An ADN article June 8 quoted Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as stating, "The president … loves our public lands, so it is a natural fit that the Trump administration is dedicating so much attention to rebuilding our aging Fish and Wildlife Service infrastructure." Really?
He was discussing $5.86 million that the Interior Department approved for 10 Fish and Wildlife Service infrastructure projects in Alaska. Four million dollars of that $5.86 million is to improve infrastructure on the 1.5-million acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in preparation for oil and gas development. That leaves $1.86 million for projects on the other 75 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge lands in Alaska (about 2 cents per acre).
This administration is rushing to hold oil and gas lease sales on the heart of the calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd. Ask any caribou biologist in Alaska or Canada if that's a good idea.
This administration has authorized the construction of a road through congressionally designated wilderness on the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. This administration is using national security as an excuse to waive more than 30 federal environmental laws to keep a campaign promise to construct a border wall that will adversely impact wildlife habitats on several national wildlife refuges, state, federal and other protected lands.
It doesn't take a "very stable genius" to see that good public land stewardship is not a priority for the current administration.
— Ted Heuer
Homer