Hope Valley Joan Hoffmann
August 31, 2010
Dear CalUWild Friends —
Summer is just about over, at least as far as school vacation goes. The days are getting shorter, but Fall can be the best time to explore our wilderness areas and other public lands. Many of the crowds are gone, the weather is cooler, and the light is not as harsh. So get out if you can! (Besides, it’s National Wilderness Month—
see ITEM 8.)
The end of Summer also means that Congress is back in session. Though public lands (and the environment in general) are not very high on the legislative agenda right now, there is still the possibility of a public lands omnibus bill being introduced and passed before the end of the 111th Congress. There’s also an election in November. Every House seat and one third of the Senate is open. You can raise the profile of public lands by asking candidates about their views, either at campaign events or by writing to the editors of your local and regional newspapers.
The painting at the top of this month’s Update is by CalUWild member Joan Hoffman. There will be an exhibition of her work at the Red Barn, Point Reyes National Seashore Headquarters in Olema, October through December. An Opening Reception will be held October 16, 11 am – 5 p.m. For more information, contact Joan through her website.
If you’re wondering why the August Update is arriving on September 1, ITEMS 3 & 8 arrived after most of newsletter was finished, but I decided to include them.
Thanks for your interest and support!
Mike
IN UTAH
1. San Juan County Wilderness Process Update
2. Zion National Park Soundscape Planning
Comments Needed
(ACTION ITEM)
DEADLINE: September 3 (FRIDAY!)
IN CALIFORNIA
3. Sequoia National Monument Management Plan Hearings
(ACTION ITEM)
4. National Park Service Study
To Lead to a Los Angeles Rim Park?
Meetings in September & October
(ACTION ITEM)
5. Pinnacles National Park Bill Introduced in the Senate
6. California Wilderness Coalition Fundraiser
November 12
(SAVE THE DATE)
IN GENERAL
7. America’s Great Outdoors Initiative
DEADLINE Approaching
(ACTION ITEM)
8. September is National Wilderness Month
By Presidential Proclamation
IN THE PRESS
9. Links to Online Articles of Interest
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
IN UTAH
1. San Juan County Wilderness Process Update
As we reported last month, the collaborative process in San Juan County came to a halt after the Utah Republican Party failed to re-nominate Sen. Bob Bennett, who had been coordinating the meetings. The county commissioners have not put forth their proposal yet.
The local press in the county, though, has reported on a few interesting proposals, not related to wilderness per se on BLM lands. The word is that expansions of Canyonlands National Park and Hovenweep National Monument are being discussed, though there is no guarantee that either will make it into the county’s final proposal.
Canyonlands National Park has a long and tortured history. As far back as 1936, then-Interior Secretary Harold Ickes proposed the creation of an Escalante National Monument that would have covered most of the Colorado Plateau, down to the Grand Canyon. Opposition from commercial interests in Utah and World War II stopped the idea, although Pres. Roosevelt did designate Arches and Capitol Reef National Monuments—now National Parks. (If the original monument had come about, we wouldn’t be having the protracted arguments over so much of the BLM wildlands now!) The idea for a national park was resurrected in the late 1950s, though the proposal was much smaller, centered on the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. Various compromises were made, and Pres. Johnson signed the park into law in 1964. The hope of enlarging the park has never gone away, though.
If you’re interested in reading more, a thorough history of the Canyonlands controversy can be found here, and an interesting interview with then-Superintendent of Arches National Monument Bates Wilson can be found here.
Hovenweep National Monument is a small cluster of parcels containing interesting ruins, some of them towers, and covering only 785 acres. The area is particularly rich in archaeological sites, so any expansion would be a boon to protection of resources. Reports from county commissioners are that there is no opposition to the idea.
We’ll keep you posted on any new developments.
2. Zion National Park Soundscape Planning
Comments Needed
(ACTION ITEM)
DEADLINE: September 3 (FRIDAY!)
When thinking about wilderness and public lands, the focus for many people is most often on the landscape. But sounds can be just as important, especially if they detract from the wilderness experience, depriving visitors of a sense of solitude. Much of the Zion National Park backcountry was designated wilderness in the Washington County bill of a few years ago, and the Park has implemented some innovative management ideas, including banning most private automobiles in heavily-visited months and running a convenient shuttle in the main canyon. The Park Service is currently preparing a “soundscape” management plan, and our friends at Wilderness Watch recently sent out the following alert asking for comments. If you’ve been to Zion or plan to go, please mention that in your comments. Make them as personal as possible.
Sorry for the short notice. Thanks!
Help Protect the Natural Soundscape of Zion Wilderness and National Park
Background: Zion National Park needs your help in crafting an appropriate Soundscape Management Plan for its Wilderness Zone, which comprises 90% of the Park (84% is designated Wilderness and 6% is proposed Wilderness). Its preferred wilderness noise standards are too weak and fail to protect Wilderness values such as solitude, quiet, etc.
This is not just a fight over excessive and mounting aircraft noise. It is a fight to ensure that the National Park Service (NPS) takes and retains a leadership role in preserving our parks. We need an outpouring of public comments urging the Park Service to assert its legal responsibilities under its Organic Act and the Wilderness Act and to follow its own management policies. This Management Plan has the potential to be precedent-setting, so please make your voice heard.
Comments are due to NPS September 3rd and may be submitted on-line at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/zion, or mailed to:
Zion National Park
Attn: SMP/EA
Springdale, UT 84767
Key Point to Make:
• Natural sounds are an important part of the experience in the Zion Wilderness and National Park, and should be protected and restored as much as possible.
• The Wilderness Act requires that Wilderness remain untrammeled and its wilderness character be preserved. Motorized noise harms both these wilderness values.
• NPS policy requires, when evaluating environmental impacts, to take into account the “preservation of natural conditions (including the lack of man-made noise).”
• The proposed NPS “Desired Conditions” Standard for human noise (including aircraft) in Wilderness in Zion National Park—at generally audible <25% of the time and periodically audible 50% of the time—is too weak to protect Wilderness.
• The Wilderness Zone “Desired Conditions” Standard should allow for zero motor noise.
• The NPS should, to the extent legally allowed, prohibit air tours over Wilderness and direct such activities to areas where they won’t degrade the experience of those on the ground.
• NPS should continue to work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on addressing noise from high-level aircraft and seek to minimize impacts to the Park.
IN CALIFORNIA
3. Sequoia National Monument Management Plan Hearings
(ACTION ITEM)
Pres. Bill Clinton established Sequoia National Monument in 2000, and its management by the Forest Service has been controversial ever since. They prepared an initial management plan that allowed logging in the Monument, at levels far above what many felt the forest could tolerate. A court threw the plan out, ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club, Sequoia ForestKeeper, Sierra Forest Legacy, and other conservation organizations. In response, the Forest Service prepared a new plan, and as part of the process is holding a series of open houses to present the plan and gather comments:
Wednesday, September 15, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Elks Lodge in Porterville.
Saturday, September 18, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the Doubletree Hotel in Bakersfield.
Tuesday, September 21, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn in Clovis.
Wednesday, September 22, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.
Wednesday, October 6, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency in Valencia.
Thursday, October 7, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Hilton in Pasadena.
A meeting of the Science Review Panel has also been scheduled on Tuesday, October 12, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Visalia Convention Center.
We don’t have suggestions for comments on the plan yet, though some of the groups involved say that the new plan is as bad as, or even worse than, the original. So please attend a meeting or review the plan online. Links to all sorts of relevant information may be found on the Forest Service’s website.
The comment period ends Nov. 3, so we will try to get more information to you in a timely fashion.
For more information, please contact Marc Heileson at the Sierra Club, marc.heileson@sierraclub.org.
4. National Park Service Study
To Lead to a Los Angeles Rim Park?
Meetings in September & October
(ACTION ITEM)
The National Park Service is beginning a study of the “Rim of the Valley Corridor,” the mountains around the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Simi, La Crescenta, and Conejo Valleys in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The study, which also includes much of the Santa Monica Mountains NRA, may lead to a proposal to create some sort of National Park Service unit. The purpose of the study is to gather information and explain the process.
The Park Service has announced the following Public Meeting Schedule, to take place during September and October 2010. Meetings marked with *** will have a Spanish translator available. You are invited to join and share your ideas:
Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 7-9 p.m.
Mason Recreation Center
10500 Mason Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 ***
2-4 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles River Center and Gardens
570 W. Avenue 26
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 7-9 p.m.
George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex-Activities Center Building
20880 Centre Pointe Parkway
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 7-9 p.m.
Conejo Recreation and Parks District
Community Room
403 W. Hillcrest Dr.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Monday, October 4, 2010, 7-9 p.m.
King Gillette Ranch
26800 West Mulholland Highway
Calabasas, CA 91302
Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 7-9 p.m. ***
Northeast Valley City Hall
7747 Foothill Blvd.
Tujunga, CA 91042
Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 7-9 p.m.
Charles S. Farnsworth Park
Davies Building
568 East Mount Curve Ave.
Altadena, CA 91001
The Park Service website for the project is here. It contains more information and you can sign up to be on their mailing list. Or you may contact the Park Service as follows:
U.S. Mail:
National Park Service
Rim of the Valley Corridor Study
570 W. Avenue 26, #175
Los Angeles, CA 90065
E-mail: PWR_rimofthevalley@nps.gov
Phone: Anne Dove, Project Manager, 323-441-9307
Margie Steigerwald, Outdoor Recreation Planner, 805-370-2373
5. Pinnacles National Park Bill Introduced in the Senate
On August 5. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) introduced a bill in the Senate that would make Pinnacles National Monument a National Park. The bill is a companion to that introduced last year by Rep. Sam Farr (D-17), in whose district Pinnacles lies.
The Monument was established in 1908 by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt and has been enlarged over the years. Much of the Monument is designated wilderness and it has also been part of the California Condor Restoration Program.
The bill numbers are: H.R.3444 and S.3744. Rep. Farr’s bill has had a committee hearing, and Sen. Boxer’s has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which has not held a hearing yet.
6. California Wilderness Coalition Fundraiser
November 12
(SAVE THE DATE)
We work closely with CWC and are always happy to announce the annual event. Here’s the information:
Please join the California Wilderness Coalition for our annual fundraiser at the David Brower Center. We will celebrate and honor the donors, volunteers, and activists who are crucial to keeping California wild. In addition to the usual fun and festivities, this year’s event features live and silent auctions of art, travel getaways, and outdoor gear.
Hosted by the California Wilderness Coalition at the David Brower Center,
2150 Allston Way, Berkeley CA
November 12, 2010
The event begins at 6:00 pm.
For more information please check out www.calwild.org or call (510) 451-1450.
IN GENERAL
7. America’s Great Outdoors Initiative
DEADLINE Approaching
(ACTION ITEM)
We’ve been reporting the last few months on the Administration’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Listening sessions are continuing throughout the Summer, though no more are planned for California. That doesn’t mean it’s too late to share your thoughts via the Initiative website.
The Initiative staff has said it will present its report to the President on November 15, and it’s rumored that there’s a September 30 deadline for comments. So if you haven’t already, please go to the website, register (it’s simple and free), and submit your comments and suggestions in the four categories there. Also, please review previously submitted comments and FOR those you approve of and AGAINST those you don’t.
8. September is National Wilderness Month
By Presidential Proclamation
President Obama today signed a proclamation designating September as National Wilderness Month. (The anniversary of Pres. Johnson’s signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964 is September 3.) The proclamation reads in part:
For centuries, the American spirit of exploration and discovery has led us to experience the majesty of our Nation’s wilderness. … We must continue to preserve and protect these scenic places and the life that inhabits them so they may be rediscovered and appreciated by generations to come. [¶] … It was over 100 years ago that President Theodore Roosevelt marveled at the stark grandeur of the Grand Canyon and declared, “the ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” [¶] …
This month, we renew our pledge to build upon the legacy of our forebears. Together, we must ensure that future generations can experience the tranquility and grandeur of America’s natural places. As we resolve to meet this responsibility, let us also reflect on the ways in which our lives have been enriched by the gift of the American wilderness.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2010 as National Wilderness Month. I invite all Americans to visit and enjoy our wilderness areas, to learn about their vast history, and to aid in the protection of our precious national treasures.
Read the entire proclamation here.
IN THE PRESS
9. Links to Online Articles of Interest
If you have time for extra reading, there have been a few articles on relevant topics in the past month that you might find interesting. (WARNING: Not all reflect CalUWild’s viewpoint.) ALSO, some links may expire after a while. If you can’t access something, please send me an email, and I’ll provide you with the text.)
Wilderness and the Brain, New York Times
Aw, Wilderness!, New York Times (op-ed piece in favor of mountain bikes in wilderness areas)
Responses:
National monuments? Maybe they will be, Los Angeles Times
Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist
Response:
Ecocentrism: A Response to Paul Kingsnorth
Edward Abbey and the “Shock of the Real”, Forbes blog (on reading Desert Solitaire)