Arizona Wildlife Federation speaks out for public lands

I was encouraged to see an opinion editorial in The Arizona Republic a few days ago from the president of the Arizona Wildlife Federation.  Arizona is one of the many states where the Forest Service is deep in the throes of travel planning, and where it is greatly needed for people who enjoy the quiet and wildlife of the forest to speak up.

And, thankfully, some of them are.  In some travel proposals, the Forest Service is leaning towards a 1 mile buffer for big game retrieval around all roads.  A one mile buffer, when displayed on a map from current FS roads, means that pretty much the entire forest will be open to cross country motorized travel at certain times of year.  While this could make hauling out downed big game easier for some, the consequences for the habitat of the very big game people go there to find may be devastating.  

The author states it well when they say "Today, vehicles are useful and necessary to reach the areas where we hunt, fish, or watch wildlife. But we must put reasonable limits on their use and respect the philosophy of "fair chase" in pursuing game animals."

Click here to read this well-written editorial, entitled "Public Lands Deserve our Reverence, Respect, for yourself.