Sandstone, San Rafael Reef, Utah                                                                                                                   (Mike Painter)

 
February 1, 2023

Dear CalUWild friends & Supporters—

A new year has started as well as a new Congress—the 118th. And while it’s not clear what 2023 itself will bring, it seems clear already that the House of Representatives, at least, will be pretty dysfunctional. Since it takes both houses of Congress to pass bills, the chances of achieving meaningful legislation protecting wilderness and other public lands seem pretty slim at present. So much of the legislative focus will probably be on stopping bad bills, for which we will rely on the Senate.

Of particular concern will be bills to weaken the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allows the president to designate national monuments on his own. (Already, a bill has been introduced to exempt Arizona from future monument designations.) In other disturbing news, former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke from Montana (R) was elected to the House and has been assigned to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. (See IN THE PRESS, below.)

However, some good public lands bills might still be introduced in order to show congressional support for proposals such as national monuments. If such legislation does not move in Congress, the president can designate a monument on his own, saying he did it after giving Congress a chance to act.

Since last fall the Administration has shown a willingness to move somewhat. It designated Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado and has promised to protect Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada. Within the past week, it announced that the National Forest Roadless Rule will apply to the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, which had been previous exempted from it. It also will enact a mineral withdrawal in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. Finally, the Environmental Protection Agency stated just yesterday that it was banning any waste disposal from the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay watershed of Alaska, effectively killing the project. (See IN THE PRESS, below.)

There are a few quick ACTION ITEMS this month, the first being administrative, and then two quick petition signatures on other issues we’ve written about in the past.

 
A big thank you to all who have contributed to CalUWild’s Annual Membership Appeal. Your support helps make the organization’s work possible and is much appreciated. (And if you haven’t sent in a contribution, it’s never too late. Full information is at the bottom of this Update.)

 
Best wishes,
Mike Painter, Coordinator

ADMINISTRATIVE
1.   Update Your Congressional District
          (ACTION ITEM)
IN UTAH
2.   Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
          2023 Stewardship Project Calendar

ADMINISTRATIVE
1.   Update Your Congressional District
          (ACTION ITEM)

As you know, every ten years, congressional districts are redrawn and renumbered. This new Congress is the first with districts reflecting the 2020 Census. California now has 52 districts, having lost a seat in this last round.

It is helpful for CalUWild to know the districts in which our members live, as sometimes we need to send out targeted information regarding events, meetings with congressional offices, and the like.

We don’t have an easy way to compare addresses with district numbers, so we’re asking you to click here to send a quick email to us with your name and congressional representative’s name. Our updated online California Congressional Information Sheet contains a full listing of representatives’ names and district numbers (as well as party affiliation and DC office phone number).

Thank you for your assistance.

 
California’s new delegation is made up of 11 Republicans and 41 Democrats. None of the Republicans is an enthusiastic public lands supporter, although Rep. Darrell Issa (R-50) has introduced wilderness legislation previously. California is well-represented (at least in numbers) on the House Natural Resources Committee:

If you live in one of their districts, it would be good to be in somewhat regular contact with their offices, getting to know the staffers and attending townhall meetings and other events. (Of course the same goes for anyone in any district who wants to be effective.)

 
IN UTAH
2.   Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
          2023 Stewardship Project Calendar

Just as this Update was ready to be sent out, our friends at SUWA announced their calendar of stewardship projects for the year ahead. These programs are a great way to get outdoors, meet other people, and restore areas that need some help. The calendar may be found here and general information about the program here. Please check it out!

 
IN CALIFORNIA
3.   Molok Luyuk (Berryessa Snow Mountain
          National Monument) Expansion
          (ACTION ITEM)

We had hoped that Rep. John Garamendi’s (now D-8) bill authorizing the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include Molok Luyuk (presently: Walker Ridge) would pass in the last Congress, but it didn’t. While we await its probable reintroduction in this Congress, there is still something you can do to help the process along: if you haven’t already, please sign an online petition asking Pres. Biden to move ahead with a proclamation.

The Molok Luyuk Coalition, of which CalUWild is a member, is asking its partners’ members to sign the petition. The Coalition has a website with information about the expansion proposal.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat published this op-ed: Expand Berryessa National Monument to include sacred tribal lands.

 
IN ALASKA
4.   Izembek Wilderness Still under Threat
          (ACTION ITEM)

We’ve written many times over the years about the proposal to build a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which is a designated wilderness. This alert just came in from our friends at Wilderness Watch yesterday. The short of it that the Biden Administration is defending the previous administration’s appeal of rulings against the exchange, currently in the Ninth Circuit, when they could have withdrawn the appeal.

Please read the information at this page and send both Pres. Biden and Interior Secretary Haaland emails via the links there. (Note that you can opt out of receiving action alerts from Wilderness Watch if you wish.)

For more background, see our June 2022 Update, which contains information, also from Wilderness Watch.

 
IN GENERAL
5.   Public Lands Fee-Free Days in 2023

The National Park Service will have four more entrance fee-free days ?in 2023, providing free admittance to all national parks for everyone.

Its ?free entrance?dates for 2023? are:

The fee waivers apply only to Park Service entrance fees and do not cover amenity or user fees for camping, boat launches, transportation, special tours, or other activities.

The Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service have these free days:

The? annual $80? America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass ?allows unlimited access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks, for the passholder and companions accompanying them. There are also free or discounted passes available for currently serving members of the U.S. military and their dependents, military veterans, Gold Star Families, fourth grade students, disabled citizens, and senior citizens.

 
IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
6.   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. Gift links are temporary links from some websites, allowing non-subscribers to view articles for free. As always, inclusion of an item in this section does not imply agreement with the viewpoint expressed.

In California

In Alaska

In General

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If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send a check payable to Resource Renewal Institute, CalUWild’s fiscal sponsor. If your address is not on the check please print out and enclose a membership form.

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