TWS CEO Ed Arnett joins committee for Public Lands Rule

TWS CEO Ed Arnett will join 14 other members and 11 alternate members to form a committee that will vote on decisions concerning the implementation of the agency’s Public Lands Rule.

The Public Lands Rule—also known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule—makes public land conservation a top priority for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The rule, which the BLM has enacted since June 2024, puts conservation on equal footing with other types of land usage, like livestock grazing, oil and gas drilling, mining on BLM lands and recreation.

The Wildlife Society’s Rangeland Wildlife Working Group, with assistance from TWS’ Habitat Restoration Working Group, submitted comments in support of the rule in June 2023 when it was proposed.

Participants of the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the BLM Public Lands Rule will offer feedback and recommendations for the Secretary of the Interior and the BLM director about the execution of the Public Lands Rule as well as public outreach and engagement associated with it.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland selected Arnett as part of the committee to represent the science community. Other members will represent Tribal governments, the public at large, nongovernmental organizations, energy or mineral development, federal grazing permit holders and commercial recreation activities. “Committee members are citizens from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in public lands,” the BLM said in a press release.

According to the BLM, the rule will help the agency protect the most intact and functional landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and use science, data and Indigenous knowledge as the foundation for management decisions.

The committee members will serve two-year terms. Its inaugural meeting will occur virtually on Feb. 19, 2025.

Whether the Public Lands Rule—and the committee—continues after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration is uncertain. Trump plans to add more oil and gas leasing and mining activity on federal lands during his term and could potentially abandon the rule.