Conservation Briefs is a compilation of short news stories of interest to Outdoor News Bulletin readers. The stories cover a number of issues that have developed in the past month or provide updates on issues that were featured in previous ONB editions. Each story includes links to online resources for more details on each topic.

>This month:

• House Passes SHARE Act, Senate Introduces Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act
• NRCS and Forest Service Join Forces on Forest Health
• DOI Releases Interactive Map of Onshore Wind

House Passes SHARE Act, Senate Introduces Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate took steps forward on comprehensive sportsmen's legislation this month. On February 4, Senators Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 (S. 1996). The bill packages together a number of individual bills that would benefit sportsmen's access and conservation programs and was introduced with support from eleven Senators on both sides of the aisle.

"I am proud to have partnered with Senator Murkowski to develop the first bipartisan Senate sportsman's package," said Senator Hagan. "In North Carolina, hunting, fishing and shooting are a way of life. Many of these traditions have been handed down through my own family, and I'm proud that our bill protects these activities for future generations while ensuring that outdoor recreation can continue to support jobs and local economies across our state. At a time when Washington is stuck in political gridlock, our bill demonstrates that Democrats and Republicans can work together to find common ground, and I look forward to working with Senator Murkowski to advance this package through the Senate and into law."

The next day, the House passed the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreation Enhancement Act (SHARE Act, H.R. 3590), another compilation of bills designed to enhance sportsmen's access and opportunities. Led by Representative Bob Latta (R-OH), the bill is supported by most sportsmen's conservation organizations however some groups have raised concerns about language that they say would undermine wilderness and environmental laws. With the House passage of the SHARE Act, groups are encouraging the Senate to move quickly on their bill so that lead sponsors can negotiate a final sportsmen's bill that can be enacted into law this session.

NRCS and Forest Service Join Forces on Forest Health

On February 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Robert Bonnie, announced that the Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) would be partnering to improve forest health in the interface between public and private lands. The Chiefs' Joint Landscape Restoration Program will direct $30 million to 13 priority projects this year in order to help mitigate wildfire risks. The 2014 projects are in twelve different states across the country and were selected because they build on existing projects and partnership.

"Wildfires and water concerns don't stop at boundaries between public and private lands," NRCS Chief Jason Weller said. "By working together, we can provide more focused and effective assistance to help public and private landowners and managers put conservation solutions on the ground nationwide."

DOI Releases Interactive Map of Onshore Wind

The U.S. Department of the Interior released on February 11 an interactive new online mapping tool that shows the location of existing onshore wind turbines. The wind turbine map was compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is intended to help landscape-level planning for responsible renewable energy development. The map includes more than 47,000 turbines that were installed as of July 2013 and was compiled using publicly available data sets from a number of federal, state and local sources. DOI says that the new tool will help meet the goals of an October 2013 Secretarial Order intended to improve landscape planning and mitigation strategies for development on public lands.

"Having wind turbine-level data available in this new format will improve scientists' ability to study a number of factors associated with renewable energy development, including air wakes caused by the turbines, interactions between wind turbines and ground-based radar, and how wind facilities overlap with migratory bird flyways," said USGS Energy Resources Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce, who led the two-year project. "Building on the map and dataset, the USGS will utilize research, modeling and monitoring data to develop a quantitative methodology to assess the potential impacts associated with the widespread development of wind energy on wildlife."