Public Meeting to discuss Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative
In Rock Springs April 9th
by Bureau of Land Management
April 5, 2008
The officials involved in the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative(WLCI) will hold a meeting from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wed., April 9, at the Rock Springs Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Office. The Executive Committee meeting of the WLCI will be open for public participation.
A key decision at the meeting will be selecting the Executive Committee chair and vice chair. To date, these roles have not been formalized. The committee decided at its last meeting in January that this change was needed.
The WLCI Executive Committee comprises representatives from the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, county commissioners and conservation districts. All of the Executive Committee members are eligible for the new leadership roles.
At the April 9 meeting, the WLCI Executive Committee will discuss funding issues such as how to develop new funding sources and use of funds that Congress recently allocated to the WLCI. The concept for the WLCI began less than two years ago. To date, the committee has established a field Coordination Team led by WLCI Coordinator Renee Dana.
The Coordination Team is currently working on developing a more detailed strategic plan for the WLCI, allocating funds for projects that will be implemented in Fiscal Year 2008, and developing work that will occur in future years. Current funding set aside for WLCI efforts in 2008 includes $1.25 million for BLM, $1.5 million for USGS, and $1.5 million for USFWS.
The WLCI is a long-term science-based effort to assess and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats at a landscape scale in Southwest Wyoming, while facilitating responsible development. More information on the WLCI, including a draft agenda for the meeting, can be found at: http://www.wlci.gov/.
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