Photographing Long Lake, John Muir Wilderness, California Mike Painter
August 31, 2011
Dear CalUWild members, supporters & friends —
Things have remained relatively quiet this Summer in terms of controversy and opportunities for public involvement (at least in the wilderness and public lands arena), so it’s another short Update this month.
Summer, though, is drawing to a close, many children are back in school, and the days will soon be getting cooler (and are already shorter). So it’s a perfect time to take off, if you can, for your favorite spot. Or go and explore somewhere new in our public lands. One thing is for certain: There is no shortage of wonderful places to choose from.
A note on articles and other links in the Update: Every effort is made to ensure that links are accurate and active at the time the Update is sent out. But mistakes have been known to occur and links do sometimes expire. If you come across a link that doesn’t work, please let me know and I will correct it (if possible) or send you a PDF or text of the article in question.
As always, thanks for your interest and efforts!
Best wishes,
Mike
IN UTAH
1. County and State Say They’ll Appeal Ruling
On Salt Creek “Road” in Canyonlands NP
IN CALIFORNIA
2. Mono County Supervisors Once More
Take No Action on Bodie Hills WSA Release
3. National Park Service Releases Scoping Summary
For the Southern California
Rim of the Valley Special Resource Study
IN THE PRESS
4. Links to Articles of Interest
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IN UTAH
1. County and State Say They’ll Appeal Ruling
On Salt Creek “Road” in Canyonlands NP
In May we reported that a federal court in Utah had issued a ruling in favor of the National Park Service and its decision to close Salt Creek in Canyonlands National Park to vehicle traffic. The case grew out of claims by San Juan County and the state of Utah that the canyon and its creek bed were a “highway” under the meaning of R.S. 2477, the Civil War-era statute that gave rights-of-way for the construction of highways on public lands.
The court had found that the county and state had failed to show that there had been 10 years of continuous use by vehicles, the standard required under Utah law to establish a road. Now the two parties have filed a notice that they intend to appeal that decision.
We’ll keep you posted as the saga continues.
IN CALIFORNIA
2. Mono County Supervisors Once More
Take No Action on Bodie Hills WSA Release
The Mono County Board of Supervisor held a hearing August 2, once again on a resolution to support release of the Bodie Wilderness Study Area in the Bodie Hills in order to facilitate a proposed gold mine. The resolution also supported the nationwide WSA release bill (H.R. 1581) introduced in Congress by California Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-22). This time the Bridgeport Regional Planning Advisory Committee that brought the resolution. The Board expressed frustration that it was being asked to deal with issue yet again, and so a motion to discuss and support the resolution failed for lack of a “second.”
More than 3,000 letters were submitted to the Supervisors, most of them opposing mining and release of the study areas. This is the fourth time the Board has been unable or unwilling to take action in support of resolutions in favor of releasing the Bodie WSA. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write. It’s clear that our efforts are paying off.
The Mammoth Times ran a good article containing background information and more details of the meeting.
Michael Kowalski, the chairman and CEO of Tiffany & Co., wrote an excellent op-ed piece opposing the gold mine and release of WSAs in the Bodie Hills. It appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 2, the day of the hearing.
3. National Park Service Releases Scoping Summary
For the Southern California
Rim of the Valley Special Resource Study
The National Park Service has just sent out a newsletter containing its summary of the comments received during the scoping portion of its special resource study on the mountains surrounding Los Angeles. Since it just came out two days ago, there has been no time for review or analysis, but it looks straightforward, so click here to read the summary or to download it.
For more information on the Park Service study, including a link to getting on the mailing list, click here.
IN THE PRESS
4. Links to Articles of Interest
There have been several articles and columns written in response to the recent spate of deaths in Yosemite and the other national parks.
Timothy Egan in the New York Times
Fresno Bee and other McClatchy newspapers