https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-03/expanding-conservation-muleshoe-and-grulla-national-wildlife-refuges
Feds are planning on using taxpayer money to purchase private lands from taxpayers.
Muleshoe NWR is currently about 6,000 acres. They're planning on expanding to a whopping 700,000 acres! This is insane and should be blocked.
Here is the full 60 page plan from FWS.
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Draft_Muleshoe_LPP%26EA.pdf
Quote:
On Tuesday, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released final land protection plans for three National Wildlife Refuges in Texas. The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Texas-New Mexico border, will be expanded by up to 700,000 acres in western Texas, northwest of Lubbock. The Aransas and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges in the Texas Coastal Bend, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, will be expanded by 150,000 acres collectively.
Under the FWS land protection plans, these areas have been identified as limited acquisition boundaries. These boundaries are set so that the FWS has approval to purchase land within the area's borders, making it easier for the agency to move quickly and protect at-risk wildlife and the wild spaces they inhabit.
Feds are planning on using taxpayer money to purchase private lands from taxpayers.
Muleshoe NWR is currently about 6,000 acres. They're planning on expanding to a whopping 700,000 acres! This is insane and should be blocked.
Here is the full 60 page plan from FWS.
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Draft_Muleshoe_LPP%26EA.pdf
Quote:
Additionally, functional ecosystems benefit the human environment and any actions covered under this plan should not place an undue burden on any minority or low-income communities but instead stand to benefit local communities in their access to nature, clean water, and clean air.
Quote:
Environmental Justice
Within the CPA the largest communities are Clovis, NM and Portales, NM. Apart from these population centers and the smaller communities including Muleshoe, Sudan, Tahoka, Littlefield, Morton, and Brownfield the CPA encompasses mostly rural areas.
Collectively, Clovis and Portales are roughly half minority populations, and in the 31st percentile nationwide for low-income population. Low-income and minority communities in the area are among the top third nationwide for unemployment, linguistic isolation, and individuals that did not finish high school.
The refuge employs Youth Conservation Corps members recruited from local communities every year to support refuge facility maintenance and habitat management projects. Youth Conservation Corps members gain an understanding of local ecology and new career opportunities, which may translate to increased awareness of the ecological services and recreation opportunities provided by the refuge.
