JACKSON, Wyo. -- A report published today focuses on data-driven efforts to conserve big-game migration in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Sportsmen organizations hope the findings can help guide decision-making as the U.S. Forest Service prepares to revise its 31-year-old management plan.

Bridger-Teton's 3.4 million acres of public land play an important role in seasonal migration for species such as elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep and more.

Joy Bannon, field and policy director for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, said GPS technology has made it easier to track animal migration patterns and make suggestions on improvements to habitat conservation.

"Is there a fence, for example, that isn't wildlife-friendly, that we can make wildlife-friendly?" Bannon proposed. "Timber harvesting is utilized as a benefit and certain breaks for these animals as well. There's a lot of interesting pieces to this assessment that will help not only the users of the land but also the land managers putting that management onto the ground."

Bridger-Teton, located in northwestern Wyoming, is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the biggest, intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states. The Forest Service recently announced the management plan revision process will start in Fiscal Year 2023.

Another solution proposed in the report includes creating timing restrictions for vehicles to avoid disturbing migrating wildlife.

Nick Dobric, Wyoming field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said migration is key to sustaining wildlife abundance, particularly for finding food along their route.

"If a species is able to migrate, they're able to take advantage of those different habitats in the summer, and the winter, and in those transitional times in the fall and the spring," Dobric explained. "Science has shown that if a herd migrates, it's going to have more numbers than one that does not and, generally, it's going to do better overall."

The report also suggested some prescribed burning could be helpful with enhancing forage production, along with concentrating recreational activities during migration periods.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $271,000 in grants for environmental education projects across the state.

The programs will teach people about wetlands, water quality, biodiversity, habitat restoration and ways to maintain home drinking water and septic systems. One of the recipients, Black Swamp Conservancy, is getting nearly $35,000 to train teachers and provide educational materials for students.

Laura Rodriguez, the conservancy's events coordinator, said this grant is important because it helps get kids and teachers outside and interested in nature.

"Outdoor learning increases students' physical, mental and social health, as well as their overall academic performance, but also fosters this ethic of care," she said. "We're helping to raise that next generation of active citizens who understand the importance of taking care of our shared landscape."

The program aims to equip teachers with resources to enhance student learning experiences through nature-based education. Grants are available in amounts up to $50,000. More information is available on the Ohio Environmental Education website, and the deadline to apply for the next round of money is next Monday.

Conservation manager Melanie Coulter highlighted other Black Swamp conservancy, especially its wetland restoration efforts. She said they are crucial for re-establishing parts of the Great Black Swamp, benefiting both wildlife and the environment.

"The Great Black Swamp, which was this vast 1,500-square-mile wetland along the Maumee River, most of that is now gone," she said, "so we try to put little pieces of it back in strategic areas that will provide wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors along rivers."

Coulter said these grant funds enable the nonprofit to carry out other vital projects, including land restoration and environmental education, demonstrating the importance and impact of its work on a statewide level.


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Deforestation remains a concern in the U.S. but success stories are emerging and Minnesota advocates said new achievements bode well for all residents.

The Conservation Fund, which works to preserve natural resources across the country, recently announced it has protected more than 1 million acres of working forest lands across the country, including Minnesota.

Kim Berns-Melhus, Minnesota state director for the fund, said regional examples include the purchase of 72,000 acres in Minnesota from a timber company. She explained they will hold onto the land for the next decade as permanent solutions evolve under public stewardship.

"When land is held in smaller parcels, privately held instead of large tracts, either by the county, the state or in tribal hands, that really limits the ability for the public to use those forests and to enjoy those forests," Berns-Melhus pointed out.

And if sustainable management practices are not used under private ownership, she cautioned the lands become more vulnerable to climate change, with far-reaching environmental fallout, including habitat loss, increased carbon emissions and flooding. Efforts like these come as forests rapidly disappear, with the U.S. losing more than 4 million acres in 2021 alone.

Berns-Melhus acknowledged not all private ownership of forest lands has negative consequences but emphasized they have to be nimble and keep pace with smaller purchase opportunities as they surface so they do not snowball into a loss which is hard to overcome.

She argued forests are part of Minnesota's identity and they do not want it to change.

"Our forests mean a lot to the state of Minnesota and the people of Minnesota in so many different ways," Berns-Melhus stressed. "Conserving these forests is something that Minnesotans see as a priority."

Minnesota is among the Midwest leaders with nearly 35% of its land covered by forests. The Conservation Fund has a specialized program to facilitate land purchases. Commercial development is seen as one of the biggest threats to sections of wilderness and there are predictions as many as 13 million acres in the U.S. will be lost in the coming decades.

Conservation advocates say a new Bureau of Land Management final Environmental Impact Statement takes positive steps toward developing a management plan to conserve public lands in Northwest California.

The Northwest California Integrated Resource Management Plan will manage more than 380,000 acres in Butte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties for at least the next two decades.

John Haschak, vice chair of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, said the plan will help protect both endangered habitat and at-risk communities from the impacts of climate change, including wildfire.

"It provides some of the protections for some of these areas that are very sensitive, like Eden Valley, which is very environmentally fragile areas, and then also the Eel River. It's a wild and scenic river, so just making sure that these are managed properly is very important," he explained.

The lands covered by the plan stretch from the North Coast to the Central Valley and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They include isolated redwood groves, oak woodlands, rivers and streams, and are home to elk, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, salmon and steelhead. BLM officials say the plan is a collaborative effort of communities, Tribes, local governments and other partners.

The BLM's final plan establishes management areas to protect recreational uses, including miles of trails for hikers, hunters, anglers, mountain bikers and equestrians, as well as some of the best non-expert canoeing and kayaking in California.

Steve O'Bryan, owner of Pullins Cyclery in Chico, said he has several decades of experience in the region, and he hopes the management plan will keep it in pristine condition.

"I'm pleased to have been a part, maybe, or have some effect on this decision to preserve the land because I've gotten to utilize it most of my life," he said. "And we need to make concerted efforts to conserve some wild spots for the future generations that are headed our way."

A BLM spokesman said the plan will address changing use patterns, provide a broad array of recreation uses, plans for wilderness management, and will protect wild and scenic rivers and areas of critical environmental concern.


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