Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands National Park, Utah                                                               (Mike Painter)

March 31, 2015

Dear CalUWild friends—

The 114th Congress is off to a roaring start with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R) introduction of an amendment to the Senate’s non-binding budget resolution, to allow the federal government to sell of public lands-national forests, BLM lands, and others-to the states. The amendment passed by a vote of 51-49, after voting was held open beyond the scheduled time, and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) switched her vote to support it. The amendment needs further legislation before it can become law, but it’s an ominous sign for our public lands in the West.

Some Western senators, however, mounted a counterattack. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) introduced an amendment that would forbid the sale of federal lands in order to reduce the federal deficit. I’ve seen no report of a vote on that amendment yet.

These proposals to sell our public lands are becoming more and more frequent, and come on top of efforts by states such as Utah to try (unconstitutionally) to force the federal government to hand land it manages over to the states.

The citizens of the West overwhelmingly support protection of public lands in their states. Yet many politicians are unclear on the concept. Those of us who value our public lands need to argue forcefully against these attempts. Call your representatives and senators. Write to the editors of your local newspapers. Call the White House. Let them know you care about our future and that of our children and grandchildren.

Thanks and best wishes,
Mike

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IN UTAH
1.   Red Rock Update

There’s not much to report on regarding our normal Utah issues. We’re still waiting to see what Utah Rep. Rob Bishop (R) proposes for his Public Lands Initiative. Originally he had hoped to have a package together by March 27, but the date has passed, and nothing has been forthcoming.

Daggett County, the first to reach an agreement-and a good one at that-as part of the process, is balking now. At this point it is not clear how Rep. Bishop will handle that, since the agreement was originally signed publicly at the state Capitol in October by all the parties: Gov. Gary Herbert, Rep. Bishop, the Daggett County Commission, USA-ALL, Trout Unlimited, SUWA, The Wilderness Society, Grand Canyon Trust, and the Sierra Club. Everyone agreed this was a great first step and an example of what can happen when people work together. The November election brought about a change in the makeup of the Daggett County Commission, and it reneged on the deal, putting forth a far less conservation-oriented proposal.

We don’t expect America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act to be re-introduced in the 114th Congress until Rep. Bishop has his proposal together and there’s a chance to evaluate it. We’ll keep you posted.

IN CALIFORNIA
2.   Administration Makes a Major Expansion
          To the Farallones & Cordell Banks Marine Sanctuaries
          (ACTION ITEM)

Earlier this month, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced it had completed the process to significantly expand both the Farallon and Cordell Banks national marine sanctuaries. The expansion had long been one of former California Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s (D) goals with the support of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), but it was entangled in congressional politics for many years before her retirement and never progressed. Oil and gas interests, who wished to explore along the Northern California coast, opposed the proposal. Last April, NOAA proposed beginning the process for an administrative expansion, and they reported receiving more than 1,300 comments (including CalUWild’s), overwhelmingly supporting the proposal.

The two sanctuaries are located west and northwest of San Francisco. They now stretch up to the Mendocino County. The Farallones NMS is enlarged from 1,279 to 3,297 square miles and Cordell Bank NMS expands from 528 to 1,286 square miles. NOAA will also revise its management plans for the two sanctuaries.
To read the notice published in the Federal Register, click here.
Environmental historian Char Miller wrote an op-ed piece on the expansion: Why Today’s Major Marine Sanctuary Expansion Off California’s Coast is Important

Please thank Pres. Obama for expanding the two sanctuaries. His contact information is:

IN NEVADA
3.   BLM Carson City Office Revising its Resource Management Plan
          COMMENTS NEEDED
          DEADLINE: April 27, 2015
          (ACTION ITEM)

The following information, edited, comes from Friends of Nevada Wilderness. (The Carson City office also manages some BLM land in California.)

The Bureau of Land Management in the Carson City District is in the middle of their land use planning process. The Resource Management Plan they are working on will guide how our 4.8 million acres of public lands will be managed for the next couple decades. Their preferred plan proposes to continue strong protective measures for the eight Wilderness Study Areas within the district and to manage an additional eight Northern Nevada areas to protect their wilderness characteristics.

The BLM deserves the highest recognition for proposing to protect these Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, although two outstanding areas have been omitted from the plan and should also be included: Petersen Mountain and Monte Cristo North.

Strongly support the District’s findings for recognizing the 12 areas listed in table 3-24 as being Lands with Wilderness Characteristics.

Strongly encourage the District to manage the eight Lands with Wilderness Characteristics as outlined in the preferred Alternative E to maintain wilderness characteristics. The eight areas are Tule Peak, Rawe Peak, Stillwater Additions, Job South, Agai Pah Hills, Chukar Ridge, Excelsior North and Excelsior South. If you have experience or special interest in any of these areas, please include individual comments.

An additional two of the 12 areas recognized as Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, should also be included with the 8 in the preferred Alternative E to be managed to maintain wilderness characteristics. These areas are Petersen Mountain, and North Monte Cristo. Petersen Mountain is a critical natural area adjacent to the Reno North Valley development that needs the strong protection management for wilderness characteristics provides. Petersen Mountain is also a very accessible destination for people from the greater Reno/Sparks area to enjoy primitive and unconfined recreation. The small portion of the North Monte Cristo unit in the Carson City District is an important part of the over 100,000 acres Monte Cristo Lands with Wilderness Characteristics found mostly within the Battle Mountain District. The Battle Mountain District recognizes the Monte Cristo unit as Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, and it is crucial that Carson City District manage their portion of the unit to assure integrity of this outstanding wild area.

Encourage the Carson City District to actively monitor and manage the nine Wilderness Study Areas within the district to assure that uses (particularly motorized and mechanized use) meet the non-impairment standards as describe in BLM Manual 6330.

Email to blm_nv_ccdo_rmp [at] blm [dot] gov (email submissions must have your name and address to be valid):

Mail or deliver to:

Fax to:   775-885-6147

IN GENERAL
4.   Pres. Obama Designates Three New National Monuments
          In Colorado, Illinois & Hawaii
          (ACTION ITEM)

In the February Update we reported the anticipated announcements of three new national monuments, which in fact took place. President Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to protect sites in Colorado, Hawaii, and Illinois. The New York Times, in an editorial, described them as follows:

We’ve reported on the Browns Canyon campaign before, and we’re happy the President is protecting important natural and historic areas across the country. Please contact the White House to thank the President and encourage him to continue by soon designating the Berryessa Snow Mountain area in California and let him know of your support for the Greater Canyonlands region of Utah, too. Contact information is in Item 2.

5.   National Park News: Every Kid in a Park Initiative and
          National Park Week: April 18 – 26

The National Park Service is gearing up to celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2016, so we can expect a rash of special events and announcements over the course of the next months. To kick things off, the White House announced the Every Kid in a Park Initiative.

Beginning in September, every fourth-grader in the country will be given an “Every Kid in a Park” pass, which will give the student and his or her family free admission to public lands managed by the federal government. The passes will be valid for a full year. The White House published a fact sheet on the program, which you can read here.

National Park Week is being celebrated April 18 -26 this year. The Park Service is offering free admission to all parks that have entrance fees April 18 & 19, the first weekend. Many special activities are planned for parks across the country, and with April 22 being Earth Day, There are many opportunities for service projects, as well. Click here to visit the Park Service’s National Parks Week webpage.

6.   High Country News Program: Are We in a Megadrought?
          April 8, 6 pm (MDT)

The following announcement comes from High Country News.

The West is experiencing severe drought in many of its states, and as we head into summer, much of the snowpack is abysmally low. Which makes us wonder: Are we in a megadrought, and if so how do we secure a well-watered future for the American West?

We’ve put together a panel of experts to answer that question, and we’ll be hosting a live radio discussion with them. Find out more here.

You can listen to it via an online live-stream and then tweet us questions for the experts. It’s the first of what we hope will be many “Soundtable” events. But we need your help to make it work!

Tune into kvnf.org on April 8 at 6 p.m. to hear “When in (Mega?) Drought,” HCNU classroom program’s inaugural live radio discussion Soundtable.

HCN’s associate editor, Brian Calvert, will moderate the discussion with the following experts:

•      Patricia Mulroy, former general manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority;
•      George Frisvold, an agricultural economist at the University of Arizona;
•      Jennifer Pitt, director of the Colorado River Program for the Environmental Defense Fund; and
•      Jonathan Overpeck, co-director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona.

We will broadcast and live stream from our local radio station, KVNF, in Paonia, Colorado. We’ll take “tweet-in” questions during the broadcast: @highcountrynews #HCNU or send your questions in advance by emailing them to Brian Calvert.

Tune in at kvnf.org on April 8 at 6 p.m.

7.   Job Announcement: Wildlands Network
          Campaign Organizer, Southwest Utah Wildlands

The Wildlands Network is looking for a Campaign Organizer to “plan and implement the strategies and activities of the Southwest Utah Wildlands campaign to protect the wilderness character and wildlife connectivity of Great Basin and High Plateaus of southwestern Utah.” Among other things, the position requires a B.A./B.S. degree in an environmental or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience, and at least 3 years’ experience in the planning and implementation of campaigns, which includes strategy, organizing, media relations and contacts with political and business leaders.

The complete job posting is too long to include here, but if you’re interested, send me an email, and I’d be glad to send it along to you.

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.

New York Times op-ed: Is the Environment a Moral Cause

An article by the Center for Investigative Reporting on the state public lands takeover efforts

Video Links

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