Western governors take action to preserve wildlife corridors impacted by growth, energy, climate change and transportation (6/29/08)

Western governors take action to preserve wildlife corridors impacted by growth, energy, climate change and transportation

Jackson Hole, Wyo. -- Western governors agreed today to take several actions aimed at protecting migration corridors wildlife depend upon for their survival and that are being severely impacted by population growth, energy development, climate change and transportation.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal, Chairman of the Western Governors' Association, led the discussion with his colleagues and several Canadian premiers on the opening day of WGA's Annual Meeting here.

Wildlife is a critical part of our Western heritage and we need to ensure through our individual and collective actions that we are preserving wildlife for future generations, Freudenthal said. We must learn to better manage and utilize the resources available to us, in order to minimize impacts to wildlife that we want to continue to see roaming across our prairies, deserts and mountains.  Recommendations for what actions are needed to reduce corridor impacts were developed over the past year by working groups WGA created to address specific topics and by a science committee that was charged with identifying corridors and crucial habitat in the West. Each working group brought together diverse interests to develop recommendations on how best to address impacts related to land use, climate change, transportation, oil and gas development and energy infrastructure, such as construction of transmission lines.

This has been an instructive lesson in the wildlife corridor needs of our region, said Utah Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., WGA's Vice Chairman. Today we took the first step by creating a Western Wildlife Habitat Council to continue working on this critical issue.

Prior to the start of today's session, the governors and nearly 500 participants at the WGA Annual Meeting heard from Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Tom Brokaw, an NBC special correspondent and avid outdoorsman.

Meeting participants were able to see what can often be a treacherous path pronghorn antelope must navigate as they move between their summer and winter ranges. Jack Dangermond, President and CEO of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, used an interactive mapping system to demonstrate how such decision-making tools can be used by developers and communities to better understand and mitigate impacts to wildlife. The governors adopted a resolution that calls for the use of such tools.

Steve Elbert, Vice Chairman of BP America, provided examples of what his company has done in Wyoming and Alaska to accommodate wildlife.

On Sunday evening, governors and a sell-out crowd of attendees will view the premiere of Freedom to Roam, a multi-media presentation that the non profit organization will begin showing around the country. The outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, initiated the project, which came to life by employing the talents of Duarte Design, whose work is featured in the Academy Award winning An Inconvenient Truth.

The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 19 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management. 

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