Dear members, friends, &
supporters of CalUWild —
It's a wet Spring here in
California, meaning that there are waterfalls to see all over the place. The
wildflowers won't be far behind once we get some sunshine and warmth. It's a
great time to get out and enjoy the world!
News this month warmed the hearts
of many in the conservation community: Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced
her resignation. Despite her vaunted "4 C's" ("communication, consultation and
cooperation, all in the service of conservation"), one of CalUWild's BLM
friends said recently that the 4 C's were in fact "energy, energy, energy, and
energy." That has been the hallmark of Ms. Norton's tenure: opening up more and
more land to oil & gas leasing. She also rolled back the wilderness
inventory process in the BLM and continues to try to make it easier to build
roads into remote places. (See Item 5, below.)
President Bush has nominated
Idaho governor Dirk Kempthorne to replace Ms. Norton. A former U.S. Senator, he
is expected to win easy confirmation. However, given the last five years of
anti-conservation policies, he may be in for some tough questioning when he
appears before the Senate. Mr. Kempthorne is no friend of the environment, and
he will probably continue Ms. Norton's policies. Our relief at seeing Gale
Norton leave may be short-lived—we'll see.
In other news, the Republican
Congressman Sherwood Boehlert from upstate New York has announced his
retirement at the end of this Congress. This is bad news for conservationists,
as Mr. Boehlert is one of the most reliable supporters of the environment in
Congress. But he is a particularly valuable member because of his party
affiliation—he is one of the few in his party willing to stand up to the
Administration on conservation issues. The conservation movement will miss Rep.
Boehlert.
In better news, in last month's Update we mentioned the Administration's proposal to sell
off public lands to help meet school funding needs. We are happy to report that
across the country this idea has received nearly unanimous negative reviews
from citizens, politicians, and the press. So far, it seems to be going
nowhere.
While on that subject, I should
clarify that CalUWild is not opposed to all sales of public land. Another BLM
employee wrote CalUWild pointing out that there are parcels that are small and
difficult to manage, and every BLM and Forest Service office identifies these
in its management planning documents as being potentially available for sale.
We support the sale of these parcels only if the proceeds are used to purchase
inholdings or other lands that have higher ecological value to the agency.
These sales need to be done openly and with fair appraisals, something that has
not always happened in recent years. However, the recent Administration
proposal did not fall into that category; instead it was to fund ongoing
expenses with a one-time sale of our natural heritage. This remains
unacceptable.
In more good news, the Utah BLM
office has, for the time being, withdrawn some of the lands in Labyrinth Canyon
along the Green River, along the San Rafael River, and in the San Rafael Desert
from consideration for oil & gas leasing. These were also the subject of an
item in the February Update.
Finally, the California Wild
Heritage Act was reintroduced this month in the Senate and House of
Representatives. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) and Rep. Hilda Solis (D-32) are the
principal sponsors. The North Coast Wild Heritage Act, authored by Rep. Mike
Thompson (D-1), has passed the Senate and has had one House hearing. We're
hoping that it still moves in this session. We'll keep you posted as these
bills progress.
Comments, questions, and
critiques are always welcome here, especially if they help us serve you better
in your efforts to protect our wild places. Send them to info@caluwild.org.
Thanks for all you do!
All the best,
Mike
IN UTAH
1. Sen. Bennett Makes a
Proposal
For the Zion-Mojave
Wilderness
(ACTION ITEM)
IN CALIFORNIA
2. State Off Highway Vehicle
Commission
Faces Governor's
Axe
(ACTION ITEM)
3. Walkin' Jim Stoltz
Brings a Wilderness Concert
To San Francisco
State University April 15
(SAVE THE DATE)
4. BLM Offers Desert
Volunteer Service Trips
IN GENERAL
5. Parting Shot:
Gale Norton Comes
Out
With a New Policy
on R.S. 2477
(ACTION ITEM)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
IN UTAH
1. Sen. Bennett Makes a
Proposal
For the Zion-Mojave
Wilderness
(ACTION ITEM
Washington
County in the southwest corner of Utah, around Zion National Park and the city
of St. George, contains some of the most spectacular scenery in the state. It
is also the place where the Mojave Desert meets the Colorado Plateau, making it
an area of high biological diversity. But the area also has one of the highest
growth rates in the entire U.S., and per capita water consumption is the
highest in the country. Last week, Utah's Sen. Bob Bennett released a
long-awaited proposal that he is calling the Washington County Growth and
Conservation Act of 2006.
From the viewpoint of CalUWild
and our partners in the Utah Wilderness Coalition, the proposal is extremely
disappointing. It does basically nothing for wilderness.
When they did their inventories,
the citizens of Utah found that close to 302,000 acres of land in Washington
County qualify for wilderness designation under the 1964 Wilderness Act. These
are included in America's Redrock Wilderness Act. Unfortunately, Sen. Bennett's
proposal does not include much of this acreage. For the most part he only
includes areas that were made wilderness study areas (WSAs) in the BLM's first
flawed inventories. The proposal leaves out lands that the BLM itself has
reinventoried and found to qualify. Additionally, some WSA land is even
released from consideration.
However, Sen. Bennett gives the
appearance of being wilderness-friendly by proposing designation for nearly
124,000 acres in Zion National Park. He also includes almost 170 miles of the
Virgin River for designation as a Wild & Scenic River. These items look great
on paper, and we support them, of course. However, national parks already have
a high level of protection (although not complete by any means), and there are
other lands under threat that need the protection more.
The proposal also authorizes the
sale of 25,000 acres (40 square miles) of BLM land for development. The
proceeds from this sale would finance new water pipelines and other
development, inducing more sprawl in an area already suffering tremendously from it. Sen. Bennett also
proposes the construction of a bypass through land that has been set aside for
the protection of the endangered desert tortoise.
And if that all weren't bad
enough, the sale of these public lands would also fund the creation of a system
of off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails in Washington County while doing nothing to
control the explosive growth in OHV use. There are already 435,000 acres of BLM
land in the county open to OHV use, yet the agency is seven years behind in its
duty of preparing a comprehensive vehicle and recreation plan.
Sen. Bennett had portrayed this
proposal as the result of a collaborative effort among all the interested
parties. The wilderness community disputes this, since the UWC was invited to
only a few meetings before the process broke down in 2004. Repeated requests
for information during the further development of the proposal went unanswered.
Now is the time for his office to
truly include everyone with an interest in the area. We hope that there will be
public hearings in Utah on the proposal, and that Sen. Bennett will take a
truly inclusive view of things.
If you live in the district of a
Redrock Wilderness Bill cosponsor, please call him or her, reminding them of
their commitment to the Red Rock Wilderness Act and voice your concern over
this possible legislation. California's cosponsors are:
In the House:
Xavier
Becerra (D-31)
Howard L.
Berman (D-28)
Lois
Capps (D-23)
Susan Davis (D-53)
Anna Eshoo (D-14)
Sam Farr
(D-17)
Bob
Filner (D-51)
Jane Harman (D-36)
Michael Honda(D-15)
Tom Lantos (D-12)
Barbara Lee (D-09)
Zoe Lofgren (D-16)
Doris Matsui (D-05)
Juanita
Millender-McDonald (D-37)
George Miller (D-07)
Grace Napolitano,
F. (D-38)
Lucille
Roybal-Allard (D-34)
Linda Sanchez
(D-39)
Loretta Sanchez
(D-47)
Adam Schiff, (D-29)
Brad Sherman (D-27)
Hilda Solis(D-32)
Pete Stark (D-13)
Ellen
Tauscher(D-10)
Mike Thompson
(D-01)
Maxine Waters
(D-35)
Diane Watson (D-33)
Henry Waxman (D-30)
Lynn Woolsey (D-06)
Although she's not a cosponsor, it would also be helpful to contact the
House Minority Leader:
Nancy Pelosi (D-08)
In the Senate:
Sen.
Barbara Boxer
Sen. Dianne
Feinstein (not a cosponsor)
Complete contact information for these offices can be found on CalUWild's
Website.
IN CALIFORNIA
2. State Off Highway Vehicle
Commission
Faces Governor's
Axe
(ACTION ITEM)
Off-highway
vehicles are a major concern everywhere around the West, and California is no
exception. This state has a commission that gives out grants, funded by gas tax
monies, to organizations and agencies to deal with the many issues that OHV use
brings with it. Currently, persons sympathetic to environmental issues hold
four of the seven seats on the commission, so there has been an increase in
funding for enforcement and habitat restoration programs. This has not always
proven popular with OHV enthusiasts, and they are putting pressure on Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger to eliminate the Commission.
The slightly edited information
in the following alert comes from our friends at the California Wilderness
Coalition.
Act Now:
Protect California's Wild Places From Off-Road Vehicle Abuse!
The
California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission provides crucial
policy guidance for the management of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on public lands
in California. It also provides an important forum for public input on the
state's ORV Program. As ORV abuse has exploded in recent years, the Commission
has worked tirelessly to provide essential funds for law enforcement and
restoration grants. These grants have helped to restore damaged areas, to
protect pristine places from being harmed and to confine ORV use to the most
appropriate locations.
Unfortunately,
our public lands are threatened by ill-conceived proposals from off-roaders and
the Schwarzenegger Administration to eliminate this important commission.
Dismantling the commission would leave California's streams, deserts, forests
and other valuable public and private lands at risk from increased ORV abuse.
We need you
to stand up for California's wild places!
Let your
Assembly member know that you support the renewal of the California Off-Highway
Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission.
Call, write,
email or fax your state legislator today!
To identify
and get contact information for your Assembly member, go to:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp and click on "Find My District" on the
left column.
Talking
points:
¥ Urge
them to support the renewal of the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle
Recreation Commission.
¥ The
Commission helps promote responsible off-road vehicle recreation while
preserving our public lands and waterways.
¥ The
Commission provides transparency, public input and legislative oversight for
California's off-road vehicle recreation program.
¥ The
Commission has successfully protected and restored many of California's
sensitive forests, deserts and streams from off-road vehicle abuse.
¥ The
Commission oversees important law enforcement programs that protect local
communities from ORV noise, air pollution, property damage and trespassing.
As always,
include your full name and
address.
3. Walkin' Jim Stoltz Brings a
Wilderness Concert
To San Francisco
State University April 15
(SAVE THE DATE)
San Francisco
will have a rare opportunity to meet America's one-of-a-kind wilderness
troubadour when Forever Wild 2006 comes to San Francisco State University.
Tickets are free for this community-sponsored event, sponsored by the Sierra
Club Bay Chapter, the San Francisco State University EcoStudents Association,
Wilderness Exchange, and CalUWild.
7 p.m. on Saturday April 15
San Francisco State University
Gymnasium 147
Walkin' Jim Stoltz has trekked from coast to coast, Mexico to Canada,
Yellowstone to the Yukon, from high in the Arctic to deep in the Utah canyons.
All those years in the wild places and 26,000 miles of walking have given him a
great love and respect for America's natural beauty. He shares that
appreciation in his celebratory show, Forever Wild 2006. Walkin' Jim sings in a
deep bass voice, plays guitar, and tells stories about his travels while
projecting spectacular images of the wilderness he has photographed on his
travels.
"The
road less traveled is not a road," Walkin' Jim says. "And we ought to
stop building any more roads through our wildlands." This year, with
Forever Wild 2006, his goal is to visit all 50 states, perform 100 free events,
and encourage 100,000 calls and letters in his personal crusade to save these
wild places for the future. He is being joined by hundreds of other musicians,
speakers and community groups across the nation.
Forever Wild
2006 is a project of Musicians United to Sustain the Environment (M. U. S. E.),
a rapidly growing non-profit which heightens environmental awareness by raising
funds for effective grassroots projects through CD sales, concerts and public
donations. Its roster of performers includes Pete Seeger, Paul Winter, and
Country Joe McDonald. For more information on the organization and its artists,
see www.musemusic.org
Walkin' Jim
encourages people who hear about his tour to learn more about his "Call
for Wild" program and how they can help by visiting www.foreverwild.info
For free
tickets and more information about his show April 15 at San Francisco State's
Gymnasium 147, please call Vicky Hoover at Sierra Club, 415-977-5527, or
Suzanne McNulty at EcoStudents Association, 415-405-0326.
4. BLM Offers Desert Volunteer
Service Trips
If you're
looking for a good way to get out, see some wild places, and do some good all
at the same time, service trips are a great opportunity to take a step beyond
writing letters. Here's a listing of upcoming projects with the BLM in the
California desert, sponsored by various field offices (FO's).
March 31-April 2nd
Dead Mountains Wilderness Sign Installation and Tamarisk Removal. We
will be working in Picture Canyon to install a Dead Mountains Wilderness ID
Sign and to remove some small tamarisk seedlings. One day of work, followed by a day of hiking. Contact Dan Abbe, Wilderness
Coordinator Needles FO, at 760-326-7021 or Vicky Hoover at 415-977-5527.
March-April
Turtle Mountains Wilderness Garbage Removal.
Join us in cleaning up this very special and spectacular place! Specific date not set yet. Contact Dan Abbe, Wilderness
Coordinator Needles FO, at 760-326-7021.
April 1-3rd
Bright Star Wilderness Trespass Cabin Site Restoration. Structure has been dismantled and removed. Now we need to put the finishing
touches on renaturalizing the site and restoring and fencing off the entrance
to the site. Two days of work and one day of adventuresome
hiking down one of the watered canyons in the area. Contact Marty Dickes, Wilderness Coordinator Ridgecrest FO,
at 760-384-5444 or Craig Deutsche at
310-477-6670.
April 8th
Buzzard's Peak Hike, El Centro Mystery Wilderness Area.
Contact John Johnson, Wilderness Coordinator, El Centro FO, at
760-337-4442.
April 14-16th
Surprise Canyon Tamarisk Removal.
We've had two
trips here to pull up small seedlings below Chris Wicht Camp. This time we will do more sitting and
pulling and weed-wrenching, as well as tackling the large seed trees up-canyon
by cutting them down and applying herbicide to the stumps. Two days of work and 1 day of play
involving a hike up Surprise Canyon to Panamint City or up one of the recently
discovered old mining trails in the area.
Contact Marty Dickes, Wilderness Coordinator Ridgecrest FO, at
760-384-5444 or Sue Palmer 818-879-0960 or Tom Budlong (310-476-1731).
April 22-23rd
Student Conservation Association Assault on Nellie's Nip, Kiavah
Wilderness. The SCA Wilderness Restoration Corp is
joining hands with SCA Non-Wilderness Restoration Corp teams working in the
Ridgecrest OHV areas to lay this ugly hillclimb and the illegal vehicle
approaches to it to rest! All
hands welcome! Contact Marty
Dickes, Wilderness Coordinator Ridgecrest FO, at 760-384-5444.
May 8-13th
Inyo Mountains Wilderness Site Steward Inventory and Monitoring Trip,
Little Hunter Canyon to Beveridge. This
is the third of 5 trips to inventory and monitor cultural sites along segments
of 19th century mining trails increasingly used by hikers and
backpackers in the area. The trip
will be extremely arduous, involving a 6-day backpack trip with heavy (water)
loads, high elevation gains and drops, over steep, uneven terrain on nearly
non-existent trails. Work involves
tedious gpsing, mapping, and photographing of sites and artifacts in-place.
Prefer experienced Inyo hikers who are committed to doing the work rather than
simply touring the area. Trip is
limited to 6 participants. Contact
Marty Dickes, Wilderness Coordinator Ridgecrest FO, at 760-384-5444.
BLM is also looking for volunteer coordinators or groups to undertake the
following projects.
PALM SPRINGS FIELD OFFICE
Contact Justin Seastrand, Wilderness Coordinator, at 760-251-4855.
1. Cleanup site Mecca Hills Wilderness.
2. Cleanup site Santa Rosa Mtns.
Wilderness.
3. "Sting" Operations, unspecified
wildernesses.
RIDGECREST FIELD OFFICE
Contact Marty Dickes, Wilderness Coordinator, at 760-384-5444.
1. Vehicle barriers &
interpretative kiosk, El Paso Mtns. Wilderness.
2. Small tamarisk
infestations, Argus Range Wilderness.
3. Sacatar Trail Site
Steward cultural inventory and monitoring trip.
4. Small tamarisk
infestations, Inyo Mountains Wilderness.
5. Argus Range Wilderness
restoration on boulder-barricaded vehicle trespass sites.
6. Re-restoration and
interpretative kiosk at Steam Well, Golden Valley Wilderness.
7. Wilderness "Sting"
Operations: Opening of hunting
season and Fall OHV-season.
8. Inyo Mtns. Wilderness
east-side cleanup site and restoration on boulder-barricaded vehicle trespass
sites.
9. Repeat treatment tamarisk
infestation in Surprise Canyon.
10. 4th leg of Inyo
Mountains Wilderness Site Steward cultural inventory and monitoring project,
Beveridge to McEvoy Canyon.
IN GENERAL
5. Parting Shot:
Gale Norton Comes
Out
With a New Policy
on R.S. 2477
(ACTION ITEM)
As she goes
out the door, Interior Secretary Gale Norton continues her assault on America's
public (and in this case private, too) lands. She refuses to let the R.S. 2477
issue go away.
To refresh your memory, R.S. 2477
is the Civil War-era statute that gave states the authority to construct
highways over federal lands. It was repealed in 1976, but existing
rights-of-way were grandfathered in. In efforts to defeat wilderness proposals
and just generally to "get the federal government off their backs," states and
counties have been claiming rights of way on all sorts of lands, including
private property, across the West in recent years.
This issue has been the subject
of legislation, lawsuits, and proposed new regulations. But it never comes to
an end. The latest turn is that the Department of the Interior last week
proposed a new directive which it claims is in line with a recent 10th
Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the lawsuit brought by the Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance.
California's Sen. Dianne
Feinstein is writing a letter to be signed by other senators asking Secty.
Norton to refrain from going ahead with this new directive.
It is important that we let our
friends know when we approve the work they're doing, so please take a minute to
call Sen. Feinstein's office and thank her for taking the lead on this letter. Her
office in Washington, DC can be reached at:
202-224-3841
Sen. Barbara Boxer is a good friend of wilderness, so please contact her
office, too, asking her to sign on to Sen. Feinstein's letter. Her number in
Washington is:
202-224-3553
Local contact information for both senators may be found on CalUWild's
website.