Deer and elk don’t do borders: Groups fight to preserve protections along state, federal lines

Wildlife, it turns out, isn’t too savvy about political borders – whether those borders divide countries or states. Sportsmen and conservation groups pointed that out in different ways this week when they protested a bill that would strip away environmental protections within 100 miles of U.S. borders. In a separate action, groups also urged greater regulatory cooperation in managing roadless lands that straddle state borders.

Sportsmen seek to improve Colorado Roadless Rule that anti-wilderness bill would scrap

Sportsmen aren’t necessarily opposing an anti-wilderness bill co-sponsored by three Colorado Republicans because they’re enamored with the Colorado Roadless Rule, which would likely be derailed by the bill after six long years of negotiation. They just want the ability to keep trying to improve the Colorado rule.

Sportsmen urge Colorado lawmakers to reject bill to override Colorado Roadless Rule

A group of eight Colorado conservation and sportsmen’s groups today urged Colorado’s congressional delegation and Gov. John Hickenlooper to oppose a federal wilderness bill some fear would undo six years of work crafting the controversial Colorado Roadless Rule.

Conservation groups mixed on Salazar memo dialing back Wild Lands policy

National and state conservation and sportsmen’s group had mixed reactions to Wednesday’s memo from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar dialing back the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Lands policy in response to the ongoing budget battle in Congress.

State touts big game harvest, but sportsmen’s group fears Obama rule could impact habitat

Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) officials on Monday reported that 214,000 hunters harvested 48,018 elk in Colorado last fall – a 22 percent success rate. However, some conservation groups are worried the Obama administration’s National Forest Planning Rule unveiled last month could adversely impact fish and wildlife habitat on 13 national forests and grasslands encompassing 14.5 million acres of public lands in Colorado.

In wake of Idaho ruling, conservation group targets Colorado roadless rule

A prominent conservation group today simultaneously praised a U.S. district court ruling upholding Idaho’s roadless rule and looked ahead to anticipated revisions of Colorado’s rule, which it says falls short in protecting millions of acres of public lands from road building projects. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), a coalition of sportsmen’s group, lauded a U.S. 9th District Court decision upholding the Idaho roadless rule, which governs the administration of more than 9.3 million acres of roadless public lands in that state.

Sportsmen object to hasty North Park oil and gas lease sale

A coalition and hunting and fishing groups Thursday protested a May 13 oil and gas lease sale on 14 parcels of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land totaling 11,400 acres in North Park.

Led by Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development…

Conservationists quick to criticize Colorado’s revised roadless rule

Starting Monday, environmentalists and sportsmen’s groups – as well anyone else concerned about Colorado’s roadless public lands– were given another 60 days to comment on the state’s latest protection plan. They only needed about 60 minutes.

The Pew Environment Group…

Roadless rule hurtling down Bush fast-track

The Bush administration appears to be charging even harder down the road to a new Colorado roadless rule despite a meeting of a U.S. Forest Service advisory group in Washington earlier this month that revealed numerous problems with the plan.

This is the Bush administration’s last chance to implement its vision of how to administer pristine forest and park land. While in the Senate, President-elect Obama opposed the Bush administration’s plans for roadless areas.

Controversial roadless rule on the road to approval

A new set of state rules for managing millions of acres of roadless public lands in Colorado — rules critics say are loaded with loopholes for oil and gas drilling, logging and ski-area expansion — are now out of the public arena and expected to be finalized sometime next year.