October 30, 2008
Dear CalUWild friends —
The first rain of the Fall is coming down today in San Francisco. And the days are becoming shorter, so there’s less time to spend outside. So there is now more opportunity to read and write in support of wilderness and public lands.
The one thing neither weather nor darkness should stop any of us from is VOTING on November 4th (or earlier, if possible).
After a Summer when there wasn’t much to report on, this month’s Update is back to its normal complement of items. Please take the time to do one or two of the Action Items.
Finally, please pass this Update along to anyone who might be interested, and ask them to sign up for our distribution list. (We don’t share any names with anyone for any reason.) We’re also starting to look at our website, with an eye to enlarging its scope and making it easier to sign up and donate online. We’ll be sending out a member survey soon asking for your input. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, please send me an email.
Thanks for all that you do for our wilderness and public lands!
Mike
IN UTAH
1. Washington County Bill Makes No Progress
(ACTION ITEM)
2. Utah Governor Calls ORV Abuse an “Abomination”
(ACTION ITEM)
IN CALIFORNIA
3. Volunteer for the Yuki Wilderness
IN NEVADA
4. Gold Butte NCA & Wilderness
(ACTION ITEM)
5. Friends of Nevada Wilderness 2009 Calendars Available
IN WYOMING
6. Administration Snowmobile Plan Overruled Yet Again
IN GENERAL
7. Omnibus Lands Bill
(ACTION ITEM)
8. SUWA page on Women & Wilderness
9. Great Old Broads Annual Auction
Runs Through November 16
(AUCTION ITEMS)
10. Job Listing:
Great Old Broads Development Director
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
IN UTAH
1. Washington County Bill Makes No Progress
(ACTION ITEM)
Utah Sen. Bob Bennett’s (R) Washington County Growth & Conservation Act has gone nowhere in the 110th Congress. It attracted little support and much opposition from various parties who were concerned about various aspects of the bill. Although improved over the version introduced in the 109th Congress, most egregious from our viewpoint is its selling-off of public lands for development, with many of the proceeds going to fund development in Washington County itself, including the possibility of a water pipeline to the Colorado River in Lake Powell. An additional concern is the lack of wilderness designation for significant areas that merit protection. A final concern is that it would induce too much growth around St. George, an area that is already one of the fastest-growing in the United States.
Although the bill had a hearing in the Senate, it was never “marked up,” or amended in committee. Furthermore, despite Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson’s involvement in developing the bill, he never introduced it in the House of Representatives. There was some last-minute maneuvering to attach the bill to other “must-pass” legislation, but both Senate and House leadership seem to have prevented that. This is a sign of the understanding that the leadership has of the Utah issues, due to the strength of the citizens wilderness movement that has grown up over the years.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Majority Leader, has said that he will re-convene the Senate for a lame-duck session after the election to consider a large “omnibus” public lands package (see ITEM 7). Since that announcement, the financial crisis has hit, making it more certain that both Senate and House will return to Washington. So far the Washington County bill has remained out of the omnibus bill, and it is important that it remain out.
Please contact Sens. Boxer and Feinstein, urging them to oppose any inclusion of the bill in the omnibus package. (But see ITEM 7 first!) Contact information for both may be found on CalUWild’s website.
2. Utah Governor Calls ORV Abuse an “Abomination”
(ACTION ITEM)
Early this month, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (R), in a meeting with the Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, called the damage caused by off-road vehicles riding off trails “an abomination, an embarrassment.” He said that the state’s Department of Natural Resources would increase levels of enforcement on state lands.
Reaction from the ORV community was swift. The head of the Utah Shared Access Alliance, Michael Swenson, said: “The word ‘abomination’ is a pretty harsh word.” More disturbing, though, was that the Tribune quoting Mr. Swenson saying that off-roaders have an obligation to obey the law in most cases. “There are many cases where there is not a travel plan in place or there is one that was put together in such a fashion that the recreation community just cannot support it.”
So in other words, if you don’t like a law, it’s OK to break it. That’s not what our parents taught us when we were kids.
Needless to say, the conservation community was happy with the governor’s comments and the potential enforcement of ORV regulations. Gov. Huntsman deserves the thanks of everyone who values quiet recreation on our public lands.
Please send him a letter of thanks at:
Hon. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.
Governor
P.O. Box 142220
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2220
Phone: 801-538-1000 / 800-705-2464
Fax: 801-538-1528
To email him:
http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_comment.html
IN CALIFORNIA
3. Volunteer for the Yuki Wilderness
On the second anniversary of the passage of the North Coast Wilderness Bill, introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-1), there’s a great opportunity to get out and help implement the legislation. The following comes from our friends at the California Wilderness Coalition.
Many of you worked very hard to help win the passage of Representative Mike Thompson’s, Senator Barbara Boxer’s and Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act in 2006. As you know, the bill protected over 275,000 acres of land as wilderness and 21 miles of stream as a wild and scenic river in Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
Even as we approach the second anniversary of the passage of this historic bill, federal agencies still lack sufficient resources to fully implement it on the ground. They need to install wilderness signs, block illegal vehicle routes, survey existing recreation assets (such as trails and campsites) develop maps for the public, etc. To address this problem, the California Wilderness Coalition has partnered with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to accomplish this critically important work in the years to come. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THE NORTH COAST WILDERNESS BILL A REALITY ON THE GROUND!
With generous support from the National Forest Foundation and the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, we have chosen the Yuki Wilderness in Lake and Mendocino counties as the focus of our 2008 efforts. The Yuki is jointly managed by the BLM and the Mendocino National Forest.
Are you willing to hike, camp or ride horses for a good cause? If so, WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THE YUKI! All tools and training will be provided.
If you’d like to help, please contact Samantha (“Sam”) Krause at 707-983-8509, or at samanthakrause@gmail.com. Sam can also come to your organization’s next meeting to describe the project in more detail.
The fires this year have significantly delayed our efforts, so Sam would appreciate all the help she can get!
IN NEVADA
4. Gold Butte NCA & Wilderness
(ACTION ITEM)
The following comes from the Friends of Gold Butte (somewhat edited):
New National Conservation Area in southern Nevada proposed: Gold Butte
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-Las Vegas) has introduced legislation to protect Gold Butte, a wonderful, special Mojave Desert area tucked into southeast Nevada, between the Overton Arm of Lake Mead and the Arizona border. On Friday, Sept. 26 Congresswoman Berkley introduced the Gold Butte National Conservation Area Act. It includes the Gold Butte National Conservation Area of 362,177 acres and also designates more than 200,000 acres of BLM and Park Service wilderness within the outlines of Gold Butte.
This is a magnificent next step in our collective efforts to protect the remarkable geological, biological, cultural and quiet-recreation features in Gold Butte. While the outcome in this Congress is uncertain, we do know that with a potential lame duck Congress, our hopes for passage remain alive. What we need now is: lots of letters to the editor of the major southern Nevada newspapers.
Your letters to editor supporting the Gold Butte Conservation Act are needed to counter negatives about the legislation that we’ll be hearing: “Locking out the public,” “shutting people out,” etc.
National Conservation Area will bring a management plan written by all stakeholders and does not eliminate motorized vehicles! Already people are writing in comments to the article that wilderness shuts people out. If you enjoy hiking, backpacking, good care for cultural artifacts, and finding solitude in nature this is a place that you seek! The wilderness proposal does not include areas that have designated routes.
Please write! If you have visited southern Nevada, if you enjoy backcountry recreation in Nevada – please mention it in your letter.
Important Talking Points for letters from California:
— Californians care about the special values of Nevada’s wild public lands.
— The National Conservation Area designation allows for a comprehensive plan by stakeholders to manage for visitation, education and stewardship.
— The proposed wilderness does not interfere with any open routes designated in the Environmental Assessment recently finalized by the Southern Nevada BLM office. The primary acreage of wilderness falls within the already-protected desert tortoise Area of Critical Concern.
— The Conservation community is thankful to Congresswoman Berkley for her common sense approach to problem solving.
— The City of Mesquite has repeatedly expressed to the Nevada delegation its support for the Gold Butte NCA–including the Mayor and all City Council members.
— Congresswoman Berkley is a solution-oriented legislator doing what is best for the county and the land. We appreciate Congresswoman Berkley’s understanding of the pressures facing the resources in Gold Butte-the values that belong to all Americans and the need to maintain our ability for development throughout Clark County. Her work will benefit families economically and their quality of life.
Most important paper: Las Vegas Review Journal. Send email to:
letters@reviewjournal.com
Also to the Las Vegas Sun: letters@lasvegassun.com
and City Life: letters@citylife.com
THANKS!
5. Friends of Nevada Wilderness 2009 Calendars Available
Every year we announce the new Nevada Wilderness Calendar, available from our friends in the state just to the East of here. Nevada has many wonderful wild areas waiting to be federally designated. This is a good way to help support the efforts underway there.
Friends of Nevada Wilderness’ spectacular, full-color 2009 Wild Nevada Calendar is now ready for your personal enjoyment and Holiday gift-giving. Over the years, Friends’ annual wall calendar has been extremely popular throughout Nevada and with our members all across the country, and the 2009 edition is another handsome addition to the collection.
For pricing and to order calendars online click here. Orders can also be placed by phone (775) 324-7667 or by sending your check to:
2009 Wild Nevada Calendar
Friends of Nevada Wilderness
P.O. Box 9754
Reno, NV 89507
The proceeds from your calendar purchase directly support the protection of Nevada’s priceless wild places.
IN WYOMING
6. Administration Snowmobile Plan Overruled Yet Again
In news from September (after the month’s Update had already been sent out) federal judge Emmett Sullivan ruled against the Bush Administration’s plans to allow more snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
The law requires the National Park Service to manage resources for recreation and enjoyment, but in such a way that those resources are left “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Judge Sullivan wrote that the current plan, which would have allowed 540 snowmobiles a day into the Parks “clearly elevates use over conservation of park resources and values.”
Studies done by the government’s own scientists have recommended far fewer snowmobiles in the parks, but political pressures have influenced the Park Service to ignore those findings. Conservationists advocate the use of snow coaches (vehicles with treads), which are much quieter and spew out less pollution per passenger during the winter months. Judge Sullivan ordered the Park Service to prepare another plan.
Let’s hope this time they get it right. We’ll keep you posted.
IN GENERAL
7. Omnibus Lands Bill
(ACTION ITEM)
As mentioned in ITEM 1, Congress will go back next month for a “lame duck” session before the new president and Congress take office in January. Sen. Harry Reid (D) of Nevada had proposed it in order to consider a package of public lands bills, even before the current economic crisis hit. For that alone, he deserves our thanks.
This “omnibus” bill contains over 140 separate bills, including 15 wilderness bills. Of these, three are part of California Wild Heritage Campaign efforts: Rep. Buck McKeon’s Eastern Sierra bill, Rep. Mary Bono’s Desert and Mountains bill, and Rep. Costa & Nunes’s Mineral King bill.
In addition, there are wilderness designations for (among others) Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and Mt. Hood, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and the Owyhee Canyonlands (which has been controversial).
Also included is a bill to make permanent the National Landscape Conservation System, set up by then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to somewhat formalize the system of national monuments managed by the BLM. Click here to read a New York Times editorial in favor of the omnibus bill.
A sticking point, though, is the bill to allow a road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Click here for a recent New York Times article and here for a Times editorial about the controversy. If passed, this bill would be the first time wilderness has been taken out of the National Wilderness Preservation System. This represents a terrible precedent—if this area can be de-designated, then no wilderness area is safe in future.
Please contact Sens. Feinstein and Boxer asking them to do everything they can to have this bill removed from the omnibus act. Contact information for both may be found on CalUWild’s website.
8. SUWA page on Women & Wilderness
The following came from our friends at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance:
Simply put, most of us want to protect Utah’s wilderness because we care about the future of Utah’s amazing wild lands. In order to make that care and concern more visible, participants in the Utah based “Women Protecting Wilderness” project have been collecting short testimonials and pictures from people describing why wilderness matters to them. These testimonials are being turned into the “Wilderness Quilt” — a visually exciting, attention-grabbing exhibit comprised of over 100 photos and “testimonials” (transferred to fabric) — that will be displayed as a part of an outreach and wilderness education project at the Salt Lake City Main Library during the last two weeks of November.
So far we’ve collected more than 80 testimonials from Utah wilderness supporters all over the country. We need more to complete the display and would love your help! Please take a moment, and submit a testimonial now. (We welcome testimonials from men as well as women.) Here’s what we need:
— a 2-3 sentence statement (50 words or less) about why wilderness matters to you
— a digital photo of yourself (preferably in a favorite natural landscape)
— your name
— a word or phrase that describes what you do in the world
— the city and state where you live
Please send your picture and testimonial to deeda@suwa.org. To view sample testimonials click here, here, or here.
9. Great Old Broads Annual Auction
Runs Through November 16
(AUCTION ITEMS)
From our sister organization:
It’s time for the Wild for Wilderness On-Line Auction!
This is the Great Old Broads for Wilderness’ 4th Annual On-Line Auction and our donors are certainly the best on this great green earth.
There are Adventure Trips, Outdoor Gear, Clothes, Jewelry, Artwork, Books, Vacation Stays from DC to Moab and from London to San Francisco. This auction has it all!
Log In, Browse the Listings, and Place your Bids at http://auction.greatoldbroads.org
Auction runs through Sunday, November 16.
Share the Link!
The more you share, the more work we can do to protect and restore wilderness and wild lands!
Check in often! New items added daily.
10. Job Listing:
Great Old Broads Development Director
Great Old Broads for Wilderness is currently hiring for the following position:
Development Director:
This is a permanent, part-time/advancing to full-time position (32 hours per week to start) assisting the Executive Director and Associate Director in refining and implementing a comprehensive fundraising plan, including foundation, government, corporate and individual support, thereby allowing the organization to achieve its mission and positioning the organization for future stability and growth.
Click here for a full description.
Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a national non-profit membership organization based in Durango, Colorado that uses the voices and activism of elders to preserve and protect wilderness and wild lands.