A group of several conservation groups sent to former Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and former Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) Aurelia Skipwith a 60-day notice of intent to sue over “two last-minute decisions authorizing widespread clearcutting, herbicide spraying, grazing, plowing and prescribed fire” across fuel breaks in the Great Basin.
The groups assert the clearing is a violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Bureau of Land Management failed to consult with USFWS regarding two land management programmatic environmental impact statements.
“These two decisions have incredibly far-reaching implications for future management of fragile native ecosystems throughout the American West,” said Kya Marienfeld, wildlands attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
“Science, transparency and public input are meant to be the backbone of managing Western public lands, but instead, these decisions improperly substitute anecdotes for evidence while cutting off all normal channels of public notice, review and future accountability.”
