(by Maria Ruth) – The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have released their revised draft Environmental Impact Statement for the endangered Marbled Murrelet Long-Term Conservation Strategy. Public comments are being accepted through November 7.
DNR manages about 15% of Washington’s murrelet habitat, with eight alternative management strategies under consideration. Which strategy is eventually chosen may determine the fate of the species in Washington; having lost 44% of its population in the state since 2001, the species faces local extinction in the near future.
Our state forests are public land, and you have a say in how they are managed. Please speak up to support a conservation strategy that will make a significant contribution to the recovery of this species. The BHAS Conservation Committee is submitting comments, but individual comments matter, too. Please use DNR’s official comment portal to send comments electronically (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MMLTCSRDEIS) or by U.S. mail to: SEPA Center, P.O. Box 47015, Olympia, WA 98504-7015.
For suggested talking points, please visit BHAS’s website (“Marbled Murrelet” under the Conservation tab).