Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Forest Service, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 http://www.blm.gov April 9, 2009 In Reply Refer To: 3160 (310) & 6500 (230) P EMS TRANSMISSION 05/07/2009 Information Bulletin No. 2009-072 To: State and Field Offices in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, and Utah From: Director Subject: Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Forest Service, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), and Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) to help address conflicts between energy development and wildlife resource values. The goal of this MOU is to improve the cooperative conservation of fish and wildlife resource management by facilitating communications and enhancing success in resolving issues related to energy development and its effect on fish and wildlife habitat in the western U.S. A copy of this MOU is included as an attachment. The MOU establishes an “energy liaison” who will conduct a 2-year pilot project that involves identifying the collective interests and responsibilities of the state fish and wildlife agencies, Federal land management/permitting agencies, and the energy industry. Tasks completed by the energy liaison will be used to identify opportunities for partnership in conservation of fish and wildlife habitat while facilitating development of domestic energy resources. As part of this effort, the liaison will visit various state offices to gather information related to the agency’s mineral and fish and wildlife resource management programs and processes. I encourage you to take advantage of this MOU by assisting the energy liaison in his efforts to understand the agency’s approach to managing the resources with which it is entrusted. It is our hope this project will contribute to improving interagency coordination and consistency in conservation of fish and wildlife species and habitat during energy development. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Bob M. Anderson, Acting Assistant Director, Minerals and Realty Management at 202-208-4201 or Ed Roberson, Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning, at 202-208-4896. Signed by: Authenticated by: Mike Pool Robert M. Williams Acting, Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560 1 Attachment 1 - Memorandum of Understanding (5 pp)