Public Lands and Wildlife Columnist

Cat Urbigkit

Latest from Cat Urbigkit

Cat Urbigkit: Land Policy Impacts People, Private Lands

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "The BLM now proposes that nearly 375,000 acres of the area north of Highway 28 should become the South Wind River Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The plan ignores the ranch families who live and work within this area..."

Cat UrbigkitOctober 24, 2023

Cat Urbigkit: Funding for Cities, Towns & Special Districts Suspended Until They Comply

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "The Wyoming Department of Audit has compiled a list of 370 counties, cities, towns and special districts in Wyoming that have failed to comply with state law requiring reporting of revenues received and expenditures made during fiscal year 2023."

Cat UrbigkitOctober 17, 2023

Cat Urbigkit: I Live In The Rock Springs District Of The BLM, Here's What I See

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "These sheep will journey 125 miles from north to south under their own hoof power, before turning north again next spring – an annual cycle practiced here for more than 100 years."

Cat UrbigkitOctober 13, 2023

Cat Urbigkit: It Doesn’t Matter What the BLM Says, What Counts Is What’s In Writing.

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "Don’t give the BLM the benefit of the doubt – the agency doesn’t deserve it. What counts is not what agency officials say, or what it pledges it intends to do, but what is in writing in the official record."

Cat UrbigkitOctober 10, 2023

File photo: Protest signs along U.S. Highway 170 in Nevada.

Cat Urbigkit: BLM Claims Any Use Of Natural Resources Likely To Cause Adverse Impacts

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "Non-use is preferred by the BLM. That’s not hyperbole but truth. We’re not talking about wilderness areas here, but millions of acres of public lands from the foothills of the Wind River Mountains south to the Colorado border."

Cat UrbigkitOctober 03, 2023

Cat Urbigkit: BLM is Tired of Misinformation About Rock Springs Plan, But The Plan Itself Is Misinformation

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "While the BLM had previously claimed that its preferred alternative would not result in reduced vehicle access by imposing road closures, that claim is false, since the plan includes closing 4,505 miles of routes to all use and removes another 10,000 miles of routes from the transportation network."

Cat UrbigkitSeptember 28, 2023

More from our columnists

The Red Creek Badlands Wilderness Study area in southwest Wyoming is part of more than 3 million acres in the Bureau of Land Management's proposed resource management plan.

Cat Urbigkit: BLM Misinforms The Public About Rock Springs Plan

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, “Of the four alternatives examined, Alternative D seems the most balanced approach to management, offering something for every public land user. So why did the BLM select the most stringent alternative as its preferred?”

Cat UrbigkitSeptember 26, 2023

Cat Urbigkit: Colorado Preps for Wolf Reintroduction

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "Although it appears there is no stopping Colorado’s voter-mandated gray wolf reintroduction program, a draft federal record of decision issued last Friday by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will make dealing with problem wolves a lot easier.

Cat UrbigkitSeptember 19, 2023

Cat Urbigkit: Legislators to BLM -- Rock Springs Plan is a Community Killer

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "Republican legislators attending Tuesday’s committee meeting in Pinedale thanked the Bureau of Land Management for attending the session and then let them know that the’s BLM’s preferred alternative in the draft plan for the Rock Springs district isn’t highly regarded."

Cat UrbigkitSeptember 12, 2023

Game & Fish Reports Compensation for Wildlife Damage to Crops Nearly Equal to Compensation for Damages to Livestock

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "Although much attention is paid to livestock losses from large carnivore attacks in Wyoming, information prepared by state wildlife officials indicates that the state is paying out nearly an equal amount for wildlife damage to cultivated crops."

Cat UrbigkitSeptember 06, 2023

BLM Proposal Prefers People Not Be Able To Use Public Lands

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, “While most headlines about the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan note the agency’s preference to set aside 1.3 million acres … the BLM preference is ‘conservation of resource values with constraints on resource uses.’”

Cat UrbigkitAugust 29, 2023

Wolf Advocates Succeed in Getting FWS To Waste More Time On Gray Wolves

Columnist Cat Urbigkit writes, "While the Center for Biological Diversity is expected to seek to expand wolf recovery efforts to other states, the court ruling doesn’t settle the matter, as the case is set to continue in the D.C. federal court. One thing is certain: we can expect more years of litigation."

Cat UrbigkitAugust 15, 2023

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