Post by Logan on Apr 20, 2016 5:07:22 GMT -6
Malheur takeover part of larger 'extreme movement' threat, Interior chief says
WASHINGTON — An armed takeover of an Oregon national wildlife refuge is part of a disturbing "extreme movement" to seize public lands and reject the rule of law — putting communities and public employees at risk throughout the West, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell says in a speech outlining Obama administration conservation policies.
The 41-day standoff this winter at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge came at the same time as two other trends that threaten the West, Jewell said: A push by some politicians to sell off lands that belong to all Americans to the highest bidder, and the rapid disappearance of natural areas throughout the region due to climate change and increased development.
Citing a new analysis by a nonprofit conservation group, Jewell said natural areas in the West are disappearing at the rate of a football field every two-and-a-half minutes. The trend is especially alarming "because healthy, intact ecosystems are fundamental to the health of our nation," she said.
Jewell, who began her fourth year as Interior secretary this month, is set to deliver the speech Tuesday at the National Geographic Society in Washington. The Associated Press obtained excerpts in advance.
Read more: www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/04/malheur_takeover_part_of_large.html
WASHINGTON — An armed takeover of an Oregon national wildlife refuge is part of a disturbing "extreme movement" to seize public lands and reject the rule of law — putting communities and public employees at risk throughout the West, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell says in a speech outlining Obama administration conservation policies.
The 41-day standoff this winter at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge came at the same time as two other trends that threaten the West, Jewell said: A push by some politicians to sell off lands that belong to all Americans to the highest bidder, and the rapid disappearance of natural areas throughout the region due to climate change and increased development.
Citing a new analysis by a nonprofit conservation group, Jewell said natural areas in the West are disappearing at the rate of a football field every two-and-a-half minutes. The trend is especially alarming "because healthy, intact ecosystems are fundamental to the health of our nation," she said.
Jewell, who began her fourth year as Interior secretary this month, is set to deliver the speech Tuesday at the National Geographic Society in Washington. The Associated Press obtained excerpts in advance.
Read more: www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/04/malheur_takeover_part_of_large.html