Gov. Schweitzer: New Technologies, Strategies Will Assist States in Protecting Key Wildlife Corridors (10/5/09)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2009

 

Contact: Madeleine West
303-523-3547

 

Gov. Schweitzer: New Technologies, Strategies Will Assist States in Protecting Key Wildlife Corridors

 

HELENA, MONT. -- Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Chairman of the Western Governors' Association, today demonstrated a state-of-the-art information and mapping tool Montana will use, and other states are also developing, to identify and protect key wildlife corridors.

The governor addressed the Western Governors' Wildlife Council at a meeting here attended by a variety of public, non-profit and private entities and the general public.

My colleagues in the Western Governors' Association and I face a real challenge, Schweitzer said. We are seeking a balance between developing the tremendous resources of the region and our desire to protect the landscapes and creatures that inhabit them.

The maps, models and data sets that can be generated by wildlife Decision Support Systems will be shared with our communities and state managers to inform their choices as they seek to provide the best opportunities for meeting our needs for growth and maintaining room to roam for wildlife.

WGA's Wildlife Corridors Initiative has brought together experts from government, tribes, industry, conservation, academia and other entities to advise the states on strategies to protect wildlife. States will identify and map crucial habitat and wildlife corridors individually, but in a manner that is comparable across the region and supplies wildlife information early in land planning and decision-making processes. Schweitzer said protecting connectivity is an approach that will help address many of the challenges wildlife face, such as fossil and renewable energy development, busy roads and rails, growing communities and climate change.

Wildlife know no boundaries so, to be successful, wildlife protection must work across jurisdictions - federal, state, local and tribal, Schweitzer said. Since maintaining healthy wildlife is a primary public trust responsibility of the states, it makes good sense for Montana and other states to take the lead.

Jack D. Sahl, Director for Environment and Resource Sustainability for Southern California Edison, said such environmental decision-support tools create a more productive dialogue that should create better results for all. Sahl also serves on the steering team of Freedom to Roam, a broad-based coalition of organizations and businesses working to increase support for and protection of wildlife corridors across North America so that animals can continue to move and adapt with human use and climate change.

Working in partnership, these tools can be used to protect habitat and wildlife so that government, communities, and the electricity supply industry can meet the clean energy needs for today's and future generations, Sahl said. The Western Governors' Wildlife Council presented tools that will help to evaluate solar and wind projects so they can be located in the right place and permitted in a timely manner.

A summary of the meeting will be posted to the WGA Web site at: www.westgov.org.

 

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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