed by the Department of Game and Fish to manage and enhance key wildlife habitat.
Energy is a highly charged topic these days. Oil and gas development, projected supply and demand scenarios, conservation, and price at the pump are complex, challenging and controversial issues.
Perhaps the only thing clear about energy is that using it is a lot more popular than developing it. Since Congress has authorized the BLM to manage the federal mineral estate as part of our multiple-use mandate, and provided specific direction on how to do so, the BLM is in the middle of much of the energy dialogue. This is as it should be, since these lands and energy resources belong to the American people.
The BLM would welcome Forest Guardians and other critics to sit at the table with us in a collaborative fashion rather than simply lob grenades, or worse, back away from the table when the dialogue is not to their liking.
Lastly, the public— owners of the public lands and minerals that the BLM manages— should know that development on federal lands is the most regulated, most analyzed and provides the most opportunity for public input of any activity in New Mexico.
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