Number: 1989-14
WHEREAS, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act requires the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 333 million acres of public lands to be managed “in a manner that will protect the quality of scientific, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values; that, where appropriate, will preserve and protect certain public lands in their natural condition; that will provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife and domestic animals; and that will provide for outdoor recreation and human occupancy and use…”; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, BLM’s management policies have favored commercial exploitation of public lands, often in a manner that deprives the public of fair market value for these resources, and to the detriment of their non-commodity values; and
WHEREAS, BLM has a public trust responsibility in managing the public lands, and too often that public trust responsibility has been ignored while certain commercial interests have been favored; and
WHEREAS, the BLM has failed to quantify and protect the social, non-commodity economic values, and wildlife values of BLM roadless, wilderness or wilderness study areas and has made decisions detrimental to these public lands; and
WHEREAS, Congressional investigations and General Accounting Office reports and other evaluations continue to find that the BLM as presently constituted fails to meet its multiple-use mandate;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1989, in Arlington, Virginia calls upon the BLM to rectify this imbalance by recognizing its public trust responsibilities, and by adhering to the multiple-use mandate set forth in its Organic Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress to exercise more vigorous oversight of BLM’s management programs, and to consider restructuring the Bureau if necessary to assure that land management decisions are based on the judgment of professional land managers in accordance with the law and regarding resource needs, rather than a upon political expediency, and to adequately fund BLM programs, to assure that its public trust responsibilities are fulfilled; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress to take steps to reform the Mining Law of 1872 to ensure that mining activities on public lands are carried out in a manner that balances mining with the need to protect the environment and assuring other multiple-uses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the BLM to recognize the important multiple-use resource values of riparian areas on the lands it manages, and to develop and vigorously implement an effective program for riparian area restoration and management; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon the BLM to quantify and protect the social, non-commodity economic values, and wildlife values on roadless areas, wilderness areas, and wilderness study areas.