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January 26 - February 1
Enjoy the late winter SUN! and
check out the Greenpeace
Clean Energy Now! Campaign's
weekly good news update -
"POSITIVE ENERGY!"
++++SAN FRANCISCO ROLLS ON WITH A
STRATEGY TO STOP CLIMATE
CHANGE++++
"We need to act now if we're going
to keep San Francisco
and the Bay Area a viable place
to live for future
generations," said Mayor Willie
Brown, who has
has placed a resolution before the Board
of Supervisors
calling for San Francisco to reduce
greenhouse gas
emissions by 20% from 1990 levels. This
is far more
aggressive than the Kyoto Protocol targets
that
President Bush has refused to participate in. This
positive
move by the Mayor follows right on the heels
of two solar
sond initiatives (props B & H) passed
by San Francisco voters on
November 6, 2002.
To read more about propositions B
and H, just visit:
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/features/sfsolarvictory.html
For more details about the Mayor's resolution, go to:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/01/29/MN151003.DTL
++++PLAN FOR REBUILDING
AFGANISTAN IS SOLAR NOW!!!++++
Unlike many rebuilding strategies of the past
that
funnel money into big business to
provide social
services, the program for Afghanistan
focuses on small
installations of solar power to
provide energy to the
people. The World Bank, the UN
Development Programme,
the Asian Development Bank, and
the interim Afghan
government have outlined a $15
Billion program that
supposedly starts from the ground
up, taking a village
approach to building locally
controlled energy and
sanitation
services. Not only can this provide services
to people that truly need it, it could also allow
Afganistan to show the word how to create a sustainable,
empowered society.
For more details,go to the New Scientist website and look
for reports from January 26, 2002. at:
http://www.newscientist.com
++++PARTIAL VICTORY: AUTO EMISSIONS BILL PASSES THE
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY! THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE NEEDS YOUR
POSITIVE ENERGY TO SEE TO IT THAT AB1058 BECOMES LAW++++
For the last couple of weeks
we have been keeping you
posted about AB1058 - a bill
in the California legislature
to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions from automobiles in
California. We have great
news: it passed the house! Now
the Senate and Governor
have to also support the bill to
turn into law, and
both are under extreme pressure from
the "oilies and
autos" - lobbyists from the car and fossil
fuel
industry.
The bill is a
pioneering attempt to require reductions
in carbon
dioxide emitted by cars and light trucks.
Vehicles in
California account for about 60% of those
emissions,
which are not a direct health threat but are a
major
contributor to climate change. About 10% of the
nation's new car sales occur in California.
For more information about the
vote on it this Wednesday
check out:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000007808jan31.story
TAKE ACTION!
Pressure the Governor's office to
pass AB1058.
Give Governor
Davis a call and tell him you want make this
bill (as
it is currently written) to become law, at:
916-445-2841
Or you can send him an email at:
governor@governor.ca.gov
Tell Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante you appreciate
his longstanding interest in the bill and expect him to
ensure it sails through the Senate and is carried into law
by Governor Davis.
The Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante can be
reached by phone at:
916 445-8994
++++THE ROLLING SUNLIGHT HITS
THE ROAD FOR THE WINTER
OLYMPICS++++
That's right, Greenpeace is
bringing clean energy to
Salt Lake City, Utah! The
Rolling Sunlight, Greenpeace's
solar demonstration
truck will be at the Olympics
educating people from all
over the world about one of
our greatest energy
sources: the sun!
Learn more
about Greenpeace's clean energy on wheels by
going to:
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/california/rollingsunlight.html
The "Positive Energy" newsletter and website,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will gives you good news
about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice and
renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy
crisis.
EarthNet News
... a project of the
Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
February 1, 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In this week's EarthNet, read
about plans to turn a
Native American sacred site into
a strip mine for the
energy industry. Plus, our
Glimmers of Hope show the
way wind and water can ease
our addiction to oil.
--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet Editor
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shadow Congress: With a
Grain of Salt
2. Quote of the Week
3. Glimmer of Hope I: Hydrogen Economy, Anyone?
4. Glimmer of Hope II: The Power of Wind
4. Green Screening: Bill Moyers on NAFTA
5. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
6. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SHADOW CONGRESS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
For hundreds of years, the Zuni,
Acoma, Laguna, Hopi,
Navajo, Apache and other southwest
American Indian
tribes have made pilgrimages to the
sacred Zuni Salt
Lake in western New Mexico. They
gather to worship
and to collect its pure salt for
ceremonial and domestic
use. The Zuni believe the Salt
Lake is home to Salt
Mother -- a very important deity
to the Zuni People.
All these years tribal members have
collected salt
in peace because the surrounding lands
are considered
a "Sanctuary Zone" that all tribes
respect.
Now, Salt
River Project (SRP) -- an Arizona electric
utility --
wants to blast and bulldoze the massive
Fence Lake coal
strip mine in the middle of this Sanctuary
Zone. In the
name of cheap coal the mine would destroy
sacred sites,
over 500 human burial remains, archaeological
and
cultural sites and the Salt Lake itself. The Department
of the Interior's own studies show that groundwater
pumped from the mine would destroy the delicate balance
of water and salt found in this rare high desert oasis.
Secretary of Interior Gale Norton
wants to grant federal
approval to this disastrous
proposal. She needs to
know that destroying religious
sites and rare ecosystems
in the name of cheap
electricity is not cool.
TAKE
ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/NpqAAaF1jqDp/Mine_Action
Use the EarthNet Action Center to tell your Norton
what you think.
TELL A FRIEND ABOUT THIS ISSUE:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/21qAAaF1jqDP/TELL_A_FRIEND
FOR MORE INFO:
**Indigenous Environmental Network
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/xdqAAaF1jqDV/IEN
** Center for Biological Diversity
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/w1qAAaF1jqDT/BD
**Albuquerque Tribune Article:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/27qAAaF1jqDR/TRIB_ARTICLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It is horrifying that we have
to fight our own government
to save the
environment.
-- Ansel Adams
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE I
----------------------------------------------------------------------
HYDROGEN ECONOMY, ANYONE?
Fuel cells, fuel cells, fuel
cells. Read the news coming
from automobile makers and
that's what you see -- that's
right, cars powered by
clean hydrogen instead of grimy
gas. Plus, there have
been stories and reports for
decades pointing out the
problems associated with petroleum
-- a dirty, finite
resource scattered across an unstable
globe. The rise
of viable fuel cell technology combined
with a decline
of faith in petroleum are leading the
world toward what
is broadly known as the hydrogen
economy. If this trend
continues, over the next several
decades we will all
begin to see an amazing shift away
from the fossil fuel
economy we have today toward a
much cleaner hydrogen
future. What would this future
look like and how would
it work? Check out the site
below to get a glimpse at
this glimmer of hope.
FOR MORE
INFO:
**How Stuff Works
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/x1qAAaF1jqDZ/HOWSTUFFWORKS
**Tidepool
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/3dqAAaF1jcFq/TIDEPOOL
TAKE ACTION:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/2dqAAaF1jqDQ/ENERGY_SECURITY
Use the EarthNet Action Center to ask the Senate
for
energy security that includes renewables.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE II
----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE POWER OF WIND
The rising popularity of green
power is finally beginning
to pay off. Not only for the
farmers who reap financial
benefits from allowing
utility companies to plant giant
wind turbines among
the rows of crops and acres of
grazing cattle but for
the environment as well. As
the use of fossil fuels
becomes less desirable, power
providing industries have
shifted their attention to
the skies. Wind energy is
apparently where it's at.
One of those giant turbines
can produce upwards of
$100, 000 dollars worth of
electricity per year. All
of this for the low, low
price of diminished air pollution
and waste. Green
power use to get a bad rap for being
more expensive,
but with its rising popularity the
cost to convert
various sources (i.e. sun, wind) is
going way down. The
price of wind energy has dropped
80% since 1980. As one
of the world's fastest growing
energy sources, it's
lucky for us that wind is an inexhaustible
resource.
FOR MORE INFO:
**Grist Magazine
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/spqAAaF1jqDK/GRIST_MAGAZINE
**American Wind Energy Association
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/2pqAAaF1jqDY/AWEA
TAKE ACTION:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/2dqAAaF1jqDQ/ENERGY_SECURITY
Use the EarthNet Action Center to ask the Senate
for
energy security that includes renewables.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GREEN SCREENING
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BILL MOYERS on NAFTA
On February 5th at on your local
PBS stations Bill
Moyers pokes around the spooky
implications of NAFTA.
Check out BILL MOYERS REPORTS:
TRADING DEMOCRACY where
he reveals how NAFTA's Chapter
11 can cost taxpayers
millions of dollars when
multinational corporations
sue the government over
environmental and health laws
that threaten their
profits. Speaking with legislators,
public policy
experts, community leaders and citizens
about the
lawsuits filed under NAFTA's Chapter Eleven,
BILL
MOYERS REPORTS: TRADING DEMOCRACY unravels the
hidden
repercussions of a treaty that was supposed
to promote
democracy through free trade, but now appears
to have
given deep-pocketed corporations the means
to undermine
democracy across international borders.
Ever wonder
what NAFTA is all about -- check out this
program.
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/31qAAaF1jcF1/PBS
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/x7qAAaF1jqDC/MOYERS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
These are a sampling of the
over 200 environmental
and activist jobs and
internships listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp
Job Title: Director, Deep South
Office
Organization: Southern Environmental Law Center
Location: Charlottesville, VA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/sdqAAaF1jqDJ/3906
Job Title: Outdoor Environmental
Ed Instructor
Organization: YMCA Camp Orkila
Location: Eastsound, WA
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/s7qAAaF1jqDD/3910
Job Title: Executive Director
Organization: Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
Location: Washington, DC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/s1qAAaF1jqD-/3903
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp
WHAT: College Climate Response
WHERE: Portland, OR
WHEN: 2/8/02 -
2/10/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/w7qAAaF1jqDG/966
WHAT: National Student Animal
Rights Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: 2/15/02 - 2/17/02
FOR MORE
INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/wpqAAaF1jqDF/987
WHAT: Public Lands Action Summit
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN:
3/1/02 - 3/5/02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/wdqAAaF1jqDH/1007
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Capitol Switchboard:
202.224.3121
White House Comment Line:
202.456.1111
White
House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
DC
20500
Senate Address: US Senate,
Washington, DC 20510
House Address: US
House of Representatives, Washington,
DC
20515
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Write your own short articles
for submission to EarthNet.
We are particularly
interested in articles about student
activism on your
campus.
For general comments:
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org
Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer
listings at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp
Submit Events at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp
--------------------------------------------------
Visit the web address below and
tell your friends about
this important issue!
http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=f7qAAaF1jqFm
If you received this
message from a friend, you can
sign up for Student
Action Network at:
http://actionnetwork.org/san/join.html?r=f7qAAaF1jqFmE
========================================
Natural Resources Defense Council's
CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION
ALERT
NRDC's California
Activist Network was formed to mobilize and provide
action tools to Californians and others concerned with
protecting the
state's extraordinary wealth of natural
treasures and the health of
its citizens.
February 4, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action alerts--
1. Speak out to prevent Los Padres National Forest from
being
sacrificed to oil drilling
2. Tell the government to keep
deadly longlines out of the Pacific
3. Vote "Yes" on Proposition 40
--Updates on Previous alerts--
1. Global warming pollution
======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action
Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily
online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions
below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with
questions or comments.)
=============
Action alerts
=============
1. Speak out to prevent Los Padres National Forest from
being
sacrificed to oil drilling
Los Padres National Forest --
which parallels the California coast
from Ventura
County to Big Sur -- boasts some of the state's most
spectacular scenery and recreational opportunities, while
its wild
lands provide vital habitat for California
condors, San Joaquin kit
fox and other wildlife. But
all of these extraordinary resources would
be at risk
if the U.S. Forest Service proceeds with its proposal to
open up some 140,000 roadless acres of Los Padres to oil
and gas
companies. The proposal is but the latest proof
that, under the Bush
administration's energy plan, no
place is off-limits to the energy
industry -- not even
our national forests' last remaining roadless
lands.
Los Padres already produces
700,000 barrels of oil a year, but no one
-- not even
oil companies -- is pushing for more drilling, *except*
the administration. And while drilling would mean loss of
habitat and
wildlands along with roads, pipelines,
noise, air and water pollution,
and other human
disturbances, the amount of energy that would be
obtained is just a drop in the bucket. In fact, even using
the Forest
Service's best estimate, there's so little
oil in Los Padres that
Californians would use it all up
in about three months. On the other
hand, if California
cars and light trucks were required to meet 42 mpg
federal fuel economy standards, we could save these
wildlands -- and
1.6 times the amount of oil in them --
every year, year after year.
== What to do ==
Send a message to
the Forest Service, urging it not to open up
roadless
areas of the Los Padres National Forest to oil and gas
development.
== Contact information ==
You can
send a message to the Forest Service directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center [http://www.nrdc.org/action]. Or use the contact
information and sample letter below to send your own
message.
US Forest Service
Att'n: Al Hess, Project Manager
Department of Agriculture
1190
East Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023
Phone: 805-646-4348 x 311
Fax: 805-961-5729
Email: ahess@fs.fed.us
== Sample letter ==
Subject: No new oil and
gas development in Los Padres National Forest
Dear Mr. Hess,
I urge the Forest Service to abandon its proposal to open
roadless
areas of Los Padres National Forest to oil and
gas leasing and
development. Los Padres boasts some of
California's most spectacular
scenery and recreational
opportunities, along with wild forest lands
that
provide vital habitat for California condors, San Joaquin kit fox
and other wildlife. The Forest Service's own estimates
reveal that, at
best, only a trivial amount of energy
could be obtained from the wild
forest lands that this
proposal targets, but the costs would be loss
of
habitat and wildlands along with roads, pipelines, noise, and air
and water pollution.
Instead of wreaking environmental damage throughout Los
Padres, we
could save these sensitive, critically
important lands and all their
resources by raising fuel
economy standards and investing in other
conservation
methods and clean, renewable energy sources. As a part
owner of these incredible public lands, I strongly oppose
putting them
and their resources at risk from oil and
gas leasing and development
as proposed.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
2. Tell the government to keep
deadly longlines out of the Pacific
Many species of large fish -- including bluefin tuna,
mahi-mahi and
several coastal sharks -- spend parts of
their lives in California
waters as they migrate
throughout the Pacific. These fish are prized
by
commercial and recreational fishermen alike, but one method of
catching them is having a devastating impact on other
marine life.
Catching fish
with longlines involves baiting hundreds of hooks on a
line stretched up to a mile long. Besides catching the
desired fish,
these lines indiscriminately kill
turtles, seabirds and fish that are
not yet fully
grown. Longlines have been prohibited by California and
Washington for many years,
but the federal government is taking over
the management
of these fish, and is considering allowing longlines
once again.
In early March, though, the Pacific Fishery Management
Council (a
division of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration) will
decide on a management
plan for thirteen species of fish and has the
opportunity to prohibit these deadly longlines.
== What to do ==
Tell the Pacific Fishery Management Council to ban longlines
in U.S.
waters, and work to protect migratory fish both
domestically and
internationally.
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the executive director of the
council
directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center [http://www.nrdc.org/action].
Or
use the contact information and sample letter below to send your
own message.
Don McIsaac
Executive Director
Pacific Fishery Management Council
2130 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 224
Portland, OR 97201
Fax: 503-326-6831
Email: pfmc.comments@noaa.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Prohibit
longlines in the Pacific
Dear
Dr. McIsaac,
I support efforts
to improve protection for migrating fish off the
Pacific
coast, and I specifically urge you to adopt the proposed
management measures in the highly migratory species
fisheries
management plan at your March meeting. These
measures are the minimum
needed to help keep these fish
populations healthy and ensure the
survival of seabirds,
marine mammals, and turtles.
In
particular, I support prohibiting longlines in the "exclusive
economic zone" within 200 miles of shore and enacting strict
guidelines, including 100 percent observer coverage, for
any
experimental longlining programs. The council should
also adopt the
conservative harvest guidelines and
control rules for sharks, and
advocate for similar
measures with other fishery management councils
and in
international forums.
Please
take these important steps *now,* while these fish and other
marine life still have a chance to remain healthy.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
3. Vote "Yes" on Proposition 40
On March 5th, Californians will have
the opportunity to vote on the
California Clean Water,
Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and
Coastal
Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 40). NRDC is part of a
broad coalition of environmental, labor, business, public
safety, and
civic groups that has endorsed this measure,
which would provide
essential funds to help protect
California's wildlife and open spaces,
and improve our
ability to enjoy public parks and other natural areas.
If passed, Proposition 40 would
provide $2.6 billion for improved air
and water quality,
clean coastal waters, and land conservation.
Portions of
these funds would also help improve state parks and make
neighborhood parks safer and more secure.
== What to do ==
Go to the polls on Tuesday, March 5th and vote "Yes" on
Proposition 40.
== For
background ==
Yes on 40
www.voteyeson40.org
==========================
Updates
on Previous alerts
==========================
1. GLOBAL WARMING POLLUTION
In our November alert, we asked you to urge your state
assemblymember
to pass AB 1058, which would create the
nation's first restrictions on
carbon dioxide emissions
from passenger vehicles. Last week, with just
one vote
to spare, the assembly approved the bill, 42-24 (41 votes
were needed to pass the bill), paving the way for California
to become
the first state to try to curb global warming
pollution by limiting
CO2 emissions from cars, SUVs and
light trucks. The bill now heads to
the Senate, where
NRDC will work to ensure its passage. We'll keep you
posted on developments, and, in the meantime, Thank You! to
everyone
who urged the assembly to take this crucial
first step.
==================================================
About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
==================================================
NRDC distributes three bulletins by
email. To subscribe to any or all
of them or to join our
activist networks, go to:
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp
The
CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT is distributed monthly to
members of NRDC's California Activist Network and provides
action
tools to Californians and others concerned with
protecting the state's
natural resources and the health
of its citizens.
EARTH ACTION is
sent biweekly and calls out urgent environmental
issues
at the national level and from around the country. To
unsubscribe from Earth Action, send an email message to
earthaction@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the subject line.
LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent
biweekly when Congress is in session and
tracks
environmental bills moving through the federal legislature. To
unsubscribe from Legislative Watch, send an email message to
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==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense
Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with
over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission
is to
protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and
ensure a safe and
healthy environment for all living
things.
For more information
about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please
contact us at:
Natural Resources
Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511
(voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email:
nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
California Activist Network email:
wildcalifornia@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving
Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural
Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
DEN Alert: Save America's Longest River
The Missouri River's endangered fish
and wildlife need your help.
Once, the Missouri flowed
naturally, experiencing a seasonal rise
and fall of
water. Now, dams are used to maintain stable flows to
support commercial barge traffic. That has driven three
native
Missouri River species -- the interior least
tern, the piping plover
and the pallid sturgeon -- to
the brink of extinction, and many more
species are in
trouble. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is deciding
on
a new plan for operating the Missouri's six big dams, which
control the river's flow. If the Corps allows slightly
higher dam
releases in the spring and lower releases in
the summer, it will
help provide the habitat and
reproductive cues needed by wildlife.
The Corps' own
studies have shown that this wouldn't cause floods
or
curtail barge traffic in the spring or fall when farmers use the
Missouri to ship goods.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send a FREE e-mail to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
urge
officials to select the "flexible flow alternative"
-- one of six
the agency is considering. Comments are
due by FEBRUARY 28, so
please send your message today.
Thanks for helping to restore our
nation's longest river
and the wildlife and people depending on it.
INSTRUCTIONS
TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you
have access to the web, simply click on the link below which
will take you to the DEN Action Center web site:
http://www.denaction.org
If you
don't have access to the Internet, please e-mail your letter
to: mastermanual@usace.army.mil or mail your letter to:
Missouri River Master Water Control Manual Public Comments,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division,
12565 West
Center Road, Omaha, NE 68144-3869.
SAMPLE
LETTER:
Dear U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers officials:
As a
supporter of wildlife and the environment, I urge the Corps of
Engineers to adopt the "flexible flow alternative" for
Missouri
River dam operations. This alternative would
prevent species
extinction, boost recreation and tourism
along the Missouri, and
support traditional uses of the
river.
River scientists have
uniformly concluded that increased spring
flows are
needed to provide the habitat and reproductive cues
needed by fish and wildlife. The Corps' own studies have
shown that
this wouldn't cause floods or curtail barge
traffic in the spring
or fall when farmers use the
Missouri to ship goods.
I am
proud to protect our nation's rivers and their inhabitants.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
___________________________________________________________
To SUBSCRIBE to DENlines, visit
Defenders' website at:
http://www.defenders.org/den or send an e-mail to
DEN@defenders.org and put the word SUBSCRIBE in the
subject line, and your name and address in the text
area.
___________________________________________________________
DENlines is a biweekly
publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a
leading national
conservation organization recognized as one of
the
nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its
habitat and known for its effective leadership on saving
endangered species such as brown bears and gray wolves.
Defenders
advocates new approaches to wildlife
conservation that protect
species before they become
endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders
is a nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization with more than 480,000
members
and supporters.
Defenders
of Wildlife
1101
14th Street, NW, Suite 1400
Washington,
DC 20005
http://www.defenders.org
http://www.kidsplanet.org
Copyright
(c) 2002 by Defenders of Wildlife
1. SIGN THREE IMPORTANT PETITIONS (Free!):
*** STOP SHRIMPERS FROM
KILLING SEA TURTLES ***
We need to act now. All six sea
turtle species swimming in
U.S. waters are listed as
either threatened or endangered,
and shrimp fishermen
are drowning them. Shrimper nets
ensnare turtles and
unless the nets include large "Turtle Excluder
Devices"
(TEDs), the turtles drown because they cannot surface
for air. Currently, shrimpers are required to use nets with
TEDs,
but many use TEDS that are too small to allow
adult turtles to
escape. Thus, hundreds of endangered
turtles are washing
up on beaches right now, drowned in
shrimping nets.
Luckily, it's
possible to fix this problem without hurting
shrimpers.
In fact, many shrimpers already use nets with TEDs
that
allow large turtles like Leatherbacks to escape unharmed.
We must move forward in setting a TED size standard large
enough to protect all sea turtles. Sign this petition to
end delays
and enact the turtle protection rule now!
-- Comments must be received by
February, 15th 2002 to be
included in the Official
Record of Public Comments.
Click
here: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3262
** SAVE BIRDS FROM
PESTICIDE POISONING! **
It takes just a tiny drop of
fenthion to kill a bird. Still, this
lethal pesticide is
used to control adult mosquito populations
in south
Florida, even though equally effective alternatives
are
available.
In total, scientists
estimate that pesticides kill more than 60
million birds
in the U.S. annually. American Bird Conservancy
is
working to identify the most harmful substances and remove
them from use. Fenthion is used in an important bird
migration
area, and although currently legal, the
Environmental Protection
Agency is reviewing its use.
Please tell EPA Administrator,
Christine Todd Whitman,
that fenthion's registration should be
canceled
immediately. You can help halt the use of fenthion and
prevent irreparable harm to migratory birds and to Florida's
unique and highly diverse ecosystems.
Sign now and help save our nation's
birds!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3261
** KEEP OUR AIR CLEAN!
Industry lobbyists have pushed President Bush to try to
weaken
our clean air protections by letting over 18,000
of the country's
biggest polluting facilities --
including old, dirty power plants,
oil refineries, and
chemical plants -- escape rules that require
them to
install modern pollution controls when they pump out
more pollution.
This unprecedented weakening of our clean air laws would
allow
millions more tons of soot, smog, and toxic
pollution to be
spewed into our air each year. Persuade
the administration to
keep our clean air laws strong!
Sign now: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3263
2. VISIT CARE2'S NEW PARK CENTER
Take every opportunity to go out and enjoy the beauty of the
natural environment around you!
Care2 has partnered with the
National Parks Conservation
Association to create the
NPCA Parks Center! You can find the
perfect park for a
pleasant stroll or a vigorous hike! For rock
climbing or
mountain biking. If it exists, the NPCA Parks Center
will help you find it!
You'll also find a host of great eco-tips for every active
environmentalist. Check it out and find out news ways to
care
for your environment!
Check
it out today: http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/3237
3. ACTIVIST TIPS:
** Invest in a home water purification system and refill one
water
bottle with clean water, rather than buying and
then recycling
individual water bottles.
** Real letters really matter. Now
is the time to have your voice
heard; write real letters
to your politicians as often as you can to
support
environmental protections.
4.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:
"Man is always partly of the
future, and the future he
possesses a power to shape."
Thanks
in advance for taking action!
-
The Care2 Team
P.S. Please
FORWARD this email to friends - there IS strength in
numbers!
Geno-Type
Monday, February 4, 2002
www.etcgroup.org
(Please go to our web site if you prefer to download PDF
version.)
The world's centres of
crop genetic diversity are the part of biodiversity that feeds
people. The gene banks within those centres are critical for global
food security. Now, the MesoAmerican centre is contaminated with
genetically modified (GM) material and its most important gene bank may be
contaminated as well.
GM
Pollution in the Bank?
Time for "Plan B"
Ten years ago at the Rio Earth
Summit, Heads of State adopted a Biodiversity Convention and wrestled with
climate change strategies. World leaders recognized that the
frontline for future food security lies in those regions of the tropics and
subtropics that are centres of crop genetic diversity and that
internationally-held collections of farmers' seeds in gene banks are the final
defense against global warming. That was the plan.
Now we know that the Mesoamerican
centre of agricultural biodiversity is contaminated with GM maize and that it is
only a matter of time before the region's most vital gene bank is also
infected. Genetically modified DNA poses a special risk to centers of
crop diversity if genes from GM crops escape to related crops and their wild
relatives. The greatest risk may come from the next generation of GM
plants that are now being developed. How long before GM wheat is introduced in
the Horn of Africa, the genetic homeland of wheat? What risk will GM rice pose
in Southeast Asia? GM potatoes in the Andes? On the tenth anniversary
of the Biodiversity Convention and on the eve of the World Food Summit,
governments must meet this threat head-on. It's time for Plan B!
Mexican studies: When
hundreds of indigenous Mexican farmers and about 60 civil society organizations
met 23-24 January in Mexico City, few were surprised to hear the Mexican
Ministry of the Environment state that new tests confirmed their findings of
last year and that, in some extremely remote regions of Oaxaca and Puebla, up to
60% of tested farmers' varieties contained evidence of transgenic
material. If these two states are contaminated, then it stands to
reason that the pollution has already spread throughout Mesoamerica.
It is also, farmers agreed, only a
matter of time before some of the world's most essential seed banks - the cold
storage facilities that guard millions of crop seed samples that are either rare
or extinct in the field - also become infected.
Arguably the world's most important maize gene bank -
certainly the most internationally-accessible - is at the International Maize
and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) just outside Mexico City. One
of the original Green Revolution centers, CIMMYT has been gathering and
safeguarding threatened maize and wheat seed for half a
century. CIMMYT's interest is not solely academic. The
diversity of traditional maize varieties, and that of its wild relatives, is the
toolbox for future varieties and our best defense against the erratic changes in
crop pests and diseases that will come with climate
change. Scientists at CIMMYT, although cautious to take a
position on the implications of GM crop production, have been testing its
samples for bank contamination. Last October, following up on the
news of contamination in two Mexican states, the international center reported
that its initial surveys revealed no transgenic DNA. In December 2001
CIMMYT again announced that subsequent screenings had found no contaminat
All the alarms have been tripped for the Precautionary
Principle. The biotech industry has demonstrated repeatedly that
current national regulatory programs are inadequate and that industry cannot
manage the movement of transgenic materials. Now that the pollution
has spread to at least one centre of crop genetic diversity, the only
appropriate political and scientific solution is to call for a moratorium on the
sowing of transgenic crops unless and until governments have the real capacity
to regulate biotechnology. Since the battle for a global moratorium
will take sometime, the following proposals are interim, minimalist measures
that can be adopted in the next 18 weeks.
Plan B - Six Initiatives: -There is consensus
that GM contamination has occurred in the Mexican center of maize
diversity. The real issue is what will national and international
authorities do about it? In the interim, we are making the following
proposals.
1. The biotech
industry should announce an immediate moratorium on the shipment of transgenic
seed that is destined for that crop's centre of genetic diversity and/or where
wild relatives of the crop are known to exist.
2.
Commodity exporting and importing enterprises should take whatever steps
necessary to ensure that they do not inadvertently send GM material in an
unprocessed form to any country in a centre of crop diversity for a GM species,
and/or where wild relatives of the crop are known to exist.
3. Governments within centres of diversity should
immediately undertake their own evaluation of GM contamination and adopt
procedures to ensure that contamination does not take place through seed or
commodity imports.
4. Governments should undertake
studies of their national gene banks to ensure that contamination is not already
present and adopt measures to ensure that new acquisitions and regeneration
activities do not lead to contamination.
5. As an urgent
priority, the Director-General of FAO and the Chair of the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) should call upon industry and
governments to implement a moratorium on GM seed and commodity shipments, as
well as field trials, in centres of diversity for GM species. They should also
ask governments to evaluate national gene banks for GM material.
6. FAO and CGIAR should together launch an evaluation of
international gene banks whose materials are held in trust with FAO and adopt
the necessary measures and codes to ensure their continued genetic integrity.
Plan B's Schedule - Six Steps -
18 Weeks: The international community has 18 weeks to adopt a global
plan of action to protect long term food security and the centres of crop
diversity. Six meetings between February 4 th in Montreal
and June 11 in Rome make it possible for governments to coordinate an action
plan:
1. CIMMYT and the
Government of Mexico should report on the status of their investigations to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) when its subsidiary scientific panel
meets in Montreal at the Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-sessional Working Group on
Article 8(j) which will bring together governments and representatives from
indigenous farming communities. For further information: http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/socioeco/traditional/wg8j-02.asp
2. A more in-depth scientific discussion on the
implications of contamination in centres of diversity will be hosted by the
Istituto Agronomico per l'Oltremare in Florence, Italy February 7-9. The Gene
Giants, CIMMYT, scientists and civil society representatives will be present
along with FAO officials. The meeting should evaluate the state of
scientific knowledge and recommend what further investigations are
necessary. For further information, please go to http://biodiv.iao.florence.it/news.php
3. The Genetic Resources Policy Committee of the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) will meet the
week of February 13th in Los Banos, Philippines. That meeting should
adopt proposals for the global monitoring of centres of diversity and key
national and international gene banks. Their recommendations should
be forwarded both to FAO and to the Biodiversity Convention. Please go to http://www.cgiar.org for
further information.
4. The international scientific
community and civil society are meeting in Alexandria, Egypt March 16-18 for a
major evaluation of the impact of biotechnology on food, health and the
environment. The gathering is an excellent opportunity for the major
actors to consider the CGIAR recommendations and to support specific initiatives
for FAO, CGIAR and the Biodiversity Convention. http://www.egyptbiotech.com/2002
5. The world's governments meet in The Hague, Netherlands,
from April 8-19 under the auspices of the Biodiversity
Convention. From April 21-26, the CBD will review work on the
BioSafety Protocol including Mexico's specific concerns regarding liability and
the wider debate on labeling. The environment ministries
present should propose a programme of action to protect the centres of civersity
from contamination. For the agenda of the CBD COP VI please go to: http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/cop-06.asp
6. Because the heart of the issue is one of food security,
the programme proposed by the CBD should be conveyed to the World Food Summit
Five Years Later that will bring world and agricultural leaders together in Rome
from June 10-13. The decisions reached in Rome should be
the basis for national and international legislation. For information on the
World Food Summit please go to http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsummit/
Six reasons to stop
contamination: Peculiarly, some scientists (and, less peculiarly,
most Gene Giants) seem not to understand why GM contamination in banks or
centres of diversity is a concern. Here are six reasons:
1. Moral
repugnance: International Research Centres that fully understand that
certain cultures are opposed to eating certain species must also realize that
many people in many cultures and societies are morally opposed to transgenic
species - especially as food. People (and sovereign nations) have the
absolute right to say "no" to transgenics and scientists and governments must
protect their right.
2. Environmental
safety: There is a strong and growing scientific debate over the way
in which transgenes might, immediately and over several generations, perform in
new species and how they might affect other organisms. This concern
is nowhere more important than in centres of crop diversity where food security
is at risk. The Precautionary Principle demands that GM contamination
in such centres be prevented.
3. Food
safety: Government regulators and scientists do not have a stellar
record when it comes to GM food safety. For example, in September
2000 it was US biotech activists who first disclosed that hundreds of food
products in the US contained illegal traces of Aventis's genetically engineered
Starlink maize (the insecticidal toxin Cry9c). StarLink was approved by the US
government for livestock feed, but not for human consumption, because of
concerns that it could cause an allergic reaction in some people. The GM
contamination in Mexico illustrates that it is only a matter of time before GM
traits (or promoters or selectable markers) invade centres of diversity and the
diets of the poor. It is not known what impact these traits (and especially the
next generation of GM traits) will have on food safety.
4. Trust compromise: The FAO-CGIAR Agreement
covers more than a half million seed samples in eleven of the world's most
important gene banks. All are located in centres of crop
diversity. The International Agricultural Research Centres are
pledged to safeguard the trust material. This includes the difficult
task of keeping the material free of GM pollution. If the banks
become polluted, GM material could spread to researchers and breeders around the
world. Both FAO and CGIAR are obliged to act to protect the integrity
of the trust material.
5. Market
security: Farmers wishing to market organic or GM-free commodities
are compromised if GM pollen contaminates their crops. Markets and
income are lost. The market for GM-free material is growing and
important for many farmers in many countries.
6.
Monopoly risk: By definition, GM traits are patented. If
patented DNA materializes in FAO-CGIAR Trust collections it could compromise how
gene banks are able to manage and distribute germplasm. It could also
lead to lawsuits against some breeders who receive patented material from gene
banks and unknowingly use the material in varieties where the patents are
valid. Fear of patent lawsuits could constrain access and use of gene
bank material.
The
Bottomline: Contamination portends a major long-term threat to world
food security. The pressure is heavily on CGIAR and its 16 international
agricultural research centers - of which CIMMYT is one. Eleven research centers
have major gene banks. CGIAR is gearing up to launch a major fundraising
campaign that will create an endowment for the gene bank collections. Potential
donors will want the CGIAR to address the likelihood of gene bank contamination
squarely and will be less than comfortable to think that they are paying for
storage of GM traits that could make future germplasm exchange problematic. FAO,
with its new International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources and the Trust
Agreement with CGIAR gene banks, is ultimately responsible for the integrity of
these collections and must be prepared to act decisively.
The Action Group on Erosion,
Technology and Concentration, formerly RAFI, is an international civil society
organization headquartered in Canada. The ETC group (pronounced Etcetera group)
is dedicated to the advancement of cultural and ecological diversity and human
rights. www.etcgroup.org
--------------------------------
A
special Earthjustice message
--------------------------------
Bill Moyers' new PBS show, "Trading Democracy," looks
at how corporations are using an obscure section of
the North American Free Trade Agreement to challenge
the powers of government to protect its citizens, to
undermine environmental and health laws, and even to
attack our system of justice.
Earthjustice attorney Martin Wagner tells Moyers how
Methanex, a Canadian company that is the world's largest
producer of the key ingredient in the gasoline additive
MTBE, filed suit to stop California from banning the
cancer-causing additive that is seeping into drinking
water supplies. The Canadian corporation is "saying
that California either can't implement this protection
or that they get a billion dollars. People should be
outraged by that," says Wagner. More about the show:
http://ga0.org/ct/jd1aAPE1uuJk/
The show will air this Tuesday night
(February 5th)
at 10:00 pm across the nation, with the
following exceptions:
Sacramento: KVIE will show it on February 5th at 11:00 pm
San Francisco: KQED will show it
on February 8th at 9:00 pm
Boston: WGBH will show it on February 21st at 8:00
pm
Dear NRDC BioGems Defender,
We need your online action by February 15th to help save
Utah's
Redrock canyonlands.
This world-famous symbol of the American West is a
breathtaking
landscape of massive cliff walls, jagged
and colorful rock formations,
and ancient Indian ruins
filled with bighorn sheep, rare pronghorn
antelope,
peregrine falcons, and golden eagles.
But with the nation's attention focused almost exclusively
on the war
against terrorism, the Bush administration
has moved aggressively
since September 11th to open up
the Redrock canyons to oil and gas
development.
Please speak out today to keep
Redrock country wild and free! Go to:
http://www.savebiogems.org/redrock/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1002
and tell the administration NOT to sacrifice these
wildlands to energy
development and other harmful
activities.
The
Bureau of Land Management has already approved leases for such
development in several sensitive canyon areas, without even
bothering
to assess the real environmental damage that
could result. In
response, NRDC has filed suit in
federal court challenging this
illegal giveaway.
And now, the same agency is
preparing a new land use plan for one of
the most
magnificent and fragile parts of the region: the San Rafael
Swell, which contains two million acres of extraordinary
canyons and
wildlands.
Unless there is a public outcry against it, this plan could
open up
the San Rafael Swell to oil and gas leasing, and
continue abusive
livestock grazing and off-road vehicle
use, over the next 10 to 20
years. That's why I'm asking
you and the thousands of other BioGems
Defenders who
have already demonstrated your commitment to protecting
America's western wildlands to send a message during this
all-important first phase of the planning process.
Public comments are due to the BLM
by February 15th, so please act
just as soon as possible
by going to:
http://www.savebiogems.org/redrock/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1002
Thank you for helping to
protect this great American natural treasure.
Sincerely,
Johanna Wald
Land Program Director
Natural Resources Defense Council
=====
BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
This week, the Senate will resume debate on the Farm
Bill. This time, a key program to help reduce water
conflicts between farmers and wildlife is under attack
by a few Senators. You can help farmers conserve water
and protect endangered fish and other wildlife. Tell
your Senators to support the Water Conservation Program
in the Senate Farm Bill.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/fbwcp/wk8bxn2278xxtt
Visit the web address below and
spread the word about
Action Network's efforts to help
farmers!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/fbwcp/forward/wk8bxn2278xxtt
We encourage you to take action
by March 7, 2002
Help Farmers
Save Water and Wildlife
----------------------
***************************
Action Network from Environmental Defense.
finding the ways that work
***************************
Nearly 40,000 of you have already taken action supporting
a strong conservation oriented Farm Bill. Now, more
help is needed. This time, a key program to help reduce
water conflicts between farmers and wildlife is under
attack by a few Senators. You can help farmers conserve
water and protect endangered fish and other wildlife.
In addition to providing $4.4
billion a year for conservation
programs run by the US
Department of Agriculture, the
Senate Farm Bill
includes a new voluntary program to
allow the transfer
of water rights on 1.1 million acres
of land to help
endangered fish.
The new Water Conservation Program will make available
enough enough water for freshwater wildlife during
dry months and help increase flows during historic
times of seasonal high water. The program would provide
flexibility in these water transfers to help reduce
and mitigate farmer/fish conflicts in drought years
while providing enough water for farmers to use on
their crops.
Freshwater creatures are North America's most endangered
species, vanishing five times faster than mammals or
birds and as quickly as tropical rainforest species.
Inadequate stream flow is among the leading threats
to endangered fish because low summer flows reduce
dissolved oxygen levels, increase water temperatures,
and limit access to food and spawning habitat. The
absence of rising spring flows -- which triggers spawning
and helps fish migration -- is also a major threat.
To learn more about conservation
and agriculture, visit
http://www.privatelandstewardship.org
If you have additional questions,
contact Suzy Friedman
at:
sfriedman@environmentaldefense.org
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action
on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/fbwcp/wk8bxn2278xxtt
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish.
Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and
"-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and
address
to your letter. Our system automatically does
this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
I strongly urge
you to help resolve conflicts between
farmers and
endangered fish by supporting the incentive-based
Water
Conservation Program in the conservation title
of S.
1731, the Agriculture, Conservation and Rural
Enhancement Act of 2001.
The Water Conservation Program
authorizes the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to
acquire or lease water
rights on 1.1 million acres of
land, so long as water
transfers are consistent with
state water law and are
approved by state officials.
State officials must also
permit the Secretary of
Agriculture to implement the
program in their
state.
Freshwater
species are North America's most endangered
species,
vanishing they are vanishing five times faster
than
North America's mammals or birds and as quickly
as
tropical rainforest species. Inadequate stream flow
is
among the leading threats to endangered fish because
low summer flows reduce dissolved oxygen levels, increase
water temperatures, and limit access to food and
spawning
habitat. The absence of rising spring flows --
triggering
spawning and aiding fish migration -- is
also a threat.
We urge you to support this voluntary, incentive-based
approach to one of the nation's most pressing environmental
challenges. Please support the Water Conservation
Program
in the conservation title of S. 1731, the
Agriculture,
Conservation and Rural Enhancement Act of
2001.
-------END
OF LETTER-------------------------
Sincerely yours,
****************************
*
WILDALERT
* Tuesday, February 5, 2002
****************************
Dear WildAlert Subscriber:
It just doesn't end. National Forest Roadless
Areas are *again*
under attack by the Bush
Administration and the U.S. Forest
Service. This time, the Forest Service has
proposed two new
administrative "directives" that
eliminate safeguards for roadless
areas, allowing more
destructive road construction on our national
forests. Tell the Forest Service by February
19th that you oppose
these directives:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=1048
BACKGROUND
On December 20, 2001, the Forest Service proposed two new
"Interim
Directives" covering transportation and
roadless area management on
our national
forests. The Transportation Directive completely
removes the roadless area section from the Forest Service
Transportation Policy. The Roadless Area Directive
consolidates all
interim management direction for
inventoried roadless areas into the
forest planning
section of the Forest Service manual.
These directives are the latest in a series of
administrative
maneuvers that have weakened or removed
important roadless area
safeguards provided by the
Roadless Area Conservation Rule and the
Transportation
Policy.
ELIMINATING PUBLIC
REVIEW OF SOME ROAD PROJECTS
The proposed
Transportation System Analysis Directive effectively
would give Forest Service managers added power to decide if
certain
road-building projects should undergo
environmental and public
review.
Currently, any new road
construction or reconstruction in
inventoried roadless
areas and contiguous unroaded areas can only
occur if
the Regional Forester determines a "compelling need." This
directive would eliminate that requirement.
As a result, small-scale road
projects could be approved *without*
an Environmental
Impact Statement, (EIS). Further, by removing
protection for uninventoried roadless areas, the ecological
values
of these unroaded areas, including their value
as important wildlife
corridors, are also threatened.
SECOND DIRECTIVE DOES LITTLE
TO PROTECT ROADLESS AREAS
The proposed Inventoried
Roadless Area Management Directive would do
anything
but protect roadless areas. It doesn't stop logging or
roadbuilding; it simply gives the Chief of the Forest
Service
responsibility to approve such
actions. And it totally exempts the
Tongass
National Forest in Alaska from *any* protection of its 9.4
million acres of roadless areas!
In fact, this interim directive
provides no precautions to ensure
that the Regional
Foresters and the Chief won't simply rubber-stamp
all
logging and road-building projects that come across their desks.
In contrast, the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule provides permanent
protection of all
inventoried roadless areas in our National Forests
from
logging and roadbuilding. However, this rule remains
unimplemented due to stalling tactics and lack of defense
in court
by the Bush Administration.
TAKE ACTION
The Forest Service is soliciting comments on these
directives, but
only through February
19th. We must make the Forest Service and the
Bush Administration aware of the American people's absolute
abhorrence of their refusal to implement the Roadless
Area
Conservation Rule nor to defend it in court. Send
your comments from
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2&item=1048 (When
you
send your comments from our website, a copy of your
email
automatically will be forwarded to your
congressional
representative.)
Or contact the Forest Service
directly. Tell them:
- The Forest Service should withdraw the proposed interim
directives
for roadless areas, and fully implement the
Roadless Area
Conservation Rule and other policies that
protect national forest
roadless areas.
- The Forest Service and the Bush
Administration should begin to
vigorously defend the
Roadless Area Conservation Rule against
lawsuits
challenging the legality of the rule.
- The Forest Service apparently considers hurried logging,
drilling
and mining in roadless areas to be more
important than hearing from
the millions of Americans
who are resolute in their desire for
protection of our
last pristine wild forests.
-
Until the courts remove the injunction currently barring
implementation of the Roadless Rule, administrative
direction to
protect roadless areas is needed. At a
minimum, any interim
directive on roadless area
management should not allow activities
that would be
inconsistent with the Roadless Rule.
Send your comments to:
USFS CAT,
Attention: Road Policy
P.O. Box 221150
Salt Lake City, UT 84122
E-mail: roads_id@fs.fed.us
Fax:
801-517-1021
***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm
***************************************************************
To make a gift online to The Wilderness Society, click
here
https://secure-net.com/tws/join.asp
***************************************************************
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-
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Founded in 1935, The
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lands
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BUSH BUDGET: Weakening
environmental protections
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'Smoking gun' memo gives new evidence
GLOBAL WARMING: Climate change
threatens wetlands
SMOG CAUSES ASTHMA: New study
boosts case for clean air
FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES: Another
Bush official kowtowing to fossil-fuel industry
SPECIAL DISCOUNT AND FREE TAX
REVIEW AT H&R BLOCK
COMEBACK CATS: Defenders
helps create habitat for endangered
ocelots
| 1. BUSH BUDGET: Weakening environmental protections
The Bush administration is proposing sharp budget cuts in environmental initiatives for the coming fiscal year. The budget, unveiled this week, boosts oil and gas development on our public lands while shortchanging wildlife refuges, endangered species protections, and the important Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps save wildlife habitat and our cultural treasures. "The White House claims we have to weaken environmental protections to fund more Pentagon spending, but there's no shortage of money in this budget for the fossil-fuel industry to produce more smog, soot and global-warming pollution," Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen said. For an analysis of the impact of the Bush budget on environmental protection, visit our Web Site at: http://www .defenders.org/publiclands/fy03.pdf 2. ENERGY POLICY BY ENRON? 'Smoking gun' memo gives new evidence As the Senate prepares to vote this month on whether to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, there's new evidence that the administration's energy policy was heavily influenced by high-flying executives with Enron Corp. A memo leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle contains then-Enron chairman Kenneth Lay's instructions on how the White House should handle energy matters. Many of Lay's points in his memo to Vice President Cheney ended up in the energy plan now being considered by the Senate. The plan, which the House has already passed, contains 17 provisions benefiting the now-bankrupt Enron. California Sen. Barbara Boxer called the memo "the smoking gun."WHAT YOU CAN DO: Go to http://www.Savearcticref uge.org to send a free e-mail urging your senators to protect the Arctic refuge from special-interest exploitation and to support a balanced energy plan that emphasizes new technologies and improved efficiencies. Check our Web site daily for updates on this important issue, and help spread the word about the threat to this incomparable wilderness by forwarding this issue of DENlines to friends. Click here to see the DENlines cartoon: Can polar bears defy gravity- http://www.d efenders.org/den/issues/cub.jpg 3. GLOBAL WARMING: Climate change threatens wetlands Global warming could devastate lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands throughout the United States. That's according to a new report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, which reviewed more than 150 scientific studies on climate change. The report concludes that rising temperatures could make some water too warm for the fish and other creatures that now live in them. To reach waters cool enough for survival, some species may have to travel more than 400 miles north. Click here: http://ww w.pewclimate.org/projects/aquatic.cfm to read the report.4. SMOG CAUSES ASTHMA: New study boosts case for clean air Researchers have concluded for the first time that smog can actually cause asthma, not just aggravate it. These findings of a 10-year study published in the British journal Lancet bolster the case against attempts to weaken clean air standards. The researchers followed children playing sports in 12 Southern California communities – six with some of the nation's poorest air quality and six with relatively clean air. Children in the smoggy places were up to four times more likely to develop asthma. 5. FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES: Another administration official kowtowing to fossil-fuel industry Mike Smith, the new assistant secretary for fossil fuels at the U.S. Department of Energy, didn't take office until Monday, but he has already told where his loyalties will lie. In a speech to the Independent Oil and Gas Association last week in Charleston, W.Va., he said that he would "work to ensure that the oil, natural gas and coal industry's interests are heeded in Washington," the Charleston Gazette reported. "The biggest challenge is going to be how to best utilize taxpayer dollars to the benefit of industry, in my opinion," Smith said. 6. SPECIAL DISCOUNT AND FREE TAX REVIEW AT H&R BLOCK With over 440 changes in the tax law, you may miss important new credits or deductions that could save you money. Defenders with H & R Block is pleased to offer the No. 1-rated TaxCut Deluxe software for the special price of $19.95. With each purchase, H & R Block will also make a contribution to Defenders.
Go to http://www.defenders.o rg/hrblock/ You can also take advantage of H & R Block's Doublecheck program where they'll review your last three years of returns for free. Call 1-800-HRBLOCK. 7. COMEBACK CATS: Defenders helps create habitat for endangered ocelots With staffers from
Defenders of Wildlife helping, volunteers have planted 3,000 native thorny
brush seedlings in the lower DENlines is a bi-weekly publication of Defenders of
Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one
of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat.
It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues,
particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also
advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species
before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and put
the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Defenders of
Wildlife Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2002 |
GE Food Alert 3
(ge-food-alert-3@iatp.org) Posted:
02/06/2002 By jvogt@iatp.org
============================================================
--- Email Kraft at http://www.gefoodalert.org to urge them to remove
genetically
engineered ingredients from food products.
---
Today, Feb. 6th,
Genetically Engineered Food Alert joined consumer advocates
in over 170 cities around the United States, Canada, and
Australia to launch
a new campaign that calls on Kraft
Foods to remove untested, unlabeled
genetically
engineered ingredients from its products. Kraft Foods is the
largest food and beverage company in the US and a
subsidiary of Philip
Morris company.
Genetically Engineered Food Alert
member groups and allies are holding press
conferences
and leafleting at grocery stores in an effort to draw attention
to the public health and environmental concerns associated
with genetically
engineered foods and to inform
consumers that Kraft Food*s genetically
engineered
products are neither adequately safety tested nor labeled.
"We are urging Kraft Foods to
remove all genetically engineered ingredients
from its
products until adequate testing, labeling and liability are put
into place to protect our health and the environment."
stated Kate Madigan,
corporate advocate for the State
PIRGs, a member group of the Genetically
Engineered
Food Alert coalition.
Independent testing released today by the coalition
confirms the use of
genetically engineered ingredients
in Kraft products, including engineered
corn and soy.
The tests commissioned by the coalition determined that a
variety of Kraft products including Taco Bell taco shells,
Boca Burgers,
Snackwell*s crackers, Lunchables,
Tombstone Pizzas, Post Blueberry Morning
Cereal, and
Stove Top Stuffing contained genetically engineered ingredients.
"The results are in * and the
tests indicate that Kraft continues to use
genetically
engineered ingredients in the foods that they sell to US
consumers," said Rebecca O'Malley, ecopledge.com Program
Director.
Coalition members
pointed to a lack of corporate responsibility on behalf of
Kraft, indicating that this is not the first time that the
company has dealt
with controversy over their use of
genetically engineered ingredients in
their products.
By 1999, consumer demand in Europe forced Kraft Foods to
remove genetically engineered ingredients from some of
their well-known
products, offering Europeans
genetically engineered*free products. The
company has
yet to offer such alternatives in the United States.
The coalition also pointed to
Kraft*s second round of problems with the use
of
genetically engineered crops, this time in the United States. In
September of 2000, through independent testing, Genetically
Engineered Food
Alert coalition discovered StarLink *,
a genetically engineered corn not
approved for human
consumption (because of concerns that it has
characteristics of known allergens) in Taco Bell brand taco
shells, a Kraft
product. This finding resulted in Kraft
recalling millions of boxes of taco
shells and a switch
by the company to white corn to avoid further StarLink*
contamination.
*Kraft Foods needs to listen to its customers when it comes
to genetically
engineered foods,* said Lisa Archer,
grass roots coordinator for Friends of
the Earth a
member group of the Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition.
*The company is aware of the potential health and
environmental risks of
genetically engineered foods,
yet they have chosen profits over precaution.*
Consumer and environmental advocates representing
Genetically Engineered
Food Alert have requested a
meeting with Kraft CEO Betsy Holden to discuss
environmental and public health issues related to the use
of genetically
engineered ingredients in their
products, but the request thus far has been
denied.
###
Communications by the coalition to Kraft Foods as well as
test results may
be found at the coalition website,
www.gefoodalert.org
Genetically Engineered Food Alert founding members include:
Center for Food
Safety, Friends of the Earth, Institute
for Agriculture and Trade Policy,
National
Environmental Trust, Organic Consumers Association, Pesticide
Action Network North America, and the State Public Interest
Research Groups.
Genetically
Engineered Food Alert, a coalition of health, consumer and
environmental groups, supports the removal of genetically
engineered
ingredients from grocery store shelves
unless they are adequately safety
tested and
labeled. The campaign provides web-based opportunities for
individuals to express concern about genetically engineered
food and fact
sheets on health, environmental and
economic information about genetically
engineered
food. The campaign is endorsed by more than 250 scientists,
religious leaders, doctors, chefs, environmental and health
leaders, as well
as farm groups.
To: All Activists
From: Steve
Holmer
Date: February 6, 2002
Subject: Calendar of Upcoming
Events
Congressional Recess
Presidents Day Week, Feb. 18 - 22
This is a good time to meet with your Representative or
Senator while
they are back home in the District or
State. For more information
please contact
me at 202/547-9105 or mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
Roadless
Area Comment Deadline February 19
Please see http://www.americanlands.org/forestweb/feb_19_comments.htm
for an action alert to help stop the latest rollback of
roadless area
protection.
Public Lands Action Summit, March 1-5, Washington DC
High school and college activists
who care about wildlands and want to
fight for their
protection will be converging on Washington the first
week of March. By attending the Summit, you'll
gain the knowledge and
skills to help win permanent
protection for these magnificent and
threatened lands.
You'll learn how to work with media, talk with your
elected officials, and plan a long-term campaign to win
their support
for wildlands protections. When the
weekend is over, you will take these
skills home with
you, to help better your community.
The Summit will focus on three of the most vital public
lands battles in
the nation:
1) Our remaining national forest heritage, owned by all
Americans and
endangered by commercial logging and
road-building;
2) The coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge,
threatened by oil drilling û
and home to polar bears, caribou, and the
Gwich'in
First Nation.
3) 9.1 million acres of Utah's
spectacular redrock canyon country, under
attack by
mining and off-road vehicle abuse.
Participants will schedule meetings with their
Representatives and
Senators for Monday and Tuesday,
the 4th and 5th. Where? Washington,
D.C. (food and lodging included with registration fee). To
get more info
or to register for the Public Lands
Action Summit call 1-888-JOIN-SSC or
print the
registration form online at the Sierra Student Coalition's
website: http://www.ssc.org
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Eugene, OR
March 7-10
"Global CPR:
Conservation, Preservation, Restoration" is this year's
theme. The conference provides an opportunity
for the leaders and
activists within the environmental
movement to meet and chart strategies
for the upcoming
year. Now in its 20th year, the Conference unites more
than 3,000 attorneys, activists, scientists, students, and
concerned
citizens from around the globe to share their
experience and expertise.
With over 100
panels, workshops, multimedia presentations, keynote
addresses and other activities, the Conference has become
an inspiring
event full of energy, innovation and
action for all who participate in
the environmental
movement.
Over 100 panels will cover a wide range of
issues including
overpopulation, green politics,
bioengineering, dam removal, Indigenous
rights, land
exchanges, tactics/strategies of direct action, animal
research, endangered species, fire suppression, and ending
the federal
timber sale program. For more
information on the conference or to
register, see our
website at: http://www.pielc.uoregon.edu/ or e-mail
us at l-a-w@law.uoregon.edu
Spring Congressional Recess, House: March 25 -April 5,
Senate: April 1-5
This is another opportunity to meet with your
Representative or Senator
while they are back
home. If they were unable to meet with you during
the February recess, request to meet with them now.
Restoring Public Lands: Reclaiming
the Concept of Forest Restoration,
April 18-20,
Boulder, CO
What constitutes
true forest restoration when Smokey the Bear fire
suppression policies are still alive and well in the Forest
Service?
Does commercial thinning and logging reduce
the threat of wildfires? To
what extent has grazing
changed forest composition? Why does the public
and the
environmental community not trust federal land managers to
conduct ecologically-oriented restoration after 100 years
of natural
resource management?
Sponsors National Forest
Protection Alliance, Native Forest Network, CU
Rainforest Action Group, CU Cultural Events Center, CU
Wilderness Study
Group, Student environmental action
Coalition have invited some of the
nation's leading
conservationists, scientists and practitioners to help
answer these questions and to help redefine the core
concepts underlying
restoration. They will share their
knowledge and views about current
restoration needs and
priorities, innovative solutions and current
policies
that are helping or hindering efforts to protect and restore
America's public lands.
This conference is designed to educate citizens, students,
the media,
scientists and conservationists about a
range of restoration issues,
projects and conflicts
happening around the country, in addition to
serving as
a forum to widen the restoration working circles in the
conservation community. We hope you will join our effort to
help develop
a true restoration vision for our nation's
endangered public lands.
The
event is free and pre-registration is not required. For more
information contact: Stephanie Tidwell, CU
Rainforest Action Group at
303-492-5776,
Stephanie.Tidwell@Colorado.EDU or Jeanette Russell,
National Forest Protection Alliance at 406-542-7565,
nfpa@forestadvocate.org
Natural Trails and Waters Lobby
Week April 27 - May 1
The
Natural Trails and Waters Coalition invites you to Washington April
27 - May 1 to protect public lands from the damage caused
by dirt bikes,
ATVs, snowmobiles, and
jetskis. For more information please contact
Alix Davidson, mailto:adavidson@americanlands.org,
202/547-5974.
National Forest Council - May 24-27, 2002, S. Indiana
Please join us for a National
Forest Council. You are invited to
participate (to help plan and spread the word) about a
national
gathering for forests, democracy, and justice
May 24-27, 2002, Memorial
Day Weekend at Camp Rivervale
on the White River in southern Indiana.
There has never been a more compelling need for real
defenders of our
homeland to share the knowledge and
experiences gained from throughout
the nation, and to
combine our forest protection efforts with the larger
movement for peace, justice, and ecological
wisdom. Only through this
essential spirit
of unity can we craft the strongest strategies,
messages, and successes.
Please contact Heartwood at
info@heartwood.org or (812) 337-8898 to help
plan,
offer program suggestions, or reserve a meeting space.
Forest
Guardians Annual Conference June 1 - 3
The fifth annual Forest Guardians conference will be held
at the Black
Range Lodge, Kingston, NM this
year. Hikes, fun and workshops. For
more information, please call 505/988-9126
Showdown
in Congress: Forest Protection Lobby Week June 2 - 7
Facing the demise the roadless
protection policy and numerous other
rollbacks of
forest protection, we need help from Congress to stop the
Bush Administration and the Forest Service from succeeding
with these
attacks. You can make a huge
difference by becoming a regular with your
Representative and Senator back home and by coming to
Washington once a
year.
All activists are invited to join activists from across the
nation for
our annual Forest Protection Lobby Week June
2 -7 which will happen
right before the House of
Representatives votes on the Interior
Appropriations
bill. This year, much is at stake. The Forest
Service
is moving rapidly to dismantle the roadless
conservation rule while it
is tied up in
court. Without action by Congress, these areas will
remain at risk. This will be an all-out lobby
blitz to protect roadless
areas and stop the Forest
Service rollback.
Fire and
restoration funding and policy have dominated the Interior bill
the last several years and we expect a major fight once
again to reign
in the abuse of restoration and
hazardous fuel treatment funds being
diverted for
commercial logging. Lack of enforcement of off-road
vehicles and the agencies failure to monitor their impacts
is allowing
for unacceptable damage to the public
lands. This year, we will ask
Congress to
start tackling this problem.
If you, or someone you work with is interested in coming to
Washington
this June, or at any time of the year to
lobby for your forest
protection priorities, please
contact Steve Holmer at 202/547-9105, or
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org American
Lands offers travel
assistance (usually ½ airfare) and
can often find free host housing with
our staff or
local supporters.
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American
Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
More than a thousand large sea turtles are being trapped
and drowned in shrimp trawls each year because the
openings for devices designed to allow these animals
to escape from the nets are too small. The National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has been slow to respond
to this crisis. Please respond to this alert and send
the agency a message that quick action is needed to
end this tragedy.
You can take action on this alert either via email
(please see directions below) or via the web at:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/SeaTurtlesDying/wkwxs54q78xxb7
Visit the web address below
and tell your friends to
take action on this important
campaign!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/SeaTurtlesDying/forward/wkwxs54q78xxb7
We encourage you to take
action by February 15, 2002
Sea Turtles are Dying in Shrimp Trawls
----------------------
The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) has not
gone far enough in proposing
changes to the regulations
requiring Turtle Excluder
Devices (TEDs) on shrimp
trawls.
This action alert follows up on
our earlier alert of
November 3, 2001. Since then, in
response to fishing
industry pressure, NMFS extended
the comment period
on the draft TEDs regulation through
February 15, 2002.
Even if you responded to the earlier
action alert,
your comments are urgently needed again
to prevent
NMFS from adopting a compromise that
protects shrimp
fishers at the expense of imperiled sea
turtles.
Sea turtles are
magnificent, vulnerable and ancient
marine animals. Sea
turtles spend their lives at sea,
with females coming
ashore only to nest, and navigate
thousands of miles in
their lifetimes. All six species
found in U.S. waters
are listed as threatened or endangered
under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA).
For more than a decade, TEDs have been required under
the ESA in most shrimp trawl nets to allow air-breathing
sea turtles to escape before they drown. These devices
have significantly reduced the deaths of small and
medium-sized sea turtles, while having little to no
effect on shrimp catch. However, researchers have learned
that TED openings are too small to allow larger turtles
to escape. Larger turtles, including leatherback,
loggerhead,
and green turtles, continue to die in
significant numbers
in shrimp nets.
Research has shown that 47 percent
of stranded (found
dead) loggerheads and 7 percent of
green sea turtles
are too large to fit through
currently-required TED
openings. In the eastern Gulf of
Mexico, in 1999, 83
to 96 percent of stranded
loggerhead turtles had bodies
too big to fit through
the current TEDs openings. Both
inshore and offshore
shrimp trawls are killing larger
turtles.
Larger TED openings (and larger
TEDs) have proven highly
effective when used correctly.
Emergency rules to protect
leatherback turtles over the
last two years resulted
in significant reductions in
sea turtle deaths. In
Georgia, for example, strandings
declined 40 percent
when larger TED openings to protect
leatherbacks were
required. Moreover, these TEDs
actually benefit shrimp
fishers by excluding large fish
and debris from the
nets, and are inexpensive to
install.
Recently, after years
of delay, the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS)
has proposed regulations to
require TEDs with larger
openings. This rule suffers
from two major defects.
First, the rule does not require
the TED size necessary
for the largest sea turtles
to escape. Second, NMFS
proposes to delay the effectiveness
of the rule for a
full year after the final regulation
is published. This
means that more than a thousand
large sea turtles will
die during the 2002 shrimping
season.
Requiring increased TED opening
sizes is also vital
for sea turtle protection
worldwide. TEDs comparable
in effectiveness to those in
use in U.S. waters are
required in countries that
export shrimp to the United
States. The sooner the U.S.
fixes its TEDs regulations,
the sooner similar changes
will go into effect around
the world.
Please respond to this alert today
and let NMFS know
action is needed to protect larger
sea turtles without
further delay. Thank you for your
help.
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can
take action
on this alert by going to the following
URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/SeaTurtlesDying/wkwxs54q78xxb7
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA
EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your
email
program, and edit the letter below as you wish.
Do
not delete "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and
"-END
OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and
address
to your letter. Our system automatically does
this
for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to
our sample letter below, and put the alert talking
points into your own words. An individualized letter
is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,
hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large
impact, so please reply even if you don't have time
to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Dr. William Hogarth
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER
BELOW---------
The National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is not
adequately
protecting threatened and endangered sea
turtles. I
support requirements for larger openings
in Turtle
Excluder Devices (TEDs) to allow larger sea
turtles to
escape shrimp trawls. I urge NMFS to require
the
current leatherback modification in all waters
at all
times, rather than the untested modification
proposed
in the new regulations. I also urge NMFS to
put these
regulations in place by the Spring 2002 shrimping
season. Further delays are unwarranted and unacceptable.
The failure of current
standard TED openings to release
larger turtles was
identified in the mid-1990s. The
need for larger TED
openings is well-documented and
their effectiveness at
protecting large sea turtles
has been confirmed. The
current regulations do not
meet the requirement under
the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) that TEDs be 97
percent effective in excluding
sea turtles. NMFS needs
to take immediate action to
fulfill its
responsibilities under the ESA and implement
the
proposed TED modifications immediately.
I support technical changes requiring the current
leatherback
modification for TEDs and TED openings for
all inshore
and offshore shrimp nets in the Atlantic
and Gulf of
Mexico to ensure that leatherback and large
loggerhead
and green turtles can escape shrimp trawls.
I also
support the proposal to require all shrimpers,
including
bait shrimpers, to use TEDs at all times.
Because trynets
are also killing turtles, and
restricting tow times
alone is unenforceable, I urge
you to require TEDs
in trynets in addition to
restricting tow times.
Finally, I urge you to implement these regulations
immediately. A one-year delay after publication of
the final rule will result in many more deaths of
threatened
and endangered turtles and is therefore
unacceptable.
Thank you for considering my views.
-------END OF
LETTER-------------------------
Sincerely yours,
To: All Activists
From: Alix
Davidson & Steve Holmer
Date: February 7, 2002
Subject: Reigning in Off Road
Vehicles in 2002
Activists
have an opportunity this year to pressure the land management
agencies to meet their stewardship responsibilities and
halt that harm
being caused to the public lands by dirt
bikes, jet skis and off road
vehicles. Significant harm is being caused by
motorized recreation and
the agencies are failing to
enforce existing regulations or follow
monitoring
requirements.
One strategy is
to give the agencies the tools they need to do the job.
Additional funding is needed by the Forest Service and
Bureau of Land
Management to monitor and enforce
regulations related to off road
vehicles
(ORVs). Funds from the agencies law enforcement budget need
to be specifically earmarked for ORV law enforcement
because it is not
currently a high priority and the
overall monitoring budgets need to be
increased.
Idaho National Forest Tries to
Tackle Illegal ATV Use
"You
should see it from the air. In some places, the illegal roads look
like spider webs," said Travis Tippit, a Forest Service
patrol officer
in Idaho's Caribou- Targhee National
Forest. The Forest Service is
engaged in a
new effort to slow unauthorized road building in the
National Forest, and increased officer patrols are an
integral part of
their plan.
Looking at a fresh new set of ATV
tracks going up a hill side and along
a pristine ridge
in prime Elk hunting habitat, lead law enforcement
officer Ken Rice pointed out that "it's just plain
laziness" that causes
these new
roads. When one irresponsible rider goes off road, it makes
it easier for others to follow, and pretty soon you have a
new road and
no elk. It also creates new
challenges for Forest Service personnel.
"From a law enforcement standpoint, illegal roads are our
biggest issue,
" Rice said. "It's something
we have to get a hold of."
County Asks for Help in Enforcement on BLM Lands
Imperial Country, California,
officials are requesting $283,000 from the
federal
government to help pay for enforcement on the sand dunes in the
area. One area in the dunes drew 190,000 people
over the Thanksgiving
weekend and more than 200 people
were injured during that weekend alone.
The dunes are
typically only used during the winter months. Paul
Spitler, the executive director of the California
Wilderness Coalition
and the state commissioner from
the area pointed out that "people are
attracted to the
dunes because they think they can go there and have a
lawless experience." In response to the crowds,
the El Centro office of
the BLM has requested $1.3
million in additional funding from Congress.
If there
are any National Forests in your region that either need more
or are requesting more money for law
enforcement, monitoring or to
restore damage caused by
ORVs please call Alix Davidson at 202/ 547-
5974 or
mailto:adavidson@americanlands.org Thanks!
$1
Million Needed to Restore Illegal ATV Trails in Georgia
Georgia Forestwatch released a
report called, "ORV Impact Suvey"
detailing the damage
that off-trail ATV use is doing in the
Chattahoochee-
Oconee National Forest. To get a copy, email them at
mailto:info@gafw.org or call 706/635-
8733. Highlights of the report
include: ATV tracks going into both the Tray
Mountain and Rich Mountain
Wildernesses and illegal ATV
use on 67 percent of the trails where ATVs
are
forbidden. The report recommends that the Forest Service design
better closures so that ATVs can't go under or around
them and that they
examine areas with extreme damage
and evaluate whether to close or fully
rehabilitate
those areas.
Natural Trails
and Waters Lobby Week April 27 - May 1
The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition invites you to
Washington April
27 - May 1 to protect public lands
from the damage caused by dirt bikes,
ATVs,
snowmobiles, and jetskis. For more information please contact
Alix Davidson, mailto:adavidson@americanlands.org,
202/547-5974,
http://www.naturaltrails.org
Big
Cypress Management Plan is Back in Court
Big Cypress Preserve, in mid- central Florida could be
described as the
northern edge of the
Everglades. It's a place where alligators and
otters abound, and the Florida Panther calls it home
too. It's a also a
favorite destination of
people armed with swamp buggies who've been
successful
at creating so many new tracks through the preserve that
Brian Scherf with the Florida Biodiversity Project once
explained to a
Congressional aide that the preserve
"looks like someone placed brown
spaghetti over a green
plate" when seen from above.
In 1995, the National Parks Service recognized the impact
that swamp
buggies were having on the ecosystem for
whose protection the preserve
was created and agreed to
create an ORV management plan. This plan fell
short of the preserve's mandate for ecosystem protection,
and a final
Final Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan was
released and agreed to in
August 2000.
ORV groups promptly sued the Parks
Service in protest of the plan, and
the Bush
Administration had been in settlement talks until the talks
broke down in early January and the suit went back to
court.
Conservationists were concerned that
the plan, that gives ORVs 15 access
points and 400
miles of trails in prime Florida Panther habitat, would
be overturned in favor of a less restrictive and therefore
more
environmentally destructive agreement between the
Parks Serve and the
plaintiffs in the suit.
"The decision not to continue
settlement talks is good news and a
hopeful sign that
the Administration is serious about managing Big
Cypress as a national preserve and not as a private
off-road vehicle
playground," said Florida Biodiversity
Project Director Brian Scherf.
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American
Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
To: All Activists
From: Steve
Holmer
Date: February 7, 2002
Report From Washington, Vol 11,
Issue 1
I. Roadless Area Alert
2. February Fast Track Vote in the Senate
3. Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act, H.R. 2908
4. Invitation to Endorse the Grazing Permit Buyout Proposal
5. Freedom in Mexico for Forest Activists
6. Vermont Wilderness Association Proposes Doubling Vermont
Wilderness
7. American Lands Staff and Program Changes
8. American Lands Contact List
9. Supporting American Lands
1. Roadless Area Protection
Comment Deadline February 19
Through a series of directives, the Forest Service is
steadily weakening
the roadless area protection policy
while it remains in legal limbo.
February
19 is the next comment deadline on the most recent directives.
Please see http://www.americanlands.org for an alert.
Activists continue to engage
in the comment periods and legal challenges
to retain
the policy, but the agency has made it very clear that they
have no intention of protecting roadless
areas. Intervention by
Congress to prohibit
destructive logging and roadbuilding in roadless
areas
is needed to ensure these areas will not be destroyed.
This can be accomplished by
contacting your Rep and Senators at
202/224-3121 and
let them know you are very disappointed in the Bush
Administration's rollback of the roadless area protection
policy. Urge
them to support the policy by
supporting legislation to permanently
protect all
National Forest roadless areas.
2. February Fast Track Vote in the
Senate
The House narrowly
passed Fast Track 215-214 last year and the bill is
now
expected to be taken up by the Senate later this month, according to
Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). Amendments
may be offered to
address the lack of environmental and
worker safeguards in trade
negotiations. Please contact Jason Tockman,
740/594-5441,
mailto:tockman@americanlands.org for more
information and please contact
your Senators and urge
them both to oppose Fast Track.
3. Alaska Rainforest Conservation
Act, H.R. 2908
Rep. Rosa
DeLauro (D-CT) has introduced H.R. 2908, the Alaska Rainforest
Conservation Act which would protect 14 million acres of
public land on
the Tongass and Chugach National Forests
through the designation of
Wilderness, wilderness study
areas, restoration areas and additions to
the Wild and
Scenic Rivers system. The bill already has 94 cosponsors.
"The
Alaska Rainforest is a world class treasure owned by the American
people but it is being given away to special interests,"
said Rep.
DeLauro. "Administrative
protections are no longer sufficient. The
people have made it clear that they want their forests
protected." The
bill has the support of over
400 Alaskan and national conservation,
sporting and
religious groups.
Please
contact your Representative at 202/224-3121 and urge him/her to
cosponsor the Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act, H.R.
2908. For more
information about how you can
help, please contact Chris Soderstrom,
Alaska
Rainforest Campaign, 202/544-0475 or mailto:chris@akrain.org,
http://www.akrain.org
4. Invitation to Endorse the
Grazing Permit Buyout Proposal
The National Public Lands Grazing Campaign (NPLGC) is
seeking
endorsements from organizations for their
legislative proposal to
authorize and fund voluntary
federal grazing permit buyout. Permit
buyout
is a fiscally prudent, politically expedient, socially
compassionate and environmentally beneficial way to end
grazing on
inappropriate federal public lands. American
Lands is a member of the
NPLG Steering Committee and
endorses the buyout proposal.
You are invited to visit the NPLGC temporary website at
http://www.publiclandsranching.org to learn more about
the proposal.
Please contact Mark Salvo at
mark@americanlands.org if you would like to
add your
organization's endorsement to the list which includes: American
Lands Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Endangered
Species
Coalition, Forest Guardians, Forest Service
Employees for Environmental
Ethics, National Forest
Protection Alliance, Native Forest Network,
Northwest
Ecosystem Alliance, Oregon Natural Desert Association, The
Wildlands Project and many others.
Federal Grazing Permit Reform
Proposal
Domestic livestock grazing is the most
pervasive and destructive use of
western federal public
lands. Cattle, sheep, horses and goats graze
lands
managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service.
Scientific
studies conclude livestock grazing threatens
native species, reduces
water quality, spreads noxious
weeds, alters natural fire regimes, and
accelerates
soil erosion, damaging both riparian and upland ecosystems.
The federal grazing program
operates at a loss, costing taxpayers at
least
$500,000,000 annually. This figure includes direct program costs
and millions of dollars spent on emergency feed, drought
and flood
relief, and predator control to support or
mitigate damage from public
lands grazing.
Some ranchers have already
voluntarily relinquished their grazing
permits to the
government in exchange for compensation from third
parties, and we believe many more would sell their permit
interest to
the government and retire the associated
allotments from grazing.
To
promote recovery of native ecosystems and save taxpayer funds, we
support legislative reform to allow retirement of federal
grazing
permits voluntarily relinquished by public land
Rio Grande Valley to restore habitat for the
endangered ocelot and other creatures that once thrived there. The land is
owned by rancher Eddy De Los Santos, who calls the project "a God-send."
He said, "These trees will build wildlife numbers and help secure a
corridor for the ocelot. I know I will enjoy this for many, many years and
so can my kids." His property is ideal because it's next to the wildlife
refuge that's home to the 100 ocelots remaining in the region. Defenders
gave $10,000 to the project.
