In June CRS called on the Obama Administration to bring scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy to justice, along with the militants he rallied to an armed standoff with law enforcement in Nevada back in 2014. Our concern was, and is, that failing to promptly do so only further emboldens these radicals to greater extremes and more lawlessness. The armed takeover and ongoing occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in southeastern Oregon further validates that concern. It is no accident that two of Cliven Bundy’s sons, Ammon and Ryan, are ring leaders in this latest incident, or that other militants who participated in the 2014 standoff are also reportedly involved. “People need to understand that the Bundy strain of radicalism is anti-American and dangerous,” said CRS president David Jenkins. “The Bundys—and the armed militants who back them up—are attacking our nation, its laws, its values, its history, and the democratic processes established by our forefathers. They are also trampling on the rights of every American. They are the opposite of conservative, and they will continue to bully, threaten, and test the limits of civil society until they are stopped.” The initial excuse for taking over the Refuge headquarters was to prevent convicted arsonists Dwight and Steven Hammond, who set multiple wildfires and promised to “light up the whole country on fire,” from serving their five-year prison sentence. It is worth noting that the 9th Circuit Judges who ruled that the Hammonds had to serve the mandatory minimum are all conservative. The militants now say that they want the United States to relinquish control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge,...
A powerful congressman–along with the special interests that support him–is seeking to dismantle the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), one of America’s most successful and popular land conservation programs. Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT), who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, is blocking bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the 50-year-old program and seeking to replace LWCF with a scheme that completely betrays the program’s conservation purposes. If you are a conservative who values our parks, forests and outdoor recreation opportunities, please go to our take action page and let your representatives in Congress know you oppose this radical legislation. LWCF is based on a very conservative idea: use a small portion of revenues from the depletion of one type of natural resource - offshore oil and gas - to support the conservation of others, our land and water. It is a critical tool in the protection of land for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and virtually any other outdoor activity. This is land that belongs to all Americans, and it pays huge dividends in our quality of life, our health, and our economic...
Revered conservative author Russell Kirk once wrote in an op-ed, “Nothing is more conservative than conservation.” He was right. What could possibly be more conservative than safeguarding the air, water, land, wildlife and natural systems that sustain and enhance life on earth? Responsible stewardship, whether it be to protect our fiscal health, our traditions and values, or the environment, has always been a hallmark of genuine conservatism.Theodore Roosevelt’s great accomplishments in land and wildlife conservation, Nixon’s efforts to reign in air and water pollution, and President Reagan’s leadership in repairing the earth’s ozone layer, were all born out of a strong stewardship ethic. We need for that same ethic to be much more prevalent in the hearts and minds of our leaders today–especially those who profess to be conservative. Recently Congressman Chris Gibson and ten other Republican lawmakers introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives calling for conservative engagement on climate change. Passing that resolution would be a good start. Here is a video introduction to the conservative ideas about natural resource stewardship that CRS champions. Join our movement to put the conserve back in conservatism. CRS_Conservative 1 from David Jenkins on...
The Obama Administration’s decision to not list the greater sage-grouse as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a prudent one. It not only reflects the most recent sage grouse population trends, but also encourages ongoing cooperative conservation efforts that are showing clear signs of success. CRS president David Jenkins said, “The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s decision not to list the greater sage-grouse is a credit to cooperative conservation efforts of the Bush and Obama Administrations, state wildlife agencies and everyone who has answered the call to conserve sage-grouse habitat.” He added, “This decision is a clear measure of success for a truly conservative approach to conservation, but success will be fleeting without continued diligence and an enduring commitment to effective stewardship.” Securing a long-term and sustainable sage-grouse recovery will require that federal and state land use plans be firm in their protection of sage-grouse habitat, and that appeals to water down these plans by short-sighted special interests be rejected. CRS also encourages future administrations to recognize the importance of utilizing the ESA sooner rather than later should the sage-grouse population resume its decline...
The climate resolution introduced today by Congressman Chris Gibson (R-NY) and ten Republican cosponsors presents a tremendous opportunity for all House Republicans to demonstrate their support for prudent, fact-based stewardship of, as President Reagan put it, “this magical planet that God gave us.” CRS president David Jenkins said: “By introducing this common sense resolution, Congressman Gibson and his fellow Republican cosponsors have demonstrated the prudence, responsibility and vision that are hallmarks of true conservatism. Just as President Reagan did when addressing ozone depletion, they have risen above politics to acknowledge a serious threat to our planet—and by doing so, they have increased the likelihood that conservative ideas will finally be brought to bear on a problem that has for far too long been ceded to liberals.” CRS commends Representatives Gibson, Carlos Curbelo, Ros-Lehtinen, Meehan, Costello, Fitzpatrick, Hanna, Stefanik, Dold, Reichert and LoBiondo for showing true leadership and helping to foster constructive conservative engagement on one of the biggest environmental challenges we face. We urge all House Republicans to cosponsor this common sense resolution and commit to being good stewards of our life-sustaining atmosphere. Reagan put it best when he said, “This is our patrimony. This is what we leave to our children. And our great moral responsibility is to leave it to them either as we found it or better than we found it.” Here is a link to the text of the resolution: Gibson Climate Resolution...
