Tools for Managing Endangered Species on Private Lands

• Jurisdiction: United States,Federal
• Citation: Vol. 31 No. 1 Pg. 7
• Publication year: 2008
• Pages: 7
• Year: 2008

Wyoming Bar Journal 2008.

Vol. 31, No. 1, #7. Tools for Managing Endangered Species on Private Lands

Wyoming Bar Journal
Issue: February, 2008

Author: Tony Hoch, Ph.D., P.G.

Tools for Managing Endangered Species on Private Lands

Many families in Wyoming have worked for generations to be good stewards of their land. They know that good conservation practices are a must to maintain healthy rangeland, properly functioning riparian zones, and clean water for their operations to remain viable. In fact, ranches in Wyoming contain a majority of the prime wildlife habitat for our native species, due to the settlement near and development of precious water resources. Private ranches are havens for wildlife in the face of impending outside development pressures and most ranchers take great pride in maintaining habitat and attracting diverse wildlife communities Ironically, one of the greatest fears of a private land owner is attracting species deemed "threatened or endangered" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Having threatened or endangered species present can lead to federally-imposed restrictions on the use of private property, and the ESA has historically provided negative incentive to conserve species - it is easier to destroy habitat or "shoot, shovel, and shut up" than deal with the potential restrictions resulting from having these plants and animals on private land

These fears are valid. Although it has prevented extinction of several species, a...