** Conservation partnerships flourish across the West
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020
Conservation easement sign in Marion County, Oregon, NRCS Oregon ([link removed])
Across the West, ranchers and farmers are increasingly turning to agreements with private land trusts and government agencies to protect their land from encroaching development. The Washington Post looks at the growing waiting lists of applications ([link removed]) in states from New Mexico to Montana.
Conservation easements protect around five million acres in Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado today. Research out of Colorado State University ([link removed]) found every dollar spent in state conservation tax credits leads to a $12 return.
As scientists and policy leaders push for protecting at least 30 percent of American land and water by 2030 ([link removed]) , conservation partnerships like these will be an essential tool, but one that will require more funding. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has enough money for just 30 percent of the applications it receives for its conservation easement program.
** Coronavirus spreads at Interior
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While the Interior Department refuses to publicly confirm ([link removed]) the number of COVID-19 cases in employees across the country, internal data reviewed by Miranda Green at HuffPost ([link removed]) show at least 40 DOI employees have tested positive and are considered contagious. The largest number came from the National Park Service, after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt resisted calls to close parks like Grand Canyon despite crowds of visitors not practicing social distancing. The actual number of infected employees may be higher—the internal tally showed 10 cases at NPS as of April 7, then 8 as of April 10. It's not clear whether those two employees recovered or died.
Quick hits
** Trump administration gives timber companies up to 3 more years to fulfill contracts amidst trade war, virus
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Bloomberg ([link removed])
** As California considers listing Joshua trees as threatened, disinformation spreads among angry anglers
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Desert Sun ([link removed])
** Trump’s oil deal may be too little, too late to save U.S. oil companies
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** Senator blasts White House for hiding industry comments on undermining NEPA
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E&E News ([link removed])
** At least 40 Interior employees test positive for COVID-19 as Interior tries to hide numbers
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H ([link removed]) uffPost ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Trump’s cabinet, including Bernhardt, MIA as coronavirus pandemic rages
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HuffPost ([link removed])
** Expanding efforts to keep ‘cows over condos’ are protecting land across the West
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** How Mormon history plays into today's public land fights
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High Country News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
The Secretary of Interior has outright refused and ignored the Park Service’s request in certain areas to close parks. He’s exposed all of these officers. Quite frankly, the Secretary of Interior has been sending a horrible message and going against what the administration is pushing [on social distancing]. It’s very counterproductive and frustrating that people aren’t on the same page.”
—Mike Shelton
United States Park Police Fraternal Order of Police
HuffPost ([link removed])
Picture this
** @nationalparkservice ([link removed])
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Did you know the National Park Service has been studying how mountain lions survive in an increasingly fragmented and urbanized landscape since 2002? Researchers have monitored more than 75 mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. GPS collars provide detailed information about the animals' ecology and behavior.
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