Gordon Testifies on ESA

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon was in Washington DC Wednesday working with Wyoming Senator John Barrasso to update and modernize the federal Endangered Species Act. The Governor pointed to some significant improvements in the Endangered Species Act’s Amendments of 2020, which would elevate the role of state wildlife agencies in species management, allow impacted states the opportunity to help develop recovery plans, and delay judicial review of delisting rules during the post-delisting monitoring period. The governor made his comments during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, strongly supporting states and tribes being allowed to continue and expand their work on conserving imperiled species.
Gordon said, “The majority of wildlife in our nation is managed, and managed well by state and tribal governments. The public trust doctrine outlined in the North American model of wildlife conservation is the bedrock of wildlife conservation in our country. It is also worth recognizing the substantial contributions made by private landowners, ranchers and farmers across our nation to wildlife conservation.”
During his testimony, the Governor outlined Wyoming’s leadership in protecting several species, including the grizzly bear, gray wolves, black-footed ferrets and the greater sage-grouse. He noted that Wyoming’s state-led core area strategy to conserve greater sage-grouse populations was copied by other states, has been effective at preventing listing, and has allowed multiple-use activities to continue.




 

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