America's Wilderness Summer 2010 by The Wilderness Society

MEMBER NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2010 VOL. XII, NO. 3

America’s Wilderness

The Wilderness Society’s mission is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places.

www.wilderness.org

Spring Brings Rays of Hope for America’s Arctic © Howie Garber/wanderlustimages.com

It was 23 years ago that the Reagan administration first urged Congress to let the oil industry drill in the biological heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Few Americans had heard of this sanctuary, and political experts predicted the industry would roll over conservationists. Twenty-three years later, however, caribou continue migrating hundreds of miles to the refuge each spring to bear the next generation. Millions of birds arrive from all over the continent—and beyond—to breed

Polar bears and gulls feed on a whale carcass along the Alaskan coast.

and nest. Polar bears, grizzlies, muskoxen, and other species go about their business. The Gwich’in People maintain their culture, established millennia ago. Recently, the outlook became even brighter. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is revising its long-term management plan and will consider the possibility of recommending the refuge’s coastal plain and other areas for inclusion in the Wilderness Preservation continued on page 2

Helping Forests Help Us—and Wildlife “Most of the people in Salt Lake drink water that runs down here from the Wasatch-Cache National Forest,” says Laura Briefer of Salt Lake City Public Utilities. “There’s a direct relation between management of the forest and the quality of the water that we receive. The cleaner the water, the less it costs us to make it drinkable.”

“This is a golden opportunity for people to play a direct role in shaping the future of our national forests,” says The Wilderness Society’s Seattle-based Mike Anderson, who has been on the front lines of forest management battles for a quarter century. He notes that more than 200 million people a year visit the national forests and grasslands. “This is a chance for them to tell the Forest Service they want the strongest possible protection for water, trees, and other natural resources needed by people and wildlife alike.”

Clean water is just one of the “products” of a wellmanaged national forest. The quality of those products depends on which activities the U.S. Forest Service allows in its 155 forests. Such decisions are governed by Many Americans took advantage of this opportunity, various federal laws, notably the National Forest Manspeaking at recent hearings. Wilderness Society staff agement Act, which is being revised this year. members also attended. “We welcome the emphasis on continued on page 3

A L ETTE R F ROM TH E PR E SI DEN T

Can We Learn from These Disasters?

Spring Brings Rays of Hope for America’s Arctic continued from page 1

Since I last wrote, 40 workers have lost their lives in explosions on an oil rig and in a coal mine. Vast stretches of ocean have been polluted, beaches have been contaminated, wildlife has been killed, and livelihoods have been put in jeopardy. The pain inflicted on so many of our fellow citizens is sobering for all of us. How many more disasters must occur before our country makes a serious commitment to clean energy? Over the last half century, we have put a man on the Moon, eradicated polio, and seen the Internet revolutionize communications. Yet our mix of energy sources is essentially what it was in the days before TV. That’s bad for our planet, for our health, and for our economy. Germany and China, for example, have moved rapidly to become leaders in the burgeoning renewable energy industry. Will we continue to fall farther behind? Many members of our staff are working with Obama administration officials to find the best places for solar and wind power plants and the transmission lines needed to move that electricity to major markets. Keeping those professionals on the job is possible only with the support of you and the rest of our members. Your support also enables us to keep oil rigs out of places they do not belong, such as the Arctic Refuge and the waters just offshore. Thank you for your commitment.

William H. Meadows P.S. If your summer vacation includes stops at some of the magnificent public lands in Alaska or at natural wonders such as Yellowstone, Acadia, Glacier, and the Grand Canyon, you will realize anew how fortunate we are to be joint owners of these treasures. You can take pride in your role in protecting them.

75 YEARS

1935 – 2010

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System,” notes Nicole Whittington-Evans, who heads our team in Alaska. “Making the coastal plain a wilderness area has always been our ultimate goal, to protect its special values and prevent development.” Farther west in the Arctic, the conservation and energy values of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska will be studied as the Obama administration undertakes a comprehensive review of that region. But even as we took comfort from these breakthroughs, we faced a growing threat just offshore in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. As with on-shore leasing, the Bush administration greatly expanded offshore leasing in Alaska, and Royal Dutch Shell had a green light to drill exploratory wells this summer in both seas. The Obama administration initially declined entreaties from Native communities and conservationists to reconsider Shell’s permits. Villagers were particularly concerned about the threats to bowhead whales, walruses, and other species vital to their culture and diet. Then BP’s well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Just 35 days before Shell was to start drilling, President Obama pulled the plug, at least for a year. “This decision is a victory for the Arctic, for coastal ecosystems, and for the native communities and wildlife that depend on those ecosystems,” says Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows. “Cleaning up an oil spill in the Arctic would be far more difficult than in the Gulf. Imagine adding freezing weather, sea ice, and long, dark nights to the current cleanup challenges.” Since the project was deferred—not cancelled--we will have to maintain pressure to prevent drilling there in future years.

Victory in Bristol Bay The Bush administration also had called for offshore drilling in western Alaska’s Bristol Bay, home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery and prodigious numbers of silver, chum, pink, and king salmon. But in April, President Obama declared the bay off-limits to any oil or gas activities until 2017. “The entire Arctic had had a bulls-eye on it,” says Dr. Wendy Loya, an Alaskabased Wilderness Society ecologist. “It seemed especially inappropriate when this is the part of our country that has seen the most dramatic climate change impacts. Due to the rise in sea levels, coastal communities are losing large chunks of land, and some villages are being moved inland. Every barrel of oil we burn worsens the problem, and yet we hear ‘Drill, baby, drill’ from many of our politicians.”

America’s Wilderness is published three times a year by The Wilderness Society. Our magazine, Wilderness, is published in the fall. PRESIDENT: William H. Meadows EDITOR: Bennett H. Beach ben_beach@tws.org PHOTO EDITOR: Lisa Dare DESIGN: Studio Grafik

Bill Would Boost Effort To Protect Natural Areas

Located along the Appalachian Trail on the Tennessee-North Carolina border and featuring 16 miles of blue-ribbon trout streams, Rocky Fork is the perfect place to escape the rat race. It is also the kind of area that makes a developer reach for his checkbook. “That’s what we’re up against in pristine areas all over this country,” says Brent Martin, director of our Southern Appalachian Program. “We’re in a constant race to protect these places before they are subdivided.” The primary source of money for acquiring at-risk parcels inside or close by national forests, parks, and other public lands is the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Congress created LWCF in 1964 to save areas with high natural or recreational value, and each year the fund draws $900 million from offshore oil and gas royalties. “Unfortunately, over the past decade most of those royalties have been diverted to other uses,” observes The Wilderness Society’s Alan Rowsome, a leader in the national coalition that convinced Congress to reverse that downward trend two years ago. “Buying these lands—assuming the owner wishes to sell—is a wise investment strategy that will pay dividends far into the future. As our population grows, we need these places, not only as recreational outlets, but to help clean our air and water, store carbon so that it can’t change our climate, and enable wildlife to survive.” Hoping to remedy the decline in funding, which dipped to $113 million in 2007, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Max Baucus (D-MT) have introduced S. 2747, which would provide the intended $900 million each year without having to go through the appropriations process.

We are building support for a bill to provide adequate funds for protection of places such as Rocky Fork.

To build support for this legislation, we have hired Lindsey Levick. “Over the years, LWCF has protected more than five million acres,” she notes. “It’s an initiative that has worked, but it’s not living up to its potential, and that’s why we need to find a way to pass S. 2747.” Some LWCF appropriations go to states and localities as 50-50 matching funds to purchase playing fields, build trails and swimming pools, and facilitate other projects with natural and recreational benefits. Besides Rocky Fork, places we believe should receive LWCF money as soon as possible include White Mountain National Forest (NH), Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (CA), Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (NJ), and Superior National Forest (MN). “Wilderness Society members can help protect these natural treasures for future generations,” says Levick, by urging their senators to cosponsor S. 2747.”

Helping Forests Help Us—and Wildlife

continued from page 1

WILD ALERT TAKE ACTION TO SAVE WILDERNESS The future of America’s wilderness is in our hands. Help ensure that our natural heritage is preserved by becoming an online activist for The Wilderness Society. It’s easy, effective, and free. Just subscribe to WildAlert, and we’ll send you regular notices about easy actions you can take to protect wildlife and wilderness. Learn more at: www.wilderness.org/wildalert.

making forest decisions based on sound science,” says Spencer Phillips, who oversees our ecologists and economists. “For example, with the great surge in climate change research and understanding, new policies need to reflect the vital role that our national forests play in storing carbon that is wreaking havoc with our climate. These lands also offer some fish and wildlife a chance to move to the places that provide the food, shelter, and other essentials they need to survive.” The Forest Service is reviewing the mountains of suggestions and expects to produce a proposed set of management policies for public comment later this year. Meantime, the agency is encouraging continued citizen involvement in developing the planning rule via www.fs.fed.us. To learn more, you can visit our site: www.wilderness.org/ourforestsourfuture.

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From the Field

Chinook salmon, summer steelhead, and mule deer would benefit if Congress passes a Central Oregon wilderness bill.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Peter Dykstra % 206-624-6430 pdykstra@twsnw.org

UTAH Last year Congress created Utah’s first two national conservation areas: Beaver Dam Wash NCA and Red Cliffs NCA, totaling 113,000 acres in the state’s southwestern corner, just north of Arizona. Threats to this ecologically diverse area in the Virgin River watershed include

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Bob Ekey % 406-586-1600 bob_ekey@tws.org

Congress is considering legislation that would create the Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven wilderness areas in Central Oregon, protecting more than 16,000 acres. These lands include forests, grasslands, shrub steppe, and rivers vital to threatened summer steelhead and Chinook salmon. The area also provides important wintering habitat for mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk. Over four miles of the Wild and Scenic John Day River would be made public, while land exchanges would improve access to these proposed wilderness areas. Championed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), S. 2963 is awaiting action by the Senate Energy Committee. Field trips to Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven will be offered at a desert conference in Antelope September 23 to 26. We are cosponsoring this event with the Oregon Natural Desert Association and others.

We are co-chairing a broad coalition in western Montana that has developed a plan to restore 937 miles of streams, improve 280 miles of trails, restore or decommission 400 miles of roads, rehabilitate 33 campsites in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and treat 80 percent of the national forest lands where rural communities are most threatened by severe wildfire. At stake are 1.5 million acres in the Blackfoot, Clearwater, and Swan river valleys in what we call the Southwestern Crown of the Continent. The regional forester has nominated our plan and one other from the region for funds authorized in 2009 by the Forest Landscape Restoration Act. We expect a verdict this summer, and if approved, this forest-restoring, job-creating project will last up to ten years. The forests need this sciencebased ecosystem restoration due to a century of fire suppression, past management practices, and the threats posed by climate change.

NORTHERN ROCKIES

Our coalition is trying to protect lands in southern Arizona that provide habitat for rarely seen jaguars. This one was recently photographed south of the border.

ARIZONA With the addition of Tucson-based Mike Quigley as Arizona wildlands campaign coordinator, we are working more actively to protect some of the most significant public lands in this fast-growing state. Alongside local partners such as the Arizona Wilderness Coalition (AWC) and the Sonoran Institute, we are building support for preservation of critical sections of the Sonoran Desert west of Phoenix. These lands provide important core areas and travel corridors for species such as the mountain lion, golden eagle, and desert bighorn sheep. Farther south, we are teaming up with the Sky Island Alliance and AWC to urge addition of the Tumacacori Highlands and other “sky islands” to the National Wilderness Preservation System. These special places are home to black bear, leopard frogs, and even ocelots and jaguars. Mike Quigley % 520-334-8741 mike_quigley@tws.org

We are co-chairing an initiative that would restore large tracts in western Montana.

mining, population growth, invasive plant species, and unregulated off-road vehicle use. These NCAs were established to protect species like the desert tortoise and Gila monster, as well as impressive evidence of other cultures. Our first challenge is to help shape the management plans so that they provide maximum protection. We cosponsored a public

workshop with Citizens for Dixie’s Future and plan additional efforts to engage residents in the public comment process that is about to begin. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) aims to complete these blueprints by early 2012. Julie Mack % 801-355-0070 julie_mack@tws.org

COLORADO

Nearly 250,000 acres of wilderness in Summit and Eagle counties would become part of the National Wilderness Preservation System under a proposal that our coalition has presented to U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D) and other members of the Colorado delegation. Unlike most of the Centennial State’s designated wilderness, the so-called Hidden Gems feature midelevation lands that are home to Canada lynx, black bear, and mountain lions and provide vital severe-winter range for elk. Protecting these areas also would improve habitat connectivity and ensure that Colorado’s watersheds and backcountry are available for future generations. Many visitors value the opportunities for solitude and physical challenge. Located in White River National Forest and in nearby tracts overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, these proposed wilderness areas are part of a 380,000-acre Hidden Gems campaign. The other lands are in Pitkin and Gunnison counties.

We are working with partners on proposals to protect the forest and wildlife of the Sierra Nevada.

CALIFORNIA/NEVADA

David Edelson % 415-398-1111 david_edelson@tws.org

NORTHEAST State and federal policies are encouraging greater use of wood for energy in the Northeast. Wood can be one part of the nation’s renewable energy future, but expansion needs to be carefully planned to protect the other benefits we receive from our forests. For example, forests serve as watersheds for downstream

Suzanne Jones % 303-650-5818 suzanne_jones@tws.org

Developing a long-term plan for managing a national forest is a challenge. Doing so for 11 forests is a daunting challenge. But the Clinton administration did just that, releasing a conservation plan in 2001 known as the Sierra Nevada Framework. Unfortunately, the plan was short-lived: In 2004, the Bush administration issued a new plan calling for more logging at the expense of big trees and wildlife habitat. Our legal challenge to that plan has forestalled the worst of the damage. Meantime, we are working with Sierra Forest Legacy and other groups to develop a revised plan that will protect and restore the Sierra Nevada’s forests and wildlife. Toward that goal, we recently completed a comprehensive research paper that documents the need to manage the Sierra so it is more resilient to the impacts of climate change, for example by protecting and connecting large blocks of habitat.

We are advocating permanent protection of popular, mid-elevation areas in the White River National Forest.

communities, provide important habitat for fish and wildlife, and store carbon, thus helping in the fight against climate change. One of the potential hot beds of biomass activity is the Mahoosuc Range of Maine and New Hampshire and the surrounding region we call “the Heart of the Northern Forest.” This area is the focus of our work in New England and we have produced a report on the options

A shooting range is slated for Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest, and we want to make sure other visitors are not at risk.

SOUTHEAST In May a visitor in North Carolina’s Uwharrie National Forest was hit by a bullet fired at a shooting range more than a mile away. Yet the U.S. Forest Service is now proposing to build a shooting range in the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest, in western North Carolina, without adequate safeguards. The plan calls for removing all vegetation on three to five acres, putting in berms to control errant shots, and building an access road near the Boteler Peak Roadless Area. The Clay County shooting range would be on a ridge just below the popular Chunky Gal Trail. We do not object to shooting ranges, but they must be located and built so that they do not put hikers and other visitors in harm’s way. Brent Martin % 828-369-7084 brent_martin@tws.org

and how to chart a sensible course, available at: http://www.mahoosucinfo.org. We are also are reviewing plant proposals, helping develop harvest guidelines, and studying proposed subsidies. Leanne Klyza Linck % 802-482-2171 leanne_linck@tws.org

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In Idaho, a Long Trail to Wilderness BY JOHN MCCARTHY Woven into every wilderness campaign are hundreds of personal stories. When the latest version of the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate this spring, I thought back 13 years to another spring, when ranchers and conservationists got together—warily—to talk wilderness.

We didn’t reach agreements. We did reach understandings of all our reasons for protecting very special mountain ranges, the Boulders and the White Clouds, along with high-elevation sagebrush hills. The ranchers wanted the land protected for their kids, just as we did.

On a beautiful June evening we drove the bumpy dirt road along the East Fork of the Salmon, leading into the BoulderWhite Cloud country and threading through bottom-land ranches. Conservation colleague Linn Kincannon and I figured one way to connect with ranch families was to bring our kids. My Emil and her Laurel were in junior high, just released for summer vacation and game for adventure.

Now, years later, another round in Congress gets us closer to success. Meanwhile, my son is a heavy-equipment mechanic and a father himself. Linn’s daughter is a banker. Some of the ranch kids are no doubt taking over from their parents.

We also brought their bikes. So, while we were inside talking wilderness to a somewhat skeptical crowd of adults, our kids raced around with the ranch kids, checking out horses, cows, and meadowlarks. As it got dark, they came inside for cookies and milk, and we drank more coffee.

Idaho Senator Michael Crapo, a Republican who set up our longago meeting with the ranchers, introduced the latest BoulderWhite Clouds bill this spring. Many moons ago he spent his honeymoon hiking in the Boulder-White Clouds so has his own reasons to protect our wilderness heritage. All of us are indebted to Cecil Andrus, who ran for Idaho governor in the mid-1970s pledging to protect the iconic Castle Peak in the White Clouds from a molybdenum mine. The mine was never built. Andrus won and later championed Alaskan wilderness as Secretary of Interior.

And I remember taking my kids on their first self-supported backpack trip to Fourth of July Lakes, in the White Clouds. Another time I reviewed the college course catalog with one daughter by a campfire at Born Lakes, in the White Clouds. All these memories—mine and others’—keep our effort to gain permanent protection going. The memory I want most involves a signing ceremony at the White House. Shallow Lake and Serrate Ridge would be protected forever if the BoulderWhite Clouds bill passes.

(John McCarthy is our Idaho forest campaign director, based in Boise.)

Strengthen Your Commitment to Wilderness Act today and help save the special wild places you love.

Become an Advocate for Wilderness with a gift of $1,000 or more. You will receive all the benefits of membership with The Wilderness Society plus: a TWS wall calendar, a special Advocate membership card, and special updates from President William H. Meadows. You can also join our other exclusive giving circles: Aldo Leopold Circle: $750 Gaylord Nelson Circle: $500 Robert Sterling Yard Circle: $250

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Please use the enclosed reply envelope or make a secure online donation at www.wilderness.org. You can also join the TWS Sustainer program and make your contribution through monthly installments charged to your credit or debit card. Your membership will renew annually. To enroll today, call 1-800-THE WILD.

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With Americans fuming about oil damage to coastal waters, our efforts to convince the federal government to restore balance to federal onshore drilling policy paid off recently with a package of reforms that should lead to significant improvement—and better protection for wilderness and the environment in general. “Oil and gas development is one use of our public lands, but it is not the only one and, given the damage it causes to other resources, it should not be presumed to always be the right one,” says Dave Alberswerth, our senior policy advisor on energy issues. Working with ranchers, sportsmen, and other allies, we made the case to Interior Department officials that drilling’s impact on clean water, fish and wildlife, and scenic values had been given short shrift. David Morris, a teacher in Craig, Colorado, is one of many outdoors lovers who welcomed the news. “I spend as much time as I can hiking, camping, and exploring in spots like Vermillion Basin and the Greater Dinosaur region of Northwest Colorado,” he says. “Not too long ago it looked like a number of these special places were going to be industrialized.” Greater public input is one of the central elements in the reforms. “After all, the western lands overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management belong to the American people,” notes Nada Culver, director of our BLM Action Center. “They do not belong to ExxonMobil, Chevron, or BP.”

Western Drilling Policy Reformed

Wyoming’s Adobe Town is less likely to become industrialized, thanks to reform of oil and gas policy.

In addition, the government’s environmental reviews will be more thorough. “The goal should be to make an informed judgment,” Culver says. Speed had become job one, facilitated by easier waivers of the usual requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). “Under the new policy, BLM can’t do an end-run on NEPA,” she adds. The new policy will have its greatest impact in the Rockies, particularly in Colorado, Utah, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The likelihood of drilling is now lower at special places such as Vermillion Basin, Otero Mesa, Adobe Town, and Labyrinth Canyon.

meet a wilderness society member

Every car that Montana Import Group (MIG) of Bozeman sold in April generated a $50 gift to The Wilderness Society’s work in the Big Sky State. At the same time, MIG ran three ads a week in the local paper that included praise of our mission. “It was wonderful,” says Bob Ekey, our Northern Rockies regional director. “It’s a great example of how a business can be part of a land-protection team, and we’d love to see others take a page from MIG’s book.” The idea was the brainchild of Columbine Culberg, who operates Honeydew Consulting in Santa Barbara. Alan Cawthon, an owner of MIG, had asked her to create a comprehensive conservation program for the dealership, which sells Subarus, Hyundais, and Volkswagens. “lt was exciting to meet Alan and have the opportunity to work with an auto dealership that understands that the future lies in the conservation and stewardship of nature,” she says. After studying the environmental organizations operating in the area, Cawthon and Culberg selected The Wilderness Society and four others. MIG highlights the groups on a monthly rotation, with General Manager John LeFriec executing the plan. “We’re also encouraging our 38 employees to volunteer with these

outfits, and a number of them are doing so,” says LeFriec. “This campaign is consistent with the policies of our manuColumbine Culberg came up with the idea. facturers,” Cawthon says. “Subaru and VW have been at this industry’s leading edge in trying to be environmentally responsible, and they fully support what we’re doing.” Customers like the idea, too. “We’ve had people in our showroom say how cool it is that a car dealer is doing something like this.” That enthusiasm probably accounts in part for MIG’s ability to almost double its share of the Gallatin County auto sales market. For The Wilderness Society, the April checks from MIG totaled more than $2,500. “We put that money right to work,” Ekey says.

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Montana Car Dealer Is Pitching In

The Wilderness Society 1615 M St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 www.wilderness.org 202-833-2300 1-800-THE-WILD

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THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY

IN THIS ISSUE: Rays of Hope in Alaska Drilling threats ease, for now

A Chance to Help Forests Review of priorities is underway

Idaho Wilderness Coming?

Congress debates Boulder-White Clouds bill

Rockies Drilling Reforms More balanced approach is coming

This newsletter was printed on 100%-recycled paper (50% post-consumer waste) certified by SmartWood to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard. The paper was processed chlorine-free using biogas energy. As a result, we used 85 fewer trees than we would have if printing on virgin paper. We also reduced water use by 50,980 gallons, greenhouse gas emissions by 11,861 pounds, and solid waste by 5,401 pounds.

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Contact us today to learn how you can leave The Wilderness Society in your will, trust or other estate plan and have the peace of mind that your legacy will help to protect wilderness forever.

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