This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utahns and other citizens who appreciate our U.S. public lands should be disappointed in Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei's disrespectful characterization of former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe and his sarcastic response to an op-ed column we recently authored together ("For the sage grouse, much is at stake ...," Jan. 7).
Amodei took the spirit of our column — a celebration of an unprecedented, collaborative approach to sage grouse management in the West and a call for conservation of the Western sagebrush steppe — and turned it on its head, accusing Ashe of telling lies and attempting to discredit what is plainly evident. This historic effort — one supported by Nevada's governor and elected leaders all over sagebrush country — has engaged constituents ranging from ranchers and industry groups to Native American tribes and sportsmen. These locally tailored plans continue to gain momentum, achieve on-the-ground results, and improve habitat and reduce threats to greater sage grouse across millions of acres of public and private lands in the West. They're accomplishing this while also staving off an Endangered Species Act listing for the grouse, an outcome from which none of us stands to gain.
Americans love our public lands. We cherish them. And, over and over, we are opposing attempts to steal from us our most valuable shared heritage. That Amodei would continually disregard this — all while taking shots at a dedicated public servant like Ashe — speaks volumes about his character, his motives and his inability to understand what really matters to his constituents and our countrymen.
Land Tawney
CEO, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers