By David A. Lien
In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt came to Colorado for a three-week bear hunting trip. Perhaps inspired by Colorado’s beauty, that same year he created the U.S. Forest Service to manage lands for public use. In 1906 he signed the Antiquities Act, which has since led to the designation of over 100 national monuments.
In recognition of his conservation (and many other) accomplishments, there’s a Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota on the Little Missouri River. TR lived there, at his Elkhorn Ranch, for the better part of two years while raising cattle and hunting amidst the surrounding hills, valley, and plains.
Former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was recently confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Secretary Burgum says he admires Roosevelt, but you’d never guess it by his recent actions. More specifically, he’s hellbent on implementing an “energy dominance” agenda. Burgum has issued a slate of new Secretarial Orders directing Interior agencies to prioritize drilling and mining on our public lands.
“Conservation of fish and wildlife habitat and opportunities for hunters and anglers must be included as equal values,” Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) President and CEO Patrick Berry emphasized. “When the United States is currently producing more energy than any nation in history, these aggressive and uncompromising policies to expedite development on public lands only benefit one stakeholder group–private industry.”
“The clock is ticking. Interior Secretary Burgum just launched a 15-day review of National Monuments — lands that protect world-class hunting and fishing,” American Hunters & Anglers (AHA) spokesman Land Tawney added. “If you’ve ever hunted or fished on one (or dream of it), now’s the time to step up. Public lands should stay public.”
In Heartsblood: Hunting, Spirituality, and Wildness in America Colorado BHA founder David “Elkheart” Petersen asks, “What good are ‘hunter’s rights’ if you find yourself one day without a place to hunt or anything to hunt for?” Outdoor News contributor Ryan Rothstein adds, “If you raise hell about wolves and guns but can’t be bothered to make minimal effort when habitat is on the chopping block, then we don’t have much to discuss.
David Lien is co-chair of the Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, a former Air Force missile launch officer, and author.