Wilderness Wanted

U.S. Bureau of Land management

About 88 million acres of Western roadless lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management have been improperly inventoried and poorly managed, according to a recently filed lawsuit.

More than 100 national and grass-roots environmental groups have joined to petition Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt to follow the lead of the Forest Service roadless area initiative and protect from development 60 million acres of what they believe to be wilderness-quality BLM lands.

Nearly 12 million of those acres are in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon.

The Forest Service has already launched a formal process to preserve 43 million acres of its roadless lands by the end of this year. However, with only eight months remaining in office, interior officials said Babbitt was focused on other priorities.

“We would barely begin the undertaking before this administration leaves office,” said Michael Gauldin, department communications director.