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DSC_2079a2aLooking over the San Rafael Swell (See Item 1)                                                                                    (Mike Painter)

August 24, 2013

Dear CalUWild friends-

Congress is on recess, and many people have been out on vacation for August, and once more there’s not too much to report this month. However, there are two upcoming open houses worth announcing. See Items 2 & 3.

Summer is almost over, so it’s time to make plans for the Fall, often the best time to visit our wilderness areas and other public lands. Thanks for your interest in efforts to protect them!

Mike

IN UTAH
1.   BLM to Offer Parcels in
          The San Rafael Swell and Elsewhere
          For Oil & Gas Development

IN CALIFORNIA
2.   Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge
          Proposes Plan to Eradicate Invasive Mice
          Public Meeting in San Francisco
          August 29
          COMMENT DEADLINE: September 30
          (ACTION ITEM)
3.   Legislation for a San Gabriel Mountains NRA
          Town Hall Meeting
          September 7, 2013
          (ACTION ITEM)

IN GENERAL
4.   Job Posting: SUWA Hiring a GIS Analyst

IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
5.   Links to Items of Interest

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

IN UTAH
1.   BLM to Offer Parcels in
          The San Rafael Swell and Elsewhere
          For Oil & Gas Development

The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Wednesday that the Bureau of Land Management would be offering nearly 140,000 acres of land in Emery, Carbon, and Uintah counties to energy companies for energy exploration and development. The lease sale is scheduled for November.

Much of the land is in the San Rafael Swell and has been acknowledged by the BLM to have wilderness character. However, since that “character” was not recognized at the time initial inventories were done, many of the areas were never given formal “Wilderness Study Area” status. Thus BLM is under no obligation to manage them as wilderness. The Swell is an area of striking geological features and archaeological sites. Much of it is included in America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, the comprehensive Utah wilderness bill in Congress.

It is ironic and extremely disappointing that BLM would be proposing these leases, since the San Rafael Swell has frequently been mentioned as a possibility for designation as a national monument. In fact, the Swell was on this Interior Department’s early list of 14 potential monument additions to the BLM’s Conservation Lands System. The leaking of that list in 2010 created such an uproar that the Obama Administration retreated and pretty much halted efforts at formal land conservation, substituting its Great American Outdoors Initiative.

This lease is the latest in the Administration’s ongoing program of opening up public lands to energy development of all sorts, continuing at a rapid pace, despite industry claims to the contrary.

The Salt Lake Tribune published an editorial opposing the lease sale this morning

We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

IN CALIFORNIA
2.   Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge
          Proposes Plan to Eradicate Invasive Mice
          Public Meeting in San Francisco
          August 29
          COMMENT DEADLINE: September 30
          (ACTION ITEM)

Did you know that there is federally designated wilderness in San Francisco? If not, don’t feel bad. Most people aren’t aware that the Farallon Islands, almost 30 miles offshore, are within the City and County of San Francisco and that much of the area is designated as a wilderness area, too. The islands were designated a national wildlife refuge by Pres. Teddy Roosevelt in 1909. The South Farallones were added to the Refuge in 1969, and all, except Southeast Farallon, were designated as wilderness in 1974. The Refuge is managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and is the largest and one of the most important seabird rookeries in the Lower 48 States.

In the 1800s, house mice were introduced to the South Farallon Islands. Without many natural predators, the mice have reached “plague-like densities” according to the FWS. In fact, population densities may be the highest on any island in the world. The mouse population has affected seabirds, native vegetation, and may act as a vector for disease for the pinnipeds that inhabit the islands as well. FWS says: “The effect of mice in the wilderness is widespread and readily noticeable and has degraded wilderness character. The removal of mice would lead to long-term significant benefit to wilderness character by allowing the wilderness to be more influenced by natural forces.”

In order to restore some balance to the ecosystem, FWS is proposing to eliminate the mice completely, using rodenticides. Last week the agency released a Draft EIS analyzing three alternatives: a No Action Alternative and two that would use different rodenticides.

The Refuge will be hosting a public meeting to present the plan, answer questions, and accept comments.

Thursday, Aug. 29
6 pm – 8 pm
General’s Residence, Upper Fort Mason
Franklin & Bay Streets
San Francisco

For directions click here.

You can download the lengthy Draft EIS by clicking on the link under Supporting Documents on this page.

You may submit written comments by one of the following methods:

Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-R8-NWRS-2013-0036, which is the docket number for this notice. Then, on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click on the Notices link to locate this document and submit a comment.

Comments must be submitted by 11:59 PM, EDT, September 30, 2013.

By U.S. Mail:

Public Comments Processing
Attn: FWS-R8-NWRS-2013-0036
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM
Arlington, VA 22203

Comments must be postmarked by September 30, 2013.

3.   Legislation for a San Gabriel Mountains NRA
          Town Hall Meeting
          September 7, 2013
          (ACTION ITEM)

The following information is taken from an announcement sent out by the California Wilderness Coalition. Rep. Judy Chu (D-27) is a member of CalUWild’s Advisory Board.

Congresswoman Judy Chu has indicated that she will author legislation to establish a San Gabriel National Recreation Area (SGNRA) that will include the National Forest lands in the San Gabriel Mountains. It is important that Rep. Chu include Wilderness and Wild & Scenic River designations in the legislation she is developing. In order to gather public input on the issue, Rep. Chu will be hosting a town hall meeting.

Saturday, September 7, 2013
10:30 AM
Taylor Reception Hall
1775 N. Indian Hill Blvd.
Claremont, CA 91711

There has been widespread support for wilderness protection, but there is opposition as well, based on false claims that protecting the most scenic, sensitive, and undeveloped National Forest lands in the San Gabriel Mountains will somehow adversely affect downstream water rights and facilities, public access to public lands, and even private property rights. None of these claims are true. In fact, the opposite is true – wild and scenic river and wilderness designations maintain existing property rights, water rights and public access to public lands. Wild and scenic river designation safeguards our rivers in their free-flowing condition and wilderness designation protects the land for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations. We need to let Rep. Chu know that we want her SGNRA legislation to include Wilderness and Wild Rivers.

At stake are some of the most outstanding and pristine areas remaining in the San Gabriel Mountains, including the upper forks of the San Gabriel River, and additions to the Sheep Mountain and Cucamonga Wilderness areas. These lands and rivers provide drinking water sources to local communities and places for locals to hike and keep cool in the summertime. These places are also critical habitat for bighorn sheep, and are home to other wildlife and native plants that make our mountains so special. These newly proposed Wilderness areas in the northern part of the Angeles National Forest are threatened by mining, illegal off road vehicle use, and other development. We must act now to ensure that Rep. Chu knows how crucial it is to preserve these lands as wilderness and wild and scenic rivers for our communities. For a list of the proposed Wilderness and Wild Rivers in the San Gabriel Mountains, click here.

The California Wilderness Coalition and its coalition partners have been working for more than a decade to develop local support to protect more than 122,000 acres of Wilderness and nearly 63 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers on the National Forest lands in the San Gabriel Mountains. Many local cities, businesses, and community leaders support our proposal. When the National Park Service released a study in 2011 that considered establishment a National Recreation Area (NRA) in the San Gabriel Mountains and foothills, and along the San Gabriel River, we combined the NRA proposal with our wild places protection package. Of the 12,000 comments received by the National Park Service in response to their study, more than 95% supported establishment of the SGNRA along with protection of Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers on the National Forest lands.

Please attend the town hall on Sept. 7 and speak out for wilderness and wild rivers. Key points that you should mention:

•  Thank Rep. Chu for proposing to introduce legislation to establish the San Gabriel National Recreation Area.

•  Urge Rep. Chu to include the package of Wilderness and Wild River protections proposed by the San Gabriel Mountains Forever coalition for the most scenic, sensitive, and undeveloped National Forest lands in the San Gabriel Mountains.

•  Note that protecting Wilderness and Wild Rivers will preserve water quality and clean air, outstanding recreational opportunities for millions of people, and important habitat for fish and wildlife.

•  Many of the Wilderness areas were recommended for protection by the Forest Service and all the Wild & Scenic Rivers were identified by the agency as eligible for federal protection.

•  Establishing the SGNRA without protecting Wilderness and Wild Rivers on the National Forest lands will not ensure protection of the most scenic, sensitive, and undeveloped wild places in the San Gabriel Mountains.

•  Protecting Wilderness and Wild Rivers on the National Forest lands in the San Gabriel Mountains will not affect water rights and water facilities or private property rights. In addition, it will not limit or reduce public access to our public lands (since the proposal avoids closing all legal roads and motorized trails, as well as the most popular existing mountain bike trails).

If you cannot attend the town hall meeting on Sep. 7, please send an email to Rep. Chu. Rep. Chu has established an email address to specifically receive comments about this issue. The email address is SGRec [at] mail [dot] house [dot] gov.

For more information concerning the town hall or the Wilderness/Wild Rivers proposal for the San Gabriel Mountains, please contact Monica Argandoña at the California Wilderness Coalition.

Rep. Chu has posted a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the proposed NRA on her website.

IN GENERAL
4.   Job Posting: SUWA Hiring a GIS Analyst

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Utah’s largest conservation organization, has an immediate opening in its Salt Lake City office for a GIS Analyst. Interested applicants should send the following materials via e-mail to hiring [at] suwa [dot] org: cover letter, resume, transcript, and 3 references. SUWA offers a competitive salary-based on experience-and excellent benefits (health, dental, retirement plan, sabbatical). Materials should be submitted no later than September 20, 2013.

The GIS Analyst will support SUWA’s litigation, legislative and advocacy staff and will focus on energy development, Quiet Title Act/R.S. 2477, off-road vehicles, BLM land use planning, and legislative initiatives. The GIS Analyst will work closely with issues and legislative staff in SUWA’s Salt Lake, Moab, and Washington, D.C. offices and is supervised by the legal director.

Qualifications include: Master’s Degree in Geography or a related area or a Bachelor’s Degree and significant relevant experience; formal training in GIS and demonstrated professional GIS analytical and cartographic skills, including data development and analysis; excellent research, investigative and analytical skills; competence with aerial photography and satellite imagery interpretation and analysis; excellent general computer skills (e.g. spreadsheet and database applications); ability to organize and manage documents and files; and ability to work independently, quickly and within deadlines. A list of sample duties is set forth below.

GIS Analyst sample duties:

•  Provide Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis using both data produced by governmental and non-governmental sources and data developed in-house through scanning of hardcopy maps, on-screen digitization, and database development.

•  Prepare GIS cartographic and tabular products for pleadings, in-house support, and other purposes as needed.

•  Provide analysis of historical and current maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery, and related information.

•  Consult with attorneys on the potential for application of GIS to case development and litigation and provide GIS functions when necessary.

•  Consult with attorneys and, where appropriate, provide expert witness testimony in litigation where the opponents have utilized GIS or related technology or data.

•  Provide technical support for legislative and advocacy staff with GIS regarding legislative initiatives.

•  Provide task-specific coaching and project review for advocacy staff working with GIS in order to ensure that the desired analysis and/or product is produced.

•  Establish and implement standards and templates to ensure that GIS work products and associated analysis and data reflect the organization’s commitment to quality.

•  Consult with staff that utilize GIS and identify and implement opportunities to develop a stronger organization-wide program.

•  Maintain the organization’s GIS software licensing and technical support through ESRI Conservation Program grants and other opportunities as identified.

IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
5.   Links to Items of Interest

If a link is broken or you are unable to access an article, please let me know.

Sally Jewell: Locked in the Obama Cabinet?, article and analysis from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on the Interior Secretary and Washington, DC

Interview with Huey Johnson, long-time conservationist, President of Resource Renewal Institute, and member of CalUWild’s Advisory Board, in Bay Nature

Article in the Washington Post Magazine about SkyTruth and the use of satellite images for environmental monitoring. SkyTruth is one of the groups CalUWild has long worked with on oil & gas issues.

Report from the Center For American Progress, Blueprint for Balance: Protecting America’s Public Lands for Future Generations Amid the Energy Boom

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