Final Plan Amendments Align Colorado BLM Big Game Habitat Management with Colorado Oil and Gas Development Regulations
Plan amendment creates consistency between federal and state jurisdictions for oil and gas development within high priority big game habitat, sets precedent for efficiently updating management plans statewide
The Colorado Bureau of Land Management recently signed a Record of Decision on their Resource Management Plan Amendment for Big Game Habitat Conservation to align the federal agency’s oil and gas management with State of Colorado policies where there is overlap with high priority big game habitat. Hunters, anglers, and other wildlife conservationists appreciate BLM’s work to conserve important big game habitat while facilitating multiple uses when and where they’re most compatible.
“This ROD marks the conclusion of over two years of hard work by Colorado BLM staff, cooperating agencies including Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and local governments, and non-profit hunting and conservation organizations,” said Liz Rose, Colorado field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Thank you to those agency staff members, and to all the hunters and anglers who submitted feedback and comments to the BLM throughout the plan development process.”
This ROD amends land management plans for 12 Colorado BLM field offices, creating more management consistency across the state where important big game habitats overlap with oil and gas leasing and development activity. Colorado BLM manages 8.3 million acres of land for multiple uses, which include oil and gas development, renewable energy development, ranching, and recreational use such as hunting, fishing, camping, rafting, and hiking. A significant portion of these lands—approximately 6.3 million acres—is also top priority habitat for Colorado’s elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep populations.
This planning effort sets the precedent for efficiently incorporating new data and research and updating management plans statewide to facilitate responsible management of multiple uses on our public lands to conserve important fish and wildlife resources.
We encourage the Colorado BLM to leverage their expertise and updated repository of big game data and science to develop responsible management policies related to other uses of BLM land, including but not limited to renewable energy development and recreation, for which demand continues to grow.
Read more in TRCP’s recent blog covering the proposed final plan HERE.
Louisiana No-Fishing Buffer May Be Preventing Fish Spills
Fully 1 million fewer pogies were spilled in 2024 season compared to the annual average, based on Department of Wildlife and Fisheries data
(BATON ROUGE, La.)—An analysis of more than a decade of fisheries data by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership indicates that recently created near-shore, no-fishing buffers in Louisiana may be reducing the number of pogies spilled from the industrial harvest of this ecologically valuable baitfish – to a mere quarter of the historical average.
Fish spill incidents have generated a significant amount of controversy in the state in recent years due to millions of wasted fish, fouled beaches, and thousands of redfish lost as bycatch, which resulted in regulatory changes enacted in the spring. The likelihood of net tears and spills, due to gear interactions with the seafloor, is higher in shallower waters near shore than when vessels work in deeper waters.
Millions of fewer pogies were spilled by the industrial fishery in 2024, after a buffer was enforced.
In February 2024, before the commercial pogy fishing season began on April 15, the state’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a half-mile coastwide buffer prohibiting pogy boats from netting in near-shore Louisiana waters, with the buffer extended to 1 and 3 miles in some areas. The same Notice of Intent (NOI) that created the buffer also increased fish spill penalties. A major reason for the NOI was an attempt to reduce the number of fish spilled and spill incidents, in which pogy boat net tears and net abandonments have released an estimated 14.8 million dead pogies – officially known as Gulf menhaden – into state waters over the last decade alone. Other reasons included efforts to reduce bycatch of redfish and other important sportfish, reduce conflicts between commercial and recreational users, and protect sensitive bottom habitat.
To determine if the buffer may be working, TRCP examined publicly available records for fish spills in Louisiana kept by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which are available from 2013 onwards. The state agency has records of all reported or otherwise validated spill events caused by the two industrial menhaden harvesters, Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries.
After the half-mile buffer was enacted, 2024 saw the second-lowest number of fish spilled since records were made available.
The results indicated that, on average, the number of pogies spilled per year from 2013 to 2023 was more than 1.3 million fish, and that there has been a significant upward trend in the number of fish spilled per year. However, after the half-mile buffer was enacted this year, 2024 saw the second-lowest number of fish spilled since records were made available, with only 2013 having fewer estimated losses. Of note is that the number of pogies landed was on par with the past 10 years, even with the buffer zones in place. Further, this year’s estimated number of fish spilled to date is only 350,000, or 26 percent of the annual average, and only 12 percent of the 2.8 million fish lost annually, when averaged over the last two seasons (2022 and 2023).
Dead menhaden from a fish kill event in Maryland. Credit: Steve Droter/Chesapeake Bay Program
“This data indicates that the efforts to move the industrial pogy boats into deeper waters to protect nearshore, shallow habitat is paying off,” said Chris Macaluso, director of the Center for Marine Fisheries for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Few things anger and disgust anglers and beachgoers in Louisiana more than seeing rafts of dead pogies and other fish left by the menhaden reduction industry floating nearshore or washed up on beaches. This year, we have seen far fewer of these spills and anglers have also noted an increase in nearshore forage like pogies, mullet and other fish.”
Gulf menhaden are a critical food source for iconic Louisiana sportfish like redfish and speckled trout. Approximately 1 billion pounds of pogies are harvested by the industrial Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery each year, mainly from Louisiana waters. Until 2024, pogy boats were allowed to fish closer than 500 yards from Louisiana’s shorelines, where the boats often make contact with the water bottom. With this new buffer reducing the likelihood of negative gear interactions with the shallow seafloor, there has also been less disturbance of potential spawning grounds for redfish and other sportfish.
A tailing redfish. Credit: Pat Ford Photography
“Louisianans were fed up with our resources being wasted and shorelines being fouled as a result of these spills, so it is refreshing to see this progress,” said David Cresson, CEO of the Coastal Conservation Association Louisiana. “Thanks to Governor Landry, our Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, and the actions of a handful of brave legislators like Representative Joe Orgeron, we now have more reasonable buffers across our coast. These buffers, along with other important measures, have clearly contributed to the drastic reduction in fish spills.”
A coalition of recreational fishing, wildlife and habitat conservation, and boating organizations led by CCA Louisiana and TRCP has worked for more than five years to increase public awareness about the impacts of Louisiana’s industrial menhaden fishery and advocate for some basic conservation measures, such as the ones included in the Notice of Intent. In 2021, State Rep. Joe Orgeron (R-54) first introduced a bill in the Louisiana Legislature which proposed a nearly identical buffer to the one approved earlier this year, but due to industry opposition, the bill ultimately did not pass.
“This is a great example of the state putting effort into making sure it does what is best for all citizens,” said Angler Action Foundation Executive Director Brett Fitzgerald. “A triple win of decreased bycatch, a reduction of user conflict and maybe, most importantly, less destruction of habitats, is a recipe for continued success.”
TRCP and its partners note that while this fishing season is coming to a close, more spill events could still occur, but that the vast majority of previously recorded spills occurred before October – the last month commercial pogy fishing is allowed in Louisiana each year.
Gulf Menhaden Coalition members include the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), CCA Louisiana, CCA Mississippi, CCA Alabama, CCA Texas, CCA Florida, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Louisiana Charter Boat Association, American Sportfishing Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, International Game Fish Association, Angler Action Foundation, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Audubon Delta, Guy Harvey Foundation, Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, Mississippi Wildlife Federation, and Wildlife Mississippi.
For more information about the key role pogies and other forage fish play in marine ecosystems, visit TRCP’s forage fish recovery page.
“Hunters are among the first to see the effects of habitat loss and degradation, and for decades we’ve seen populations of bobwhite quail, prairie chickens, pronghorn and other grassland wildlife suffer,” said Aaron Field, TRCP’s director of private lands conservation. “It’s long past time to replicate on grasslands the proven model of voluntary, incentive-based conservation that has boosted waterfowl populations for nearly 35 years. The North American Grasslands Conservation Act puts us on that path. We applaud the leadership of Representatives Mace, Davids, Fitzpatrick, and Thompson and look forward to working with decision-makers on both sides of the aisle to advance this smart, proven conservation solution.”
More than 70 percent of America’s tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairies have vanished, followed by the precipitous decline of grassland bird populations – more than 30 percent since 1966. Additionally, grazing lands that have sustained generations of ranchers are dwindling and species from bobwhite quail and pheasants to monarch butterflies and elk are struggling to navigate landscapes they used to call home.
The Grasslands Act would kickstart the voluntary protection and restoration of grasslands and sagebrush-steppe ecosystems – and the livelihoods and wildlife dependent upon them. Functionally, the legislation is modeled after the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and would create a landowner-driven, voluntary, incentive-based program to conserve America’s critically imperiled grasslands. There’s urgency to maintain these grassland biomes for agriculture, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration and for future generations while supporting ranchers, farmers, Tribal Nations, sportsmen and women and rural communities.
The concept of a Grasslands Act was first introduced in the U.S. Senate during the 117th Congress, led by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo). This new U.S. House version has some key changes aligning it more closely with NAWCA, improving tribal provisions, and making it more bipartisan.
“The United States has over 125 million acres of grasslands that are threatened, and right here in South Carolina, we see firsthand how important conservation is to the health and beauty of our natural ecosystems,” Mace said. “Our office has made a promise to preserve this beauty, not just for today, but for future generations.”
“In Kansas, we have grassland prairies that are well known throughout the Great Plains for their beautiful landscapes and scenic hiking trails, but grasslands once covered millions of acres across North America, stretching from coast to coast,” Davids said. “Grasslands are vital to ranchers and producers, Tribes, and folks who love spending time outdoors. They’re critical habitat for countless species of birds, important pollinators, and treasured animals like the bison. And, they’re crucial to fighting the effects of climate change, bolstering our food security, and combatting extreme weather. I’m excited for this opportunity to highlight the protection of our grasslands and bipartisan solutions that build off of successful public-private partnerships.”
“Grasslands are vital to the livelihoods of our nation’s ranchers and the health of our native wildlife – yet they remain endangered. It’s great to join my colleagues to introduce the bipartisan North American Grasslands Act to invest in voluntary, incentive-based programs to help farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations, sportsmen and women, and state and local governments preserve, rehabilitate, and responsibly manage our grasslands for generations to come,” Thompson said.
“Grasslands are among the most endangered ecosystems in the word, with over 70 percent of America’s tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairies now gone,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our grasslands are vital for the survival of farmers and rural communities across Pennsylvania and our nation, which is why I am championing this critical piece of bipartisan, bicameral legislation. By establishing a landowner-drive, incentive-based program and investing restoration programs, the North American Grasslands Conservation Act will protect essential habitats that support our American farmers, ranchers, and Tribal Nation s and revitalize these crucial ecosystems, ensuring they continue to sustain wildlife and rural communities for generations to come.”
More than 45 organizations are collaborating in support of the Grasslands Act. A full roster of those groups can be found at www.ActforGrasslands.org. Additionally, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has partnered with the coalition to develop the www.MapForGrasslands.org website, which provides a powerful tool to visualize the loss of grasslands habitat.
The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.
The Importance of Restoring Louisiana’s Chandeleur Islands
President Theodore Roosevelt designated the islands, which provide key habitat for waterfowl, sportfish, and sea turtles, as the second-ever National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S.
Louisiana’s extensive barrier islands are among the many features that distinguish the state from its Gulf of Mexico neighbors, as well as every other Atlantic Basin state.
Certainly, others have barrier islands and extensive beach shorelines. However, none of them have the unique and numerous mix of headlands and back-barrier marshes of the Bayou State, thanks to the shifting deltas and fertility of the Mississippi River.
While the brown river silt and thick, sometimes rotten-smelling mud isn’t the tourist attraction of white sand and high-rise hotels, the fish, crabs and, especially, native and migrating birds sure do love those “ugly” beaches and marshes.
Singling out one barrier island or even a chain of barrier islands as most important or most unique is difficult. They all serve multiple purposes as vital habitat for fish and birds (and fishermen and bird watchers) and all play a crucial role in knocking down storm surge and protecting more sensitive inland wetlands and communities from bearing the brunt of the strongest hurricane waves. The Chandeleur Islands, though, stand out.
Tens of thousands of redheads and other ducks utilize the Chandeleur Islands each winter. Image credit: Teddy Llovet
A special place
The Chandeleurs are home to the northern Gulf of Mexico’s largest seagrass bed, encompassing more than 5,000 acres and providing food and shelter for innumerable fish, mammals, sea turtles, and birds.
It may come as a shock to most Louisiana waterfowlers that tens of thousands of diving ducks, particularly redheads, spend part of their winter on northern Chandeleur’s massive grass flats. An estimated 40,000-50,000 birds utilize the islands each winter and more than 30,000 sea birds make their nests on the islands annually.
The islands’ remote nature has left them unmolested, but also passed up for large-scale restoration projects.
Those flats also attract sea turtles, most notably endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles. Biologists believed for decades Kemp’s ridleys, while ranging Gulf-wide and along the Atlantic Coast, only nested in Mexico and South Texas. Not so, according to a host of recent findings by Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) that show dozens of nesting sites along the Chandeleur’s beaches.
Critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, like the one shown here in Florida, nest on and forage near the Chandeleurs. Image credit: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Of course, Louisiana anglers and saltwater fishing enthusiasts world-wide know the Chandeleurs for their massive schools of redfish, extraordinary speckled trout production, enormous populations of sharks, and even as a stopping and feeding spot for migrating tarpon coming from Florida each summer to feast on pogies and mullet near the Mississippi’s mouth.
This remarkable bounty of fish and wildlife prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to designate the islands as the Breton National Wildlife Refuge in 1904, the second-ever National Wildlife Refuge established in the United States.
Access Is a Challenge
There’s no such thing as an easy trip to northern Chandeleur Island. It’s more than 30 miles across a lot of open water from any launching spot along the Mississippi coast. Add a dozen or more miles to that from popular Louisiana ports.
Its remote nature has left the islands mostly unmolested by people and keeps predators like foxes, racoons, and other egg eaters away from bird and turtle nests. But, because the islands are so far away from the mainland, it also meant they were often passed up for large-scale restoration projects.
The storm surge reduction benefits just didn’t score as highly as islands in the Barataria or Terrebonne basins, while the distance from shore meant additional expenses in moving material and manpower on site. Facing limited budgets, state coastal planners had to pick islands that had the most combined benefits for both people and animals.
Construction could begin in 2026 to restore more than 13 miles of the barrier island chain.
Ironically, it’s the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster that changed the equation for the Chandeleurs. The impacts to sea turtles, birds, fish, and other wildlife across the northern Gulf means habitat restoration and enhancement is weighted as much or more than storm surge reduction and coastal community protection when it comes to spending oil spill fines.
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill fouled many of Louisiana’s barrier island beaches. Image credit: Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
The Time Is Now
Louisiana’s CPRA is trying to secure an approximate $280-plus million from various oil-spill penalty funds, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund as well as donations from nonprofit groups like Ducks Unlimited. Should the CPRA succeed, construction could begin in 2026 to restore more than 13 miles of beaches as well as sand dunes and pockets of back barrier marshes.
Here’s hoping CPRA succeeds. The Chandeleurs’ beaches and dunes are miniscule now compared to the estimated 11,000 acres there when Roosevelt established the refuge. Hurricanes, especially Georges in 1998 and, of course, Katrina in 2005 have ripped the islands apart, contributing to the loss of more than 90 percent of the landmass over the last 100 years.
Louisiana has lost far too much coastal habitat in the last century. That land loss has contributed to the slow erosion of a cultural identity intrinsic to the people of the Sportsman’s Paradise. Hopefully, restoring the Chandeleurs will play a big role in making sure that identity is passed on to the next generation of Louisiana sportsmen and women.
Every barrier island in Louisiana between the mouth of the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya River has been restored and enhanced in some way in the last 25 years. It’s time the northern stretches of the Chandeleurs get their turn.
Expert Panel Discusses the Importance of a Healthy Rio Grande to Sustaining Communities and Outdoor Recreation
TRCP gathered conservation leaders, recreational businesses, policy experts, and media at the 2024 OWAA Annual Conference to discuss the importance of a healthy Rio Grande
(El Paso, Texas) – The Thedore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership joined outdoor media and professionals at the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s annual conference in El Paso, Texas, to connect and learn from more than 150 outdoor storytellers – and the non-profits, brands, and communities that support their work.
As part of the conference, the TRCP hosted a panel discussion, moderated by Christian Fauser, the organization’s western water policy associate, to engage the outdoor writing community on the importance of a healthy Rio Grande in sustaining communities and outdoor recreation; what regional partners are doing to address river challenges; and how outdoor writers can help elevate the profile of this crucial watershed.
The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is the third longest river in the continental US and is a source of life for more than 13 million people and countless unique wildlife species and ecosystems. The river also supports a vibrant outdoor recreational community and economy built around iconic landscapes such as Great Sand Dunes and Big Bend National Parks and a string of National Wildlife Refuges critical to sustaining migratory birds and other wildlife important to hunters, anglers, and wildlife watchers. The Rio Grande also faces tremendous challenges from a changing climate, dealing with the impacts of wildfires and drought, and declining water supplies.
Panelists included: Ashley Beyer, Southern Regional Director for US Senator Martin Heinrich; Martha Pskowski, El Paso-based energy and environment reporter for Inside Climate News; Toner Mitchell, Trout Unlimited New Mexico Water and Habitat Coordinator; and Mike Davidson, co-founder of Far Flung Adventures, and professional river guide.
The panelists provided crucial insights to the outdoor writers, non-profits organizations, businesses, and media on:
The biggest water and climate-related threats facing the Rio Grande and current opportunities to address these challenges.
Opportunities for cross-watershed coordination and collaboration to address water resource challenges.
How the Rio Grande, compared to other watersheds, receives less attention in national media despite its importance as a vital water source for drinking, agriculture, outdoor recreation, and fish and wildlife; and how this lack of national media attention arguably does a disservice to addressing water-related challenges on the river in terms of attention by federal and state policymakers.
Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to habitat and clean water here
Photo credit: NPS Photo/Jennette Jurado
The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
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