Photo by Chad Love
As a nation we have set land aside to protect, use, and enjoy collectively.
By Kaitlyn Yoder, Quail Forever Arizona Wildlife Ecologist
Access to public land is a privilege that all Americans share. As a nation we have set land aside to protect, use, and enjoy collectively. Together it is our responsibility to care for those lands when we visit. Respect the land; don’t litter, act responsibly around areas specially set aside, and the land we walk on to get to those places. You all know these things. We all have favorite places we like to visit. For some of us that don’t own land, public lands provide those places. Have you ever visited one of your favorite spots after a while and realized that there is work happening there and wondered who made that decision? The people that manage our public lands use a tool called the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA.
A NEPA document can be initiated internally by a wildlife biologist, range specialist, or land manager. These documents are often used to plan wildlife habitat improvements, help with managing grazing, or may be a larger land management plan to name a few examples. The public can also submit proposals for evaluation through an application process. Examples of public applications could include special recreation permits, mining permits, or wind energy permits. What is important to know if you are planning to submit an application is to be proactive, submit early, well before you wish to perform the activity. Also, include details in the initial application, as this reduces the amount of time it takes to get all the detail needed for a NEPA evaluation, and will make the process go more smoothly.
The NEPA process may seem intimidating at first glance, but it is in place to help federal agencies be transparent with their project planning, and it allows the public a method to communicate with agencies about their desires and concerns. The accountability that the NEPA provides protects public lands and the resources that are within public lands.
Thorough completion of the NEPA process takes time, and there are some non-negotiable timelines embedded within the NEPA process. One example of non-negotiable timelines in the NEPA process are public comment and appeal periods. These time frames change depending on the complexity of the planning document. Simple documents have shorter comment and appeal periods while larger more complex analysis documents have longer comment and appeal periods, as you would expect.
You may be thinking “how do I comment or find out about projects happening near me?’ Good question! The BLM and other federal agencies publish information in several different formats. There are often press releases, sometimes there are public hearings, or town meetings in communities most directly affected by a potential project. When a NEPA project is ready for public comment, it is also published on a website. Each agency (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and US Forest Service) has its own website for the projects on their lands.
Another awesome thing about the NEPA process is that the comments submitted by the public are in fact read by the land managers, and specialists hat compose the NEPA documents. Your voices are heard. I recently had the opportunity to participate in the composition of a habitat improvement project NEPA document. It has been fascinating to watch the diligent incorporation and consideration of public comments into the management planning process. Impactful concerns are often reated with diligent research and well thought out responses. Sometimes the public has ideas about public lands that inspire additional thinking and help create better projects. Ultimately NEPA brings a level of collaboration to the management of public lands that can be beneficial to everyone involved especially if everyone respects the process.
Kaitlyn Yoder is a Quail Forever Wildlife Ecologist in Arizona.
This story originally appeared in the 2022 Summer Issue of the Quail Forever Journal. If you enjoyed it and would like to be the first to read more great upland content like this, become a member today!