Mt. Whitney from Little Claire Lake                                                                                                 (Tom Killion)

May 25, 2014

Dear CalUWild friends—

As we mentioned last month, artist Tom Killion has created a poster (woodcut above, click here to see the full poster) in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, especially for California. CalUWild is proud to offer it to our members and the public, with all proceeds benefiting our work. We’re still receiving expressions of interest so have decided to wait a while longer before placing our order. Please let me know by June 15 if you’re interested. The more we’re able to order in advance, the better wholesale price we’ll receive. Our price will be $10 plus shipping, a likely total of $16. If you’ve already expressed interest, there’s no need to do so again. We’ll confirm orders along with payment information before shipping.

Best wishes,
Mike

IN UTAH
1.   Recapture Canyon ORV Ride
          Makes National News
          (ACTION ITEM)

IN UTAH
1.   Recapture Canyon ORV Ride
          Makes National News
           (ACTION ITEM)

Utah made the front-page news nationally this month when a San Juan County commissioner led an illegal all-terrain vehicle (ATV) ride into closed Recapture Canyon, just north of Blanding. The protest was another sign of the continued disdain that some in the West have for federal management of lands that belong to all Americans and came as a followup to last month’s armed showdown by Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Bundy’s son addressed a rally before the ride, telling them that there is no such thing as federal land.

Recapture Canyon was closed to vehicles in 2007 when trails were discovered damaging the rich archaeological resources there. (See Item 2 in CalUWild’s September 2007 Update.) Commissioner Phil Lyman, however, decided these seven years later that the closure was arbitrary and just another example of “jurisdictional creep,” so he decided to organize the protest ride. (The irony is that there are close to 4,000 miles of open ATV routes in San Juan County.)

San Juan County sheriffs did not stop the riders, who reportedly went 2.5 miles down the canyon, far enough, they said, to make their point. Though the BLM was not visibly present, unlike at the Bundy standoff in Nevada, federal officers reportedly recorded riders for future prosecution in court.

Here are links to two editorials criticizing the ride, from the Salt Lake Tribune and the Denver Post. Writer Doug Peacock had this to say on his blog.

Please write BLM Director Neil Kornze urging continued closure of Recapture Canyon to vehicle use and enforcement of the law against those who rode illegally on May 10. His address is:

          Hon. Neil Kornze
          Director
          US Bureau of Land Management
          18489 C Street, NW, Rm. 5665
          Washington, DC 20240

Or send Mr. Kornze an email.

IN CALIFORNIA
2.   Rep. Lois Capps Introduces
           Central Coast Wilderness Bill
          (ACTION ITEM)

This week, Rep. Lois Capps, (D-24) introduced the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which would designate wilderness and wild & scenic rivers in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The bill contains land in the districts represented by Julia Brownley (D-26) and Sam Farr (D-20), and both have signed on as original co-sponsors. There is no bill number yet.

Los Padres Forest Watch provided the following description of the bill, saying it would:

– Designate 180,000 acres of wilderness adjacent to existing wilderness areas in the Los Padres National Forest, including the Sespe, Matilija, and Chumash wilderness areas in Ventura County, the Dick Smith and San Rafael wilderness areas in Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Lucia, Machesna Mountain, and Garcia wilderness areas in San Luis Obispo County.

– Propose an additional 41,000 acres adjacent to the San Rafael Wilderness Area in Santa Barbara County for future wilderness designation. The bill encourages the construction of a long-awaited connector trail that, once built, will restore historic public access to an existing network of trails in the Cuyama Valley. Once the trail is constructed, the forest land will automatically revert to wilderness.

– Designate 61,000 acres as wilderness in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a vast landscape adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. Known as “California’s Serengeti,” the Carrizo Plain is home to Tule elk, pronghorn antelope, and the highest concentration of rare plants and animals in California. The wilderness areas outlined in the bill include Caliente Mountain, the Temblor Range, and the Soda Lake area.

– Establish two protected Scenic Areas totaling 34,000 acres, including Condor Ridge along the crest of the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, and Black Mountain in the La Panza Range in San Luis Obispo County.

– Add 158 miles of pristine mountain streams to the National Wild & Scenic Rivers system, forever protecting them from dam-building and preserving their free-flowing condition. The protections would extend to upper Piru Creek, upper Sespe Creek, and Matilija Creek in Ventura County, and Mono Creek, Indian Creek, Manzana Creek, and other tributaries of the Sisquoc River in Santa Barbara County.

– Formally recognize the Condor National Recreation Trail, the central coast’s first thru-hiking route that would span 400 miles of existing paths in the Los Padres National Forest. The long-distance trail would begin at Lake Piru in the south, travel through the backcountry of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and terminate on the Big Sur coast.

The California Wilderness Coalition has a webpage with more information, a map, and links to fact sheets for each of the wilderness areas and wild & scenic river segments.

Please send a message of thanks to Reps. Capps, Brownley, and Farr, by phone, letter, or web comment.

Rep. Lois Capps (D-24)

          2231 Rayburn House Office Building
          Washington, D.C. 20515
          Phone:   202-225-3601
          Fax:   202-225-5632
          Online comment (for constituents only) and information for other offices here.

Rep. Julia Brownley (D-26)

          1019 Longworth House Office Building
          Washington, DC 20515
          Phone:   202-225-5811
          Fax:   202-225-1100
          Online comment (for constituents only) and information for other offices here.

Rep. Sam Farr (D-20)

          1126 Longworth House Office Building
          Washington, D.C. 20515
          Phone:   202-225-2861
          Fax:   202-225-6791
          Online comment (for constituents only) and information for other offices here.

IN NEW MEXICO
3.   Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks
         Is the Newest National Monument
          (ACTION ITEM)

Also on Wednesday, Pres. Obama designated his 11th and largest (almost 500,000 acres) national monument in five mountain ranges around Las Cruces, in southern New Mexico: the Robledo, Sierra de las Uvas, Doña Ana, Organ, and Potrillo Mountains. New Mexico’s two U.S. Senators, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich (both D) had introduced a bill in Congress establishing the monument, and retired Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D) was also a longtime proponent of the monument

The area is rich in archaeology, geology, and natural and human history, as well as scenic beauty. Ancient dwelling and artifacts are scattered across the area. Many interesting plants and animals call the area home. The Apache chief Geronimo was said to have hidden out in the Robledo Mountains, and Billy the Kid did in fact, because his carved name can be found on “Outlaw Rock,” as it’s known today.

Criticism from Republicans was immediate. Local Congressman Steve Pearce (R) was quoted as saying that the designation “flies in the face of the democratic process.” Pearce had proposed legislation creating a much smaller monument.

Energy & Environment News reported that Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation, “accused Obama of showing a ‘total disregard’ for the threat of human and drug trafficking in the border region and said a monument designation could do nothing but exacerbate the risk. ‘For that, the president should be held personally accountable,’ he said.”

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have repeatedly said that a monument would not interfere with their work.

Sens. Udall and Heinrich said they will continue with legislation for protections not included in the proclamation, such as the designation of eight wilderness areas and releasing some wilderness study areas along the Mexican border. Those are actions that the law reserves for Congress.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was a strong proponent of the new monument as well.

The President’s proclamation is here and the announcement and video of the signing ceremony are here. The best part of Pres. Obama’s comments: “I’ve preserved more than 3 million acres of public lands for future generations, and I am not finished.” (emphasis added)

Please contact Pres. Obama and Secty. Jewell to thank them for establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and to encourage them to continue their protection efforts around the country.

Contact information:

          White House Comment Line:   202-454-1111
          White House Online Comment Form

The Interior Department may be reached at its online comment page, by email, or by phone at 202-208-3100.

4.   National 50th Anniversary Wilderness Conference
          Albuquerque, October 15-19
          Registration Open!!
          Earlybird DEADLINE: JULY 31
          (ACTION ITEM)

The following announcement (slightly edited) came out this month from Wilderness50, the national planning team of which CalUWild is part for the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. I hope to see you there!

Wilderness50 announces the opening of registration for the National Wilderness Conference, the first national gathering of the wilderness community in 25 years. The conference, hosted in October in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will honor the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by charting the future of the wilderness system through a focus on recent advances and emerging issues in wilderness stewardship.

The program includes a special opening ceremony welcome from former president Jimmy Carter, eight plenary programs, 84 track sessions, two lunch panels including one that unveils a plan for the future of wilderness, posters, exhibits, an outdoor gear auction, a station-based immersion learning experience for kids, for-credit pre-conference trainings and K-12 teacher workshops, over 20 field trips to New Mexico wilderness areas and cultural sites, a film gala, and the public ‘Get Wild’ Festival.

Conference and associated event dates:

·         Partnerships and Professionalism Pre-Conference Training, October 14-15, Rio Grande Nature Center
·         Field trips, October 14-15, various
·         People’s Wilderness Film Gala, October 14 and 19, KiMo Theatre
·         National Wilderness Conference, October 15-19, Hyatt Regency Hotel
·         Wilderness Celebration Exhibition, October 16-18, Albuquerque Convention Center
·         ‘Get Wild’ Festival, October 18, Civic Plaza

Online registration is now open. Registration prices increase from $350 to $450 starting August 1st.

Relevant conference links:

          Registration
          Program
          Conference website

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

If a link is broken or otherwise inaccessible to you, please send me an email.

The 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, an essay in the Adirondack Almanack by Ed Zahniser, son of Wilderness Act author Howard Zahniser

The National Park Electronic Library is a portal to thousands of electronic publications, covering the cultural and natural history of the National Park Service and the national parks, monuments, and historic sites of the National Park System. There is a companion site for Canada’s parks here.

Video clips:

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