April 11, 2019
RMEF Applauds Senate Confirmation of Interior Secretary Bernhardt
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation supports the confirmation of David Bernhardt as the new secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI).
“Secretary Bernhardt is an avid outdoorsman and elk hunter who values and appreciates conservation in line with our mission to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We have collaborated together on several key conservation issues for the benefit of wildlife and public access.”
While serving as DOI deputy secretary, Bernhardt received input from RMEF and the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership ensuring that access for hunting, fishing and other recreation is considered for all proposals that would exchange or dispose of public lands. As acting secretary, he then issued a secretarial order making that a reality.
As acting secretary, Bernhardt also issued an order prioritizing the implementation of a new public lands law that, among other things, reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund, one of the nation’s more important programs aimed at conserving lands and improving outdoor recreation.
As deputy secretary, he attended a gathering near Yellowstone National Park in support of RMEF and several other conservation organizations to celebrate the permanent protection of 549 acres of crucial elk habitat.
A native of Rifle, Colorado, Bernhardt served as acting secretary, deputy secretary, solicitor and several other positions in the DOI prior to his confirmation. He also served on the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries for the Commonwealth of Virginia.