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.

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.”

Clean water is a priority for every American, and the new EPA rule merits the same bi-partisan support that the Act itself received. This rule also deserves support—especially from conservatives—because it better protects wetlands, which is fiscally responsible and protective of downstream property rights,”

Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship (CRS) is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Richardson to its Senior Fellows program. Mark, whose professional life has provided...

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 Vimeo.

Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship (CRS) has been working to educate the public–especially fellow conservatives–about the EPA’s new Clean Water Rule. In this post we provide links to our recent op-ed in the Knoxville News-Sentinel pointing out how the proposed Rule follows the intent and vision of Senator Howard Baker, a Republican author of the Clean Water Act. CRS has also been carrying our message to the airwaves with interviews on drive-time radio in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Three clips from CRS President David Jenkins’ recent interview on WECO in Wartburg, Tennessee are also included in this post.

Baker and the other authors of the CWA fully understood that because smaller water features flow into bigger ones, the law must cover the entire watershed to be effective. This sound thinking is not only critical to protect the biological integrity of our water resources, but it also protects taxpayer wallets and property rights. The new Clean Water Rule does the same. For a good background on this issue, check out the full post.

When looking for environmental success stories coming out of the Lone Star State, a couple really stand out. One is the amazing growth of wind energy. Texas is the king of wind...

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 trend.

Pope Francis’ recently released Encyclical on the environment (Ladauto Si’) drew dismissive comments from two Catholic GOP presidential candidates, Rick Santorum and Jeb Bush. Their comments are striking in just how selective and limiting they portray the role of faith, and suggest that both men regard stewardship of the environment as being completely outside the realm of faith and morality. Such an attitude is impious.

One does not have to agree with every word in Laudato Si’ in order to take the stewardship message seriously and be, as President Reagan once said, “worried about what man has done and is doing to this magical planet that God gave us.”

Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who orchestrated an armed standoff with federal officials last year over his refusal to pay two decades worth of grazing fees and fines, is back...