Number: 1992-06
WHEREAS, the public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contain a host of important wildlife, environmental, ecological, archeological, recreational and aesthetic resources, in addition to a wealth of minerals and other commodity resources; and
WHEREAS, the BLM’s management practices favor the commercial exploitation of natural resources, such as timber, forage and minerals, often in a manner that is detrimental to the ecological and environmental values of the public lands, and in a manner that deprives the public of fair market value for these resources;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 19-22, 1992, in Portland, Oregon, calls upon the BLM to rectify the imbalance in its management practices by recognizing its public trust responsibilities as enunciated in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to “protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmosphere, water resource and archeological values…and…provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife…”; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon the BLM to assure that fish, wildlife and other environmental values are fully protected from the adverse impacts of mining, grazing, timber harvesting, oil and gas exploration and development activities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the Director of the BLM to take steps to assure that the BLM’s goal of restoring at least 75 percent of all riparian areas on the public lands to proper functioning condition is accomplished by 1997; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress to exercise vigorous oversight of the BLM’s management of the public lands and resources and to pass legislation to assure better protection of ecological value on BLM lands and the establishment of fair market value grazing fees; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress pass legislation assuring that hard rock mining activities on public lands are carried out in a manner that protects ecological and environmental values, keeps public lands in public ownership, and assures a fair return to the public for minerals extracted.