Wild Sheep Foundation supports Senator Cortez Masto Bill on Nevada's Desert National Wildlife Refuge

BOZEMAN, Mont., Dec. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Wild Sheep Foundation today thanked Senator Cortez Masto, D-Nev, Senator Jacky Rosen, D-Nev, and the Nevada Congressional delegation for proposing an alternative for wildlife management and military readiness at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) in Nevada.

The proposed legislation, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and Nevada Test and Training Range Withdrawal and Management Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3145) preserves the jurisdiction of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and provides a smaller expansion of the Nellis Air Force Base than proposed by the Air Force. If enacted, this legislation would create 1,310,806 acres of wilderness, the largest wilderness designation in Nevada history.

"Senator Cortez Masto has made a strong statement in favor of the original intended purpose of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge," said Brett Jefferson, Chairman of the Wild Sheep Foundation. "We appreciate the provisions that insist on compliance with terms of the original withdrawal. Compliance should be achieved before allowing any expansion. Her requirements for co-management, dispute resolution and access are necessary starting points for considering any expansion. Access should be granted on an as-needed basis subject to a written co-management agreement prior to any expansion. The size of the expansion proposed in the bill, or any expansion, should be worked out based on demonstrated needs."

The Wild Sheep Foundation has said since the Air Force's original proposal that military readiness and wildlife conservation are both vital interests to America and that a solution for both can be found through inclusive collaboration among all concerned. WSF supports the Nevada Legislature's position that Congress should "work collaboratively with all interested parties to develop a compromise alternative that would both enhance training opportunities for the United States Air Force and continue to provide essential protections for Nevada's wildlife and outdoor recreational experiences" (Assembly Joint Resolution No. 2, May 22, 2019).

The new bill introduced today would keep the US Fish and Wildlife Service as the administrative authority over the wildlife refuge, but also provides for an expansion that has yet to be justified as necessary. It acknowledges that Wilderness areas would need to remain accessible for professional wildlife managers including the Nevada Division of Wildlife and volunteers providing water-source projects and other habitat improvements. These fundamental points would prevent the proposed elimination of the refuge, which is the largest National Wildlife Refuge outside Alaska.

"This bill could become the basis for a balanced solution with the concerted efforts of Senator Cortez Masto, the rest of the Nevada delegation, the Air Force, and other interested parties," said Jefferson. "We are closely examining the map and bill provisions to develop improvements and urge the Air Force and others to do likewise and to join in an open process."

###

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by wild sheep conservationists and enthusiasts. With a membership of more than 8,000 worldwide, WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep and other mountain wildlife and their habitats. Since its inception, WSF has raised and expended more than $115 million on wild sheep habitat and population enhancements, education and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe and Asia under its purpose to "Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain"®. These and other efforts have resulted in a three-fold increase in bighorn sheep populations in North America from their historic 1950-60s lows of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. http://www.wildsheepfoundation.org.

SOURCE Wild Sheep Foundation