WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Martin Heinrich, and Tim Sheehy, Catherine Cortez Masto, Thom Tillis, Steve Daines, Chris Coons, and Katie Britt launched the Senate Stewardship Caucus to advance bipartisan efforts aimed at protecting and expanding access to public lands and waters, recovering wildlife, and restoring habitat.
“Our public lands make Colorado what it is,” said Hickenlooper. “We will protect our landscapes and preserve our American treasures for future generations to enjoy, working with anyone who stands with us.”
“I can’t think of a better day to launch the bipartisan Senate Stewardship Caucus than on Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday. It’s also the day that a book called the Sand County Almanac was published in 1949. As a young person, I had the privilege of serving as an outfitter guide in the very landscapes that Aldo Leopold wrote of in that book. It was seminal in creating what he called a ‘Land Ethic’ — the relationship that our communities have with place, with land — public and private — with streams, with wildlife,” said Heinrich. “Putting together this Stewardship Caucus is an opportunity for all of us to work on these issues together to protect and conserve the places we know and love for this generation and the next.”
“Being stewards of our public lands is a big undertaking; it’s complex, it requires input from all stakeholders, and it demands a lot of patience. In Nevada, we know this better than anyone,” said Cortez Masto. “That’s why it’s so critical that we’re coming together to form this Stewardship Caucus. Because it takes all of us working together to protect our public lands and prepare for the future.”
“I’m grateful to be part of founding the bipartisan Senate Stewardship Caucus and represent Alabama the Beautiful. Our great state is not only a destination for countless sportsmen, hunters, anglers, and nature-goers, but also the proud home to hardworking farmers and foresters who work diligently to feed and clothe our state, nation, and world. It’s our job as legislators to work toward responsible conservation solutions, and I’m looking forward to continuing that work as a part of this caucus to do just that,” said Britt.
“Even when America feels more divided than ever, conservation is a place of consensus,” said Benji Backer, Founder & CEO of Nature Is Nonpartisan. “The most durable solutions come from bipartisanship, and we look forward to supporting the important work of the Senate Stewardship Caucus.”
Hickenlooper has been outspoken against the Trump administration’s cuts to public lands. In March, he introduced legislation to reinstate the thousands of National Park Service and Forest Service workers the Trump administration illegally fired. This past June, he helped to lead efforts to stop a Republican proposal to sell off millions of acres of our public lands.
Hickenlooper has also worked to expand public land protections. This past May, he and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet reintroduced the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act to protect more than 68,000 acres in Southwestern Colorado. Hickenlooper also reintroduced the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act, which would expand the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area in the Routt National Forest by 6,817 acres, protecting sub-alpine wilderness habitats and wildlife while preserving access to outdoor recreation.
Hickenlooper also cosponsors the CORE Act, which would protect approximately 420,000 acres of public land in Colorado, establish new wilderness areas, and safeguard existing outdoor recreation opportunities.
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