The Bodie Hills, from South Tufa, Mono Lake, California (Mike Painter)
October 3, 2014
Dear CalUWild friends-
September was a very busy month here with the actual 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act at the beginning, followed by the 4-day Visions of the Wild Festival in Vallejo. So the Update this month is a few days late. The Festival was a big success. It brought together many different people and organizations-government agencies, nonprofit organizations, artists, Native Americans, students, people with different cultural backgrounds, musicians, filmmakers, and more-to explore the varied ways that wilderness has impacted their view of the world. It also exposed areas where there are differences in understanding about the concept of wilderness and its relevance to different communities, particularly urban youth and the Native American and African-American communities.
The Vallejo Times-Herald published an article about one of the films that was shown, for which I was the follow-up speaker.
Our hope is that the event will be just the beginning of an ongoing project to broaden understanding and involve more people in the protection of wild places around the West. There is certainly much work to be done together.
A big THANKS to everyone who organized and attended the event.
There are quite a few news items this month, mostly updates on previously-reported items, so I’ll try to keep them brief.
Thanks as always for your support of CalUWild and our wild public lands,
Mike
IN UTAH
1. Canyonlands Coalition Releases Cultural Resources Report
Letters of Support Requested
(ACTION ITEM)
2. Recapture Canyon ORV Riders Charged
In Trespass Case
3. Appeals Court Upholds Salt Creek Ruling
IN CALIFORNIA
4. Court Rules Against Allies of Oyster Farm
5. Bodie Hills Conservation Alliance Presentations
IN COLORADO
6. Wilderness Bill Degraded by Natural Resources Committee
IN GENERAL
7. President Obama Designates World’s Largest Marine Sanctuary
(ACTION ITEM)
IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
8. Links to Articles and Other Items of Interest
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IN UTAH
1. Canyonlands Coalition Releases Cultural Resources Report
Letters of Support Requested
(ACTION ITEM)
The Greater Canyonlands Coalition, of which CalUWild is a member, released a report on the archaeological resources in the area we are proposing be designated as a national monument. As the report’s author, Jerry Spangler, wrote, “the area holds some of the most scientifically important cultural resources to be found anywhere in North America.”
The report traces the human history of the area from the earliest inhabitants of 11,500 years ago, to the Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish Explorers, and outlaws such as Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch.
You can read or download the paper here.
If you’re a professional archaeologist or have a serious amateur interest, please send a letter to Pres. Obama asking him to use the Antiquities Act to protect these resources by designating the Greater Canyonlands National Monument. Letters need not be long, but please explain your personal qualifications and interest in the area.
Address it to:
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please cc: me on your letter, so the Coalition has it for its records.
Thanks!
In other Canyonlands news, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told Utah state officials last month that there would be no surprise designation of a national monument in Utah. It seems the Administration is content to see how the public discussion process taking place in many of Utah’s counties, started by Rep. Rob Bishop, proceeds. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and other conservation organizations are taking part. A legislative proposal is expected in early 2015. Past experience has been that the anti-conservation forces have shot themselves in the foot, so whether a resulting proposal will be acceptable remains to be seen.
Regardless, the monument idea has been floating around for so long, that a designation will hardly be a “surprise” to anyone.
2. Recapture Canyon ORV Riders Charged
In Trespass Case
The U.S. Attorney for Utah filed charges last month against five people for the illegal ride in Recapture Canyon near Blanding, Utah (reported in our May Update). You may recall that the BLM had closed the area to vehicle traffic in 2007 to protect archaeological resources, but local townspeople and others have opposed the closure ever since. It appears that US is prosecuting only the organizers, since some 50 riders took part.
At the time of the ride, BLM made no arrests but said that they were watching who was taking part. The government is charging the five, including main organizer, San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, with illegal riding on public lands and misdemeanor conspiracy.
A court date was set for October 17, and conviction could carry penalties up to $100,000 in fines and a year in jail. We’ll keep you posted.
PBS’s NewsHour did a segment on the dispute, which you can watch online here.
3. Appeals Court Upholds Salt Creek Ruling
As we reported in our April Update, the Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver ruled against San Juan County and in favor of the National Park Service’s closure of Salt Creek in Canyonlands National Park to vehicle traffic. That ruling was by a panel of three justices. The county asked for a rehearing by the full court, but the request was declined.
Thus, the ruling stands, unless appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
IN CALIFORNIA
4. Court Rules Against Allies of Oyster Farm
As we reported in July, several restaurants, another oyster company, and several individuals initiated another lawsuit against the Department of the Interior over its non-renewal of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company’s lease in Pt. Reyes National Seashore. This allowed portions of Drakes Estero to become protected as designated wilderness.
The same federal judge who heard the previous case told the plaintiffs they had no standing, “given the lack of merit” in the case, to request yet another injunction keeping the farm open. A previous request for an injunction had gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected it. (One of the criteria for granting an injunction is whether there is a likelihood of success on the merits of the case. By rejecting the request for an injunction, the Court implied it did not think the complaint would succeed.)
The businesses have appealed this latest ruling, and the saga continues.
5. Bodie Hills Conservation Alliance Presentations
Jeff Hunter, Organizer for the Bodie Hills Conservation Alliance, of which CalUWild is an active member, will be traveling around the state in the first two weeks of November.
Wilderness in the Eastern Sierra will be the topic of two presentations in Death Valley National Park to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the passage of the California Desert Protection Act, and of course, the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.
These will take place at the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center:
Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7 pm
Sunday, Nov. 2 at Noon
Jeff will then be at three REI stores in the Bay Area to talk about the Bodie Hills Campaign. All presentations are at 7 pm. Click on the store links for details.
Tuesday, Nov. 4: REI Santa Rosa
Thursday, Nov. 6: REI Berkeley
Tuesday, Nov. 11: REI Fremont
IN COLORADO
6. Wilderness Bill Degraded by Natural Resources Committee
Once again, the House Natural Resources Committee has amended a bill crafted by local stakeholders-which is precisely the process by which the majority wants land use bills to be developed-and stripped out protective language, nullifying the compromises that made the bill possible in the first place.
That bill, H.R. 1839, would create the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area, including 37,000 acres of wilderness. All sort of groups, from wilderness advocates, snowmobilers, anglers, mining interests, and local politicians supported the bill as originally introduced.
However, the Natural Resources Committee forced the adoption of an amendment that pretty much rewrote the bill. It included increased snowmobile access, strengthened vehicle access, and included “hard release” language (meaning that areas not included for wilderness designation this time could never be considered again). The hard release language was removed by yet another amendment, but the bill is still radically different from what was introduced. It passed out of the Committee on a 22-18 vote, with all Democrats voting against it but one.
This is the same thing that happened in the Pinnacles National Monument-to-Park bill when the wilderness provisions were stripped out, despite the fact that there was widespread local support for them and no opposition. A similar thing happened to a Nevada public lands bill that we reported on in January. (The Nevada bill, however, was subject to further negotiation and amendment, and passed the House in August in an acceptable form.)
These examples gives the lie to any claim by Rep. Rob Bishop that he’s genuinely interested in protecting public lands from abuse. We hope that the process in Utah that he’s shepherding comes up with a better result.
IN GENERAL
7. President Obama Designates World’s Largest Marine Sanctuary
(ACTION ITEM)
Last week, Pres. Obama enlarged by six times the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, originally created by Pres. George W. Bush in January 2009. The Council on Environmental Quality made the following announcement:
It is with great pleasure we announce that today, President Obama signed a proclamation designating the largest marine reserve in the world that is completely off limits to commercial resource extraction including commercial fishing.
The proclamation expands the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world, to six times its current size, resulting in 370,000 square nautical miles (490,000 square miles) of protected area around these tropical islands and atolls in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Expanding the Monument will more fully protect the deep coral reefs, seamounts, and marine ecosystems unique to this part of the world, which are also among the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.
You may read the entire proclamation here.
Please thank the president. Send a letter or postcard to:
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Alternatively, you may call the White House at: 202-456-1111
or use the online Webform
IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
8. Links to Articles and Other Items of Interest
If a link is broken or otherwise inaccessible, please send me an email, and I’ll fix it or send you a PDF copy.
An op-ed in the New York Times on Useless Creatures, something to keep in mind as more and more frequently, economic arguments are made for wilderness protection,
Essays on the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act
Los Angeles Times op-ed by Roderick Nash: Why America’s wilderness matters
Wilderness: The Next 50 Years?
Op-ed in The Hill on protecting public lands, particularly the San Gabriel Mountains
Salt Lake Tribune article on poll results showing the public overall (but not in Utah) supports keeping federal jurisdiction over present federal lands
Video Links
Episode 5 in the Forest Service’s Restore series: Ecologicial Restoration Animation
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