Conservation News
Conservation group director applauds Owyhee problem-solving - Otter�s wilderness bill takes the wrong approach, he says
WASHINGTON -- The way to resolve disputes over federal wilderness is for lawmakers to bring warring factions together, an Idaho conservationist told a House subcommittee Thursday.
Rick Johnson, executive director of the Idaho Conservation League, praised the Owyhee initiative, an effort to resolve public lands disputes in Owyhee County at a negotiating table instead of in court.
The Owyhee County Commission started the initiative last year and has convened a diverse group of interests to develop legislation to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands and the local culture and economy. The group includes ranchers, environmentalists, off-road vehicle enthusiasts and Sen. Mike Crapo's staff.
Johnson had harsh words for a bill Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter, R-Idaho, introduced that would give Congress a new 10-year deadline to approve wilderness area designations the interior secretary recommended. If Congress failed to act, the recommended wilderness areas would revert to their former unprotected status.
"This bill is unnecessary and casts a troublesome cloud on the opportunity before us in Idaho," Johnson told the House Subcommittee on Parks, Recreation and Public Lands.
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