Legislators Push For Commonsense Regulation

As reported in our last eNews, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reclassified the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species. Last week, more than 20 members of Congress, including the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, officially requested that no funds be allocated to enable the reclassification of the bat from threatened to endangered.

In addition, we have learned that USFWS is likely to approve the Lake States Region Bat Habitat Conservation Plans in January. These plans allow incidental take permits for state and private landowners, meaning that those who opt into the conservation plans, which are designed to minimize the impact on the bat, could conduct forest management activities.

 

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Photo © J. Scott Altenbach