LANDSCOPE...News and Views from American Lands

"Come see the destructive side of Sears"
According to ForestEthics, Sears sends out an estimated 425 million catalogs a year. While there are arguably environmentally responsible catalog companies, such as Victoria's Secret and Williams-Sonoma, which have implemented strong environmental policies, Sears' catalogs have almost no post-consumer recycled content and the company refuses to make strong commitments to protect endangered forests.

In response to Sears' forest destruction, ForestEthics has launched a campaign at www.catalogcutdown.org. ForestEthics is urging that Sears stop purchasing paper from endangered forests; stop sourcing from off-limit caribou range; maximize post-consumer recycled content in catalogs; and implement strategies to reduce the use of paper overall.

As part of this campaign, ForestEthics is asking activists across the United States and Canada to take action during the week leading up to Father's Day on June 15, a big sales time for Sears. Activists can host or attend an event on Father's Day or send a letter demanding a commitment from Sears to stop destroying endangered forests. For more information on the campaign or to get involved or send a letter, go to www.catalogcutdown.org. For more information on ForestEthics, go to www.forestethics.org.

Forest Service Slow to Respond to Allegheny Defense Project's Concerns
Last month, the Allegheny Defense Project (ADP) claimed that the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) staff implements different policies to regulate oil and gas drilling than other national forests. In particular, the Allegheny does not require that environmental assessments be conducted before issuing notices to proceed to oil and gas drillers in the forest, while national forests in West Virginia, Michigan, and Arkansas routinely assess environmental impacts of proposed oil and gas wells.

While ADP wrote the chief of the US Forest Service, regional forester, and ANF supervisor in May asking that notices to proceed be halted until the policy is clarified, the ANF could not say when the Forest Service would respond.

Ryan Talbott, Forest Watch Coordinator for ADP, said in his letter to the Forest Service officials, “It is becoming increasingly clear that the Allegheny Forest Service stands alone in its ridiculous assertion that National Environmental Policy Act regulations do not apply.” Not only does NEPA require that environmental assessments be conducted, but also that public hearings be held before proposed drilling can occur. To read the full article or for more information, go to www.alleghenydefense.org.

Gray Wolves Head to Washington State
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is reviewing a proposed conservation and management plan that could protect wild gray wolves within the state as early as next year. Public review opportunities will be available and the final plan is expected to be completed by June 30, 2008.

While the state of Washington will not reintroduce the wolves, the species is expected to emigrate from neighboring states and Canada. To prepare for their return, the Washington Wolf Working Group has been working on drafting the conservation and management plan. The working group includes stakeholders from livestock, timber, conservation, sportsmen, local government, and recreation interests.

Because the gray wolf was almost completely eradicated by the 1930s, the species became federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and state recovery efforts were initiated. The gray wolf's numbers have increased and the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the gray wolf from the endangered species list in the Northern Rockies, which includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Utah, Oregon, and Washington. The gray wolf is designated as endangered in Washington State as well. The final plan will have to identify population objectives and appropriate conservation and management strategies. For more information, go to www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolf.

Learn About the Roadless Areas of Pike-San Isabel National Forest, CO
In June, Wild Connections is sponsoring a "Roadless Roadshow" in seven Colorado communities. The Roadshow includes a free, public slideshow presentation on the Roadless Areas of Pike-San Isabel National Forest in Colorado. The presentation will discuss ecological values of Roadless areas, explain current management of these areas, and provide trails and hiking information. For dates and more information, go to www.wildconnections.org.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE...News and Views from American Lands, May 2008

Huge Victory in Washington State: Activists Block Copper Mining Near Mount St. Helens!
On April 30, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rejected General Moly's request to mine copper 12 miles from Mount St. Helens. General Moly, formerly Idaho General Mines, Inc., also will not appeal the decision or apply for an exploration permit.

Over 33,000 activists sent public comments to the Bureau of Land Management urging them to deny the mining request and to protect water quality, fish, and recreation. In addition, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent a letter to BLM urging that the mining proposal be rejected.

The area in question is just outside the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and in the Goat Mountain area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which includes the headwaters of the Green River. The BLM decided that this area has three primary purposes including scientific research following a volcanic explosion, extensive conservation, and limited recreation. To read the full article, go to gptaskforce.org/article.php?id=226. For more information, contact Emily Platt, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, 360-521-7973 or emily@gptaskforce.org.

One Double Deforestation and Southern Fried Forest for Here or To Go?
Dogwood Alliance has launched a new campaign at nofreerefills.org to raise awareness of the importance of Southern forests and the threats caused by paper-packing practices of the fast food industry. Fast food giants such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC are some of the largest consumers of paper products in the US. There are nearly 100 paper-packaging mills in the South that provide services to thousands of restaurants worldwide.

Southern forests supply 60% of US and 15% of global paper demands. According to Dogwood Alliance, the South contains more threatened forest ecosystems than anywhere else in the US and the major cause of deforestation in these forests is the fast food industry. More than 30% of all native Southeastern plant communities have become critically endangered due to habitat loss and degradation.

Dogwood Alliance is urging fast food retailers to implement new practices to reduce their environmental impact. These practices include reducing packaging materials, employing 100% post-consumer recycled boxboard, eliminating paper packaging sourced from endangered forests, recycling their own waste, and creating partnerships to improve forest management. To read the full article, go to news.mongabay.com/2008/0428-davis_nofreerefills.html. For more information about Dogwood Alliance, go to www.dogwoodalliance.org. For more information on the campaign or to send a letter to the fast food industry, go to www.nofreerefills.org. For Dogwood Alliance's 2008 Fast Food Industry Packaging Report, go to nofreerefills.org/files/file/NoFreeRefillsReport.pdf.

Wild Sky Wilderness Bill Passes Congress
On April 29, the House of Representatives passed the Wild Sky Wilderness plan along with a package of several other public lands bills. The Senate passed the bill on April 10 with 91-4 (Roll Call) vote and the House passed the bill with 291-117 (Roll Call) vote. If President Bush signs the plan, and he is expected to, the state of Washington would gain its first new wilderness area in over two decades, which includes 106,000 acres of forest in the Cascade Mountains. This new wilderness designation within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest would be protected from logging, mining, cars, and off-road vehicles.

The Wild Sky Wilderness Act was introduced during the last three Congresses and passed unanimously by the Senate each Congress. The bill had been blocked for years in the House by Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA) until he was unseated in 2006.

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who championed Wild Sky, said it was "an example of wilderness done the right way," with support from local groups and elected officials. To read the full article, go to seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004382079_wildsky30m.html.

Benefit Concert to Support the Maple Woods Completion Project, Missouri
Friends of Maple Wood Nature Preserve is holding its second benefit concert on Sunday, June 1 from noon to 6 pm in Gladstone, Missouri. There is a $10-donation to see four bands including Kasey Rausch, Buttermilk Boys, The River City Revelators, and the Scott Moyer Band. All contributions go toward the Maple Woods Completion Project that will purchase 7.3 acres of pristine Missouri forest land to be added to the preserve. For more information go to www.graceyfoundation.org.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE...News and Views from American Lands

Victory for Friends of Wolf Creek
After 16 months of battling with the Forest Service and developer Red McCombs, Friends of Wolf Creek have finally scored a monumental victory. The Forest Service and McCombs agreed to complete a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed "Village" at Wolf Creek. After US District Court Judge John Kane issued a Preliminary Injunction in October 2007, which halted the projected, the Forest Service and developers opted to complete a new EIS instead of waiting for Judge Kane's final ruling.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit the Friends of Wolf Creek (Colorado Wild and the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council) brought against the Forest Service and developers in October 2006. The suit challenged the Forest Service's decision in April 2006 that allowed the construction of two access roads across public lands for the proposed 10,000 person "Village." Friends of Wolf Creek argued that the Forest Service was required to conduct a complete, unbiased environmental impact analysis of the development. This resolution clearly shows the Forest Service and developers that their proposal for Wolf Creek must have full public disclosure and adhere to the highest environmental protections. For more information, go to www.friendsofwolfcreek.org.

Drilling Leases Ruled Invalid in Colorado
After a coalition of conservation organizations and other concerned parties filed an appeal in March 2005 to prevent EnCana Oil and Gas USA from drilling for natural gas within the largest unprotected wild area in Colorado, the Interior Board of Land Appeals ruled last month that the leases were issued unlawfully and will be invalid while the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) review the leases.

EnCana Oil and Gas USA acquired the leases in May 2004 for parcels of land in the White River, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests southwest of Carbondale, which included two inventoried roadless areas and approximately 2000 acres of national forest land. The coalition argued that the Forest Service and BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not prohibiting EnCana from building roads. Roads can contribute sediment to streams, harming fish populations and sources of clean water as well as disturb wildlife. The appeal also claimed that the Forest Service and BLM violated the Endangered Species Act by not adequately accounting for the potential impact on lynx habitat. To read the full article by the Aspen Times, go to www.aspentimes.com/article/20080131/NEWS/816615341.

UEC Files Lawsuit Against Forest Service Over Illegal Timber Sale
The Utah Environmental Congress (UEC) filed a lawsuit earlier this month in US District Court to prevent an illegal timber sale by the Forest Service. This timber sale would allow 10 million board feet of timber to be logged in the Dixie National Forest. The UEC claims that the Forest Service is using a bark beetle outbreak as an excuse for the timber sale, when in fact the beetle outbreak could have resulted from the Forest Service's prescribed burn during severe drought conditions in 2002.

The prescribed burn became known as the Sanford Fire, which consumed approximately 70,000 acres and boiled a population of Bonneville cutthroat trout. According to the UEC, the area affected by the fire is a critical elk calving area that has rebounded and allowing logging now would only further damage the healing area. "Irresponsible Forest Service management caused the domino-effect that has horribly altered the forest landscape, wildlife habitat and imperiled fish populations," said Kevin Mueller, Executive Director of UEC. "The proposed logging is sure to delay the trout's recovery for decades due to watershed damage from increased erosion, sediment and decreased water quality." To read the full article by the Deseret News, go to deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695253164,00.html.

Gold Butte Broadwalk, April 10-14, 2008
Join the Great Old Broads for Wilderness on a four-night, three-day Broadwalk through the Gold Butte region of Nevada. Explore and learn about the wild desert scenery while accompanied by the Nevada Wilderness Project during the day and camp near Whitney Pocket at night. Speakers and local hike leaders will share their information about the area. Breakfasts and dinners will be provided, but participants are responsible for their own trail lunches. The cost is $110. For more information, go to www.greatoldbroads.org/events.htm. To register for the event, go to www.greatoldbroads.org/events_register.htm. For more information on Gold Butte, go to www.wildnevada.org/content/view/133/17/.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands January 2008

Forest Service Dismantles Wildlife Monitoring in the Sierra Nevada National Forests
In a Record of Decision, released on December 14, 2007, the Forest Service proposed the Sierra Nevada Management Indicator Species (MIS) Amendment. The MIS amendment will weaken the forest habitat monitoring requirements of the Forest Service by significantly curtailing the management indicator species lists that cover all Sierra Nevada National Forests. Currently, the Forest Service must monitor the impacts of Forest Service projects on the long-term viability of the species and the long-term health of the habitats on which these species depend.

Weakening the current requirements will result in significant negative environmental consequences as well as reduce protections for species and the biological diversity of the Sierra Nevada National Forests. These vital monitoring requirements for management indicator species are an essential part of land management plans and provide a safety net to decrease the possibility of implementing plans that may harm the environment. Without this monitoring program, there is little chance of measuring the effects of Forest Service actions, such as timber sales and other extractive processes, within these crucial habitats.

The Sierra Forest Legacy is urging activists to appeal this Record of Decision. All appeals must be filed by February 4, 2008 via mail, fax or email. For more information and talking points to make in your appeal, visit www.sierraforestlegacy.org/TA_ActionAlerts/TA_ActionAlerts.php or contact Jason Swartz, Sierra Forest Legacy, jason@sierraforestlegacy.org, or Craig Thomas, Sierra Forest Legacy, craig@sierraforestlegacy.org.

Ski Area Environmental Scorecard Released
The Ski Area Citizens Coalition released their eighth Ski Area Environmental Scorecard in December 2007. It found that past offenders, resorts that received a grade of 'C' or lower, are becoming industry leaders in environmental protection and resource conservation by cleaning up their act and earning a higher score.

Ben Doon, Research Director for the Coalition, explains that "in recent years Telluride [Ski Resort in Colorado] has limited their terrain expansions to areas that are accessible only by hiking. They've also started using renewable biodiesel fuel and solar panels, and they've undertaken an extensive energy retrofit program to update inefficient, older facilities." These improvements raised Telluride's grade from an 'F' in 2000 to an 'A' in 2007. Similarly, resorts such as Mammoth, Squaw Valley, and Park City, all earned a grade of 'A' or 'B' in 2007 from a 'C' or 'D' by ending environmentally-damaging terrain expansions and development projects and adopting new resource conservation programs and policies.

The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard is the only non-industry, independent review that allows the public to assess the environmental performance of these well-known resorts. The resorts are scored on comprehensive criteria such as old growth forest protection, alpine wildlife and water resources, as well as proactive steps such as carpool programs, recycling, and use of green energy. The scorecard can be found at www.skiareacitizens.com/index.php. For more information, contact Ben Doon, Ski Area Citizens Coalition, at 719-672-3012.

Funds for Vital Watershed Restoration in Washington National Forest Lands Approved
In late December 2007, led by Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Congress approved $39.4 million to address deteriorating forest roads that harm water quality. In Washington State alone, thousands of miles of decaying national forest roads threaten the source of clean drinking water for communities and habitat of threatened and endangered species such as salmon.

Removing unnecessary roads and stormproofing "the rest are critical to protect watersheds from intensified storms and fires expected under future climate conditions," explained Chris Frissell, Director of Science and Conservation for Pacific Rivers Councils. This funding is just the first step toward proper maintenance of forest roads. The Forest Service estimated that it will take $300 million over the next 10 years to correct this problem.

The Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative (WWRI), a coalition effort of non-profit conservation organizations, state agencies, and tribes of the Puget Sound region, will continue to work for long-term funding for watershed restoration, protecting water quality for humans and wildlife. For more information, go to www.wawatersheds.blogspot.com or www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/nonpoint/forest_ practices.htm l or contact Gina Ottoboni, Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative, at 206-417-1853.

Umpqua Watersheds’ 12th Annual Banquet and Silent Auction
Join Umpqua Watersheds on February 9, 2008 for their 12th Annual Banquet and Silent Auction. The banquet will be held at 5 pm at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Community Building in Roseburg, Oregon. The keynote speaker will be Executive Director of Conservation Science and Policy Programs, Dominick DellaSala. Appetizers, wine, and beer will be provided as well as a dinner buffet. Volunteers and silent auction items are welcome. For more information or to buy a ticket, go to www.umpqua-watersheds.org/banquet08.html or call 541-672-7065.

***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE...News and Views from American Lands 11.20.07

Hardrock Mining Law Reform
On November 1, the House of Representatives passed HR 2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, by a vote of 244-166. Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV), who has been trying to pass mining reform for over a decade, introduced this bill that reforms the antiquated Mining Law of 1872. This legislation responds to 20 years of House deliberations on the need to provide comprehensive reform of the Mining Law of 1872, including four hearings and nine months of valuable input from all perspectives in 2007 alone. The Mining Law of 1872 allows free-for-all mining on federal lands, where the extractive industries pay a few dollars per acre to enjoy royalty-free mining of hardrock minerals such as gold, silver, and copper. This bill has received the support of over 125 groups representing conservation, environmental, hunting and angling, jeweler, and recreation interests, among others.

HR 2262 will impose a gross income royalty on new and fully operational mines. States and Tribal governments will be able to petition the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw federal lands from mining to protect drinking water, wildlife habitat, and other resources they deem critical to their communities and local economies. It will also give the Secretary of Interior the ability to deny a proposed mine that would negatively impact public resources. The bill now heads to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. To read HR 2262, go to: HR 2262.

New Report Says Fire-Prone Communities Lack Resources to Protect Homes
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently released a new report, "Safe at Home: Making the Federal Fire Safety Budget Work for Communities," which found that many California communities prone to wildfires have not taken the preventive steps to protect their property. One major reason for this is that federal funding has decreased, while the number of people moving into in high-risk fire areas is on the rise. Federal funding for state and local community fire protection programs were dramatically reduced from $148.5 million in 2001 to $85 million proposed by the Bush administration in the 2008 fiscal budget.

According to NRDC, the recommended preventive fire-wising measures are relatively easy and affordable. Following the standards issued by the National Fire Protection Association, the average cost for fire survivability measures for a home in California is about $2,500. There are a number steps that people can take to improve survivability for people and property, such as removing flammable vegetation from around the home or applying fire resistant coating to outdoor decks.

The report recommends that Congress shift funding away from counterproductive programs such as subsidized logging and roadbuilding that can increase fire risk and channel funds into programs that can most increase fire safety. In particular, the Forest Service hazardous fuels reduction program budget, which funds unproved fire prevention techniques, should be directly funding community fire protection needs. “Protecting homes and communities from fires is job number one,” said Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst for NRDC. “Congress should insist that the federal fire budget reflect the national priority to protect homes.” To read the report, go to: Safe at Home: Making the Federal Fire Safety Budget Work for Communities.

Combat Illegal Logging
Led by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Combat Illegal Logging Act of 2007, S. 1930, would expand the Lacey Act to include timber under the Lacey Act’s protections.

The Lacey Act regulates trade in fish, wildlife, and a limited subset of plants by making it illegal to “import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase” any of those items transported, taken, or sold in violation of any State or, with respect to fish and wildlife only, any foreign law. It is one of the broadest and most comprehensive forces in the federal arsenal to combat wildlife crime.

Illegal logging is a driver of deforestation, which is estimated to generate almost 20 percent of annual global carbon emissions. A decrease in forest cover in tropical regions can increase surface temperatures and decrease precipitation, which lowers the water supply. It destroys forest ecosystems worldwide, devastating critical habitat for endangered species, causing loss of biodiversity. Ninety percent of terrestrial biodiversity is found within the forests of the world. Deforestation also causes erosion leading to water quality degradation, which is harmful to humans and fish species. To read more about the Combat Illegal Logging Act of 2007, go to: Combat Illegal Logging. To read the bill, go to: S. 1930.

Thrillcraft Party in DC
The Center for Biological Diversity and Wildlands CPR are hosting a book party on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 to celebrate the release of Thrillcraft: The Environmental Consequences of Motorized Recreation. Edited by renowned author and activist George Wuerthner and published by the Foundation for Deep Ecology, this book illustrates the environmental consequences of motorized recreation throughout the United States using alarming photos and captivating essays.

The party will be held from 6-8:30 pm at the American Legion on Capitol Hill, 224 D Street, SE, Washington, DC. Food and drinks will be served and George Wuerthner will provide a slideshow about the book, which will be available. For more information, go to deepecology.org/book_thrillcraft.htm or contact Chris Kassar, Center for Biological Diversity, at ckassar@biologicaldiversity.org or 520-396-1139.

***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands October 2007

House of Representatives Announces NREPA Hearing
The US House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold a hearing on October 18, 2007 on the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA). The bill (HR 1975) would designate over 23 million acres of federal public land in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon, and eastern Washington as wilderness, the strongest protection the federal government provides, thus safeguarding the land from oil and gas drilling, logging, and development. The protected lands would include over 3 million acres in Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks.

Originally introduced in the House in 1993 and reintroduced in each successive Congress, House Democrats are hoping their control of Congress will finally give them the leverage to muster enough bipartisan support to pass the bill. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who, along with Christopher Shays (R-CT), is a lead cosponsor, said "NREPA’s time has come. I want to thank Chairman Rahall and Subcommittee Chairman Grijalva for holding the first hearing on this important issue in nearly a decade."

Proponents of NREPA cite that it will eliminate subsidized development in the designated wilderness areas, saving taxpayers $245 million over a ten-year period while creating more than 2,000 jobs in habitat restoration and leading to a more sustainable economic base in the region. Based on ecosystem science, the bill seeks to restore vast swaths of clear-cut forests and create biological connecting corridors between existing and new protected areas to avoid further fragmentation. For more information, go to www.wildrockies.org/nrepa or contact Michael Garrity, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, at 406-459-5936.

Separate Court Rulings Go Against Massive Development in Wolf Creek, Colorado
Development that would threaten critical wildlife habitat, watersheds, and existing local businesses in Wolf Creek, Colorado has been staved off in two key legal victories. On September 20, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld a ruling by the District Court that threw out zoning approval for the project. The Court stated that the Mineral County Board of Commissioners “abused its discretion in granting final approval, because the record contains no evidence of year-around access to the state highway system at the time of final approval.” Currently, the area’s only connection to the state highway system is a one-lane gravel road maintained by the Forest Service that is closed for most of the year because of snow, which can pile ten feet high during the winter.

The $1 billion “Village” as the developers, Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture (LMJV), have called it, would include 2,100 residential and commercial buildings, house approximately 10,000 people, provide parking for 4,500 vehicles and require the creation of two power plants and a wastewater treatment plant.

A separate ruling on October 4 by Colorado’s District Court extended the Preliminary Injunction that has prevented road construction in the area since last fall. The roads would have been created through the Rio Grande National Forest, which surrounds the land proposed for development.

The Judges Order found various inconsistencies with the Forest Service’s decision to grant permission to build roads for the development. The Court also addressed the plaintiff’s dual claims that an improper relationship developed between the Forest Service’s environmental impact statement (EIS) contractor and the developers, and that the Forest Service failed to properly investigate the relationship or include evidence of it in the administrative record. The plaintiffs argued that emails between the developers and the EIS contractor should have been included in the administrative record to allow the public to assess whether the relationship violated the integrity of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and decision-making process. Judge Kane wrote that, “I have investigated the email communications referenced by Plaintiffs and agree with the Magistrate Judge that they raise serious, substantial, difficult, and doubtful questions that are ripe for litigation and deserving of deliberate investigation.”

The Court’s decision further recognizes the public’s interest in this development:
“The thousands of public comments submitted on the draft EIS, the majority of which reportedly opposed LMJV’s access request and development plans, also demonstrate the public interest in maintaining the status quo by not allowing the Forest Service and LMJV to begin implementation of the [decision] until this challenge to the Forest Service’s decision is fully resolved.” For more information, please visit www.friendsofwolfcreek.org or www.coloradowild.org.

State of the Paper Industry Provides Vision for Future of the Paper Industry
The Environmental Paper Network has issued its State of the Paper Industry , a comprehensive resource for environmental advocates, charitable foundations, paper purchasers, academics/students, media and professionals in the forest, paper, and waste industries who are advancing a more environmentally responsible industry. As the study points out, the ubiquity of paper products and their seeming necessity to our everyday lives tends to mask their environmental impact. Paper production promotes deforestation, exacerbating global warming and destroying wildlife habitat, and pollutes our air and water with toxic chemicals like mercury and dioxin. Paper products all too often end their lifecycle in landfills where they emit methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide.

The State of the Paper Industry provides common-sense solutions to problems created by paper products and challenges the leaders in the industry with a vision for social and environmental responsibility. The report can be downloaded here or by visiting www.environmentalpaper.org/.

Join Thousands for Global Warming Summit at U. of Maryland, College Park
Join thousands from across the country for Power Shift 2007, the first-ever national youth summit on global warming. The 3-day event will take place at the University of Maryland at College Park from November 2 – 5, 2007. Hear leaders and experts in the global warming movement and choose from hundreds of workshops on organizing, climate issues, and anti-oppression. The summit will also host a career fair featuring over 150 of the country's best 'green' companies, organizations, and academic programs. Attendees will have a chance to submit résumés, and learn about internships and volunteer opportunities. The event will be capped off with a march and rally on the West lawn of the US Capitol. Learn more about Power Shift and register for the summit at www.powershift07.org. To volunteer to be a recruiter for your campus, call Mary at 202-448-9054, or email marypowershift07@gmail.com.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 09.13.07

Study Shows Presence of Birds Increases Conifer Tree Growth
A study by the University of Colorado at Boulder found that the mountain chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, pygmy nuthatch, and yellow-rumped warbler spurred the growth of pine trees in the West by as much as one-third by removing damaging insects such as beetles, caterpillars, ants, and aphids from tree branches. This is the first study to show that birds can affect the growth of conifers and illustrates the importance of preserving ecological communities.

Kailen Mooney, who conducted the study as part of his doctoral research, said that it indicates that “forest managers really need to look at the big picture of ecosystems and not just focus on trees when implementing regulations aimed at encouraging the growth of healthy forests.”

He also said that this study has implications for areas of the West affected by forest fires in recent years. Many mature ponderosa stands that were burned and logged were replaced by smaller pines offer limited breeding opportunities for cavity-nesting birds, such as the chickadee and nuthatch. These birds nest and lay their eggs in the holes of large trees and snags.

The study found that birds can improve the “immune system” of the trees by removing insects and changing the terpene “flavor” in the conifers. Terpenes are chemicals that give plants distinctive odors and have been implicated in the resistance of trees to parasites and plant-eating insects, such as the bark beetle. To read the press release issued by the University of Colorado at Boulder, go to: http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2007/282.html.

Rampant Oil and Gas Drilling on the Allegheny National Forest Featured in Forest Magazine
James Johnston’s article, “Blight on the Land,” is featured in the fall issue of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics’ (FSEEE) Forest Magazine. It describes the accelerated oil and gas developments in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. Johnston also highlights the frustration local residents have with the landscape of new roads, pump jacks, and truck traffic. Speaking to a forest advocate, a snowmobiler, and a couple looking for a beautiful view with peace and quiet, he finds that they are all furious that the Allegheny is becoming an oil field.

Although the surface of the Allegheny National Forest is owned by the federal government, the mineral estate underneath the forest is the property of the oil companies who can demand access to their property. As of 2006, 10 percent of the 513,000-acre Allegheny Forest has already been cleared to make space for oil and gas development. By 2022, the Forest Service estimates, almost one-fifth of the total forest will be converted to an oil field.

Ryan Talbot, forest watch coordinator for the Allegheny Defense Project, said “the Forest Service isn’t exercising their rights as surface owners.” As a surface owner under Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act, the Forest Service is allowed to file objections to oil and gas development applications submitted by the oil companies. Not only are the new roads with pump jacks every 500 feet aesthetically unappealing, but people are no longer able to come to the forest for recreational activities, such as hiking and camping or peaceful solitude. To read the full article, click on Forest Magazine at www.fseee.org. For more info about oil and gas drilling on the Allegheny National Forest, go to: www.alleghenydefense.org

BLM Expedites Oil, Gas, and Logging Projects with NEPA Shortcuts
In August, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved new categorical exclusions (CEs) for oil, gas and geothermal exploration, salvage logging, and grazing permits on public lands. The BLM will be able to expedite salvage logging proposals up to 250 acres, renew grazing permits without considering the impacts of public land grazing, and accelerate geophysical exploration when no new road building is involved. This expanded use of CEs under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will allow the agency to go forward with a project without conducting a full environmental analysis (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS) if the agency determines that the project will not have a significant environmental impact. CEs dramatically decrease the approval time for projects or permit requests while limiting environmental analysis and public participation.

Prior to the Bush administration, NEPA regulations allowed CEs for small projects such as expanding a campground or constructing a public bathroom. The Bush administration has greatly expanded the use of CEs for logging, grazing, and oil and gas projects that do have a significant impact. The new BLM CE for salvage logging is similar to the Forest Service’s CE for damaged trees that is part of Bush’s Healthy Forests Initiative. The Salvage CE allows for logging up to 250 acres of commercially valuable trees harmed by fire, wind, ice, insects, or disease and the trees must have been severely damaged and either dead or dying to be exempt from NEPA. This current use of CEs fails to address significant impacts of actual harmful projects. To read the full E&E article on this topic, go to: www.americanlands.org/issues.php?subsubNo=1174681876#1187723728.

Get Wet and Wild with American Lands
Please join American Lands Alliance and Wild Rivers Expeditions on a benefit river rafting trip from September 25-29, 2007. Proceeds from the trip will support American Lands' work to protect and restore America's forests, waters, and wildlife.

This five day, 58-mile rafting expedition into the remote lower canyon of the San Juan River offers some of the Colorado Plateau's most wonderful scenery and solitude. In a narrow gorge rich with geologic and natural history, the San Juan River traverses one of America's last great wild regions.

Our days will be spent floating by raft or inflatable kayak, hiking side trails and canyons, and generally enjoying the canyon country splendor. Evenings camping along sandy beaches will include selected readings, discussions, humor and star gazing.

During our trip we will also learn from American Lands' board and staff about the organization's critical advocacy work, for which we seek to raise $8,000 through trip fare proceeds.

As with all Wild Rivers trips, this benefit features caring, professional guides, delicious, healthy meals and excellent interpretation of the river's geologic and natural histories.

This is a great trip for a great cause... Please join us! Click Here to Learn More and/or Reserve Your Space Today.

***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 08.07.07

Ninth Circuit Halts Logging of Thousands of Acres in Idaho Panhandle National Forests
In July, the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of The Lands Council and WildWest Institute, who argued that the Forest Service’s plan to log almost 4,000 acres in the Bonners Ferry region not only went beyond what was necessary to restore the historic composition of the forest, but would also harm the forest ecosystem. The purpose of the Forest Service’s plan was to convert the Bonners Ferry region to an open ponderosa pine and Douglas fir stand similar to its historical composition, while also reducing the risk of insect infestation and fire.

Bonners Ferry, Moyie Springs, and Boundary County officials argued that halting this project would have serious economic effects on the region, such as laying off logging company employees. "While balancing environmental harms and economic harms is not easy, it is not unprecedented," Judge Warren J. Ferguson wrote for the three-judge panel. "We have held time and again that the public interest in preserving nature and avoiding irreparable environmental injury outweighs economic concerns."

Mike Petersen, executive director of The Lands Council, said he was pleased by the ruling and hoped that environmental groups and the Forest Service can work toward a compromise. The environmental groups had agreed with the Forest Service that at least part of the logging plan was appropriate, he said. For more information, contact Mike Petersen, The Lands Council, 509-838-4912.

Federal Magistrate Recommends Continued Coho Salmon Protection
In July, US Magistrate Janice Stewart in Oregon issued a decision recommending that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reassess its decision to remove the coho salmon from the threatened list. Stewart called the Administration’s decision to remove coho salmon’s “threatened” status inconsistent with the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Represented by Earthjustice, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Institute for Fisheries Resources, Pacific Rivers Council, Trout Unlimited, Oregon Wild, Native Fish Society, and Umpqua Watersheds challenged the Administration’s decision last year, claiming that it did not consider the best available science.

In June 2004, after reviewing 26 stocks of ESA-listed salmon and steelhead, the NMFS proposed listing five salmon populations as endangered and the 22 remaining populations as threatened, including the coho. In January 2006, the NMFS withdrew its proposal, claiming that state efforts to restrict fishing and curb competition from hatchery fish would be sufficient to help save the species. This decision was partly based on Oregon’s declaration that the coho sufficiently recovered after a rebound in fish returns between 2001 and 2004. Stewart found this to be “arbitrary, capricious, contrary to the best available evidence, and a violation of the ESA.”

The NMFS has 60 days to finalize a new listing decision or object to Stewart’s recommendations before the federal district judge approves them.

Old Growth Reserve Logging Halted in the Timbered Rock Fire Area
With a 2-1 ruling by the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals, the panel upheld a ruling by US District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene that prevented the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from logging 23.4 million board feet of large Douglas fir trees on 961 acres of the 2002 Timbered Rock fire area in southern Oregon. Not only is this area designated as Late Successional Reserve, but it contains a key watershed and spotted owl critical habitat.

The appeals court found that the BLM violated the Northwest Forest Plan and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The plan to harvest dead and dying trees violated the Northwest Forest Plan’s mandate to maintain and preserve old growth forest ecosystems, which includes trees killed by fire. By not adequately analyzing the cumulative environmental damage of dropping 40,000 gallons of chemical retardant for fire suppression and harvesting 6,000 acres of trees on neighboring non-federal lands, the BLM violated NEPA.

Judge Dorothy Nelson wrote that the Northwest Forest Plan "clearly states that salvaging should be minimal, that environmental concerns ought to take priority over potential commercial benefits, and that large (dead trees) should be retained so as to ensure the development and preservation of (old growth) habitat."

The Charcoal Forest: How Fire Helps Animals and Plants, a Children’s Book by Beth Peluso
Beth Peluso’s first children’s book, The Charcoal Forest , focuses on the different plant and animal adaptations to fire in the Rocky Mountains. The book uses straightforward language and comparisons that kids can relate to in order to describe the science behind the importance of a burned forest ecosystem. To lure children into the book there are pictures on every other page that are realistic and scientifically accurate. An important book for all ages! The book can be viewed at http://mountain-press.com. For more information, contact Beth Peluso at beth@seacc.org or 907-586-6942.

***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands July

Fire Districts Stressing Need for Defensible Space Around the Home
Communities in forested communities are growing increasingly aware that the best way to protect lives and homes from fire is to utilize firewise principals around homes. In California, fire protection districts offer free pine needle disposal, curbside chipping, and defensible space inspections to reduce fuels around the home to help save homeowners’ properties and firefighters’ lives in the event of a fire. The North Tahoe fire district recently received a grant through Calfire that tripled its funding from previous years and is now able to provide tree removal permits in addition to their other services.

"It's an annual thing that needs to be looked at every year, because as foliage grows, then the clearances are reduced and the lower limbs that die need to be removed," said Gene Welch, Truckee Fire District public safety and information officer. "This is something that's not only a state law but is being enforced by your insurance companies." The law requires 100 feet of defensible space around a home, not only to protect property, but also for the safety of the firefighters.

Due to suburban sprawl, more houses are built in the wildland-urban interface, which is prone to wildfire. Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology (FUSEE), said, “Ultimately, firefighters' lives and rural homes will be better protected when homes are located, designed, built and maintained to be able to resist wildfire damage with minimal or no need for human intervention.” For more information on how to better protect your home and community from the threat of forest fire, go to www.fusee.org and read “A Homeowner's Guide to Fire-Resistant Home Construction” or contact your local fire district.

Quiet Recreation Contributes $730 Billion to the US Economy
The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), a trade association for over 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives, and retailers in the outdoor industry, released an economic report that describes the economic contribution that active, human powered, outdoor recreation (quiet recreation) has on the national economy. Quiet recreation includes activities such as hiking, biking, camping, and wildlife viewing. The report estimates that quiet recreation contributes $730 billion to the US economy, which illustrates the economic benefit of preserving our public lands. To view the full technical report, click here. To view the summarized version of the report, click here.

In addition to the report, the OIA created state specific fact sheets for 21 states detailing the economic contribution for quiet recreation in each state. The 21 states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. To view the state fact sheets, click here. For more information about the report, contact Amy Kleiner-Roberts, Outdoor Industry Association, at akroberts@outdoorindustry.org.

Conservation Groups Halt Black Crater Timber Sale and Protect Fish and Wildlife Habitat
On June 29, Oregon conservation groups were granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the Black Crater post-fire timber sale near the Three Sisters Wilderness. This TRO will temporarily safeguard fish and wildlife habitat burned by the 2006 Black Crater fire. The 190-acre Black Crater timber sale is located entirely in Late Successional Reserves and an overlapping Critical Habitat Unit for the northern spotted owl. The black-backed woodpecker and recently discovered rare raptor, the goshawk, would also be harmed by logging in this area.

Cascadia Wildlands Project, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, and Sierra Club filed the lawsuit against Deschutes National Forest because the Forest Service misrepresented science and failed to conduct meaningful public involvement. The agency claimed that burned forests are no longer habitat for the northern spotted owl, while the conservation groups have scientific evidence confirming that spotted owls do use burned forests.

"Owls not only use burned forests, they often return to the exact nest and regroup with the same mate they had before the fire," said Jay Lininger, fire ecologist and Cascadia Wildlands Project’s executive director.

A preliminary injunction hearing is set for July 12, where federal district court Judge Ann Aiken will hear arguments from the Oregon conservation organizations and the Forest Service to decide whether logging will continue in the post-fire area. For more information, contact Asante Riverwind, Oregon Chapter Sierra Club (Bend), 541-322-4065 (office) or 541-306-7737 (cell), asante.riverwind@sierraclub.org or Daniel Kruse, Cascadia Wildlands Project (Eugene), 541-434-1463 (office) or 541-870-0605 (cell).

Explore the Cedar River Watershed
Seattle Public Utilities naturalists are providing tours of the Cedar River Watershed, the source of 70% of the Seattle area’s drinking water. The tour is 3 hours by bus and foot into the protected, 91,000-acre watershed, which is usually closed to the public. Seattle Public Utilities are offering the tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between July 13 and September 9, 2007 from 9:45 am to 12:30 pm. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth (age 10 years or older) and seniors. For more information or reservations contact Seattle Public Utilities at crwprograms@seattle.gov or at 206-233-1515 from Seattle or 425-831-6780 from North Bend.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 06.08.07

2nd Annual DeBorgia Community Wildfire Protection Work Week is a Success
The second annual DeBorgia Community Wildfire Protection Work Week was held May 12-15, 2007. Using education, action, and fellowship, the WildWest Institute, the West End Volunteer Fire Department, and others used “Firewise” principles to establish defensible space on private land around the DeBorgia community in Montana

Seven properties were treated and the work varied based on the preferences of each landowner. In general, they thinned small trees and brush, pruned branches, and cleared fallen trees and branches to reduce the fuels around homes. Larger trees were also split up for firewood, which will be saved for the winter.

Bruce Charles, chief of the West End Volunteer Fire Department, found the work week a success. "The basic homeowner preparation that took place during the work week will give our volunteer firefighters a much better opportunity to help save homes when wildfire does strike.”

The WildWest Institute’s Jake Kreilick explained that “this work week is vital to ensuring that home owners are putting 'firewise' principles into practice.”

In celebration of their hard work during the week, a community potluck was held at the West End Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday evening with plenty of food and fellowship. To learn more about Firewise principles, please visit www.firewise.org.

Denver Court Halts Large Timber Sale in Uinta Mountains of Utah
In May of this year, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Utah Environmental Congress (UEC) and High Uintas Preservation Council (HUPC) and against the Ashley National Forest, halting the massive Trout Slope West timber sale near the eastern Uinta Mountains ridgeline. The court found that the Ashley National Forest violated the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) because it failed to use the best available science.

The timber sale would have allowed the logging of enough trees to fill about 8,500 logging trucks and would have removed some of the most valuable old growth forest left in the Uinta Mountains. Deer and elk summer range and hiding cover would have also been destroyed. Increased erosion caused by the logging would have harmed water quality downstream, which is already impaired. The UEC has four more timber sale appeals in progress. For more information on this victory and UEC’s current projects, please contact Kevin Mueller, Utah Environmental Congress, 801-466-4110.

Forest Service Will Reassess Road Densities in Grizzly Bear Habitat
Last month, officials from the Idaho Panhandle, Lolo, and Kootenai National Forests withdrew their federal court appeal of a lower court decision in 2006 regarding road densities in grizzly bear habitat in northern Idaho, northeast Washington, and northwest Montana. The Court had ruled in favor of conservation groups. Tim Preso, an attorney with Earthjustice, represented the five conservation groups: Cabinet Resource Group, Great Bear Foundation, Idaho Conservation League, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Selkirk Conservation Alliance.

US District Court Judge Donald Molloy found that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act because the agency's environmental impact statement for the new road plan relied on incomplete information, including whether the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk grizzly bears had any better habitat options in their heavily roaded environments. He ordered the Forest Service to prepare a new environmental impact statement to consider its road plan in light of the uncertain scientific information.

Preso said that the agency chose the least protective standards for the critically imperiled grizzly bear populations by opting for an alternative that allowed the highest density of roads in an area that already had 8,500 miles of roads.

Grizzly bears have been protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1975. Between 60 and 80 grizzly bears are split between the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk mountain areas, but many biologists and conservation groups say those numbers are too small to be sustainable over time. For more information, contact Tim Preso, Earthjustice, 406-586-9699.

New Fact Sheet on Recycled Paper Released
The Environmental Paper Network (EPN) released a new educational fact sheet to help purchasers and others understand the terminology of recycled paper. The fact sheet explains the urgency and value in making the switch to recycled paper. It also dispels some of the pervasive myths about recycled paper, such as the misconception that it takes more energy to recycle paper than to make paper from virgin fiber sources. To download this fact sheet, click here. Feel free to post this fact sheet on your website to help reach the widest audience possible and let EPN know if you do. A limited number of printed copies on 100% recycled paper are available by contacting the EPN office. For more information or to request printed copies, please contact Joshua Martin, Environmental Paper Network, Joshua@environmentalpaper.org or 828-251-8558.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 05.04.07

NREPA Introduced in the House
On April 20, 2007, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA). This legislation would designate all inventoried roadless areas in the Northern Rockies as wilderness and protect some of America’s most ecologically important lands.

"Many of America's most precious natural resources and wildlife are found in the Northern Rockies,” said Rep. Maloney. “NREPA has always been ahead of its time by drawing wilderness boundaries according to science, not politics. NREPA would also help mitigate the effects of global warming by protecting the corridors through which vulnerable wildlife can migrate to cooler areas."

Over 22.5 million acres of wilderness across Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon, and eastern Washington will be protected by NREPA. This includes over three million acres in Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Teton National Parks. All remaining roadless areas in the Northern Rockies would be designated as wilderness, the strongest protection by the federal government on public lands. Employment for over 2,000 workers would be created by restoring Northern Rockies habitats to their natural state. By managing the land as wilderness, NREPA would save $245 million over a ten-year period in tax payer dollars. NREPA will safeguard grizzly bears, caribous, elk, bison, wolves, bull trout, and salmon, which all thrive in the Northern Rockies.

“The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act will create high paying jobs by recovering old roads and clearcuts, save taxpayers money and protect the environment,” said Michael Garrity, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies. For more information, go to www.wildrockies.org/nrepa/ or contact Michael Garrity, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, at 406-459-5936.

IPCC Report Outlines Effects of Global Warming
On April 6, 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations scientific group, released their findings of a new report on global climate change. The report outlines the effects of climate change, including flooding, droughts, plant and animal extinctions, and high costs for everyone around the globe. The report also indicated that forests would be at greater risk for fire and insect invasion.

The panel worked late into the night to reach consensus on certain aspects of the report. Scientists and diplomats disagreed on several points. Representatives from industrialized countries, including the United States, fought to tone down the language that suggested poor countries will bear the brunt of the impacts of global climate change. These diplomats also argued with scientists about the level of confidence the authors of the report had in their findings. Scientists who wrote the report wanted to state that they had "very high confidence" in their findings. That means they think they have a nine out of 10 chance of being correct. The diplomats prevailed and the word "very" was stricken, which reduces their certainty level to eight out of 10.

The new report addresses the impacts of global warming and predicts that many coastal communities will flood, severe droughts will damage crops, and stronger storms, hurricanes, and heat waves will occur. The panel also predicts that many coral reefs will die and many of the world’s plants and animals will be at higher risk of extinction.

Changes are already occurring. Linda Mearns, a climate scientist who contributed to the study, said, “examples are earlier melting of lake ice in Great Lakes and later freezing; plants, flowers blooming sooner; the migratory patterns of birds changing – mostly distinctly throughout the second half of the 20th century.”

“The overall pattern, if you were going to distill it down to something very simple, is that the drier regions get drier and the wet regions get wetter,” said climate researcher Richard Seager at Columbia University. He predicts that the southwestern United States could experience the long-term drought that caused the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The IPCC will report again in May on what kinds of things can be done to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Comment Period Deadline Approaching for Delisting of Gray Wolf
The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed in late January to remove federal protection of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA provides a safety net for threatened and endangered fish and wildlife, and currently protects wolves and their habitat in states like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Oregon.

The delisting of the gray wolf could result in hundreds of wolves being shot in Idaho, which would reverse 10 years of progress in recovering this species. Idaho’s Governor “Butch” Otter has publicly pledged to kill off 80 percent of the state’s wolf population.

Biologists believe that the wolf recovery in Oregon depends on the healthy wolf populations migrating into Oregon from Idaho. If federal protection is stripped from the gray wolves, this species may lose protection before they have the chance to establish themselves in Oregon wildlands.

The deadline for comments is May 9, 2007. Comments can be sent by email to NRMGrayWolf@fws.gov with "RIN number 1018-AU58" as the subject line of your message, by clicking here, or by fax to: 405-449-5339. For more information and talking points, visit www.landscouncil.org/alerts or wildwolves.homeip.net/IdahoWolves/ResistingDelisting1.html.

Sculpted By Fire, a Radio Documentary
Sculpted By Fire is an hour-long radio documentary by Barbara Bernstein that takes an in-depth view of the 2002 Biscuit fire in Southwest Oregon, Siskiyou Wildlands ecology, fire ecology, and the politics of post-fire logging. It will be airing on public radio stations across the country over the next six months. To listen online or read the transcript, go to mediaprojectonline.org/sculptedbyfire.html. For more information email Media Project at mediapro@spiritone.com.

***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 04.06.07

Federal Judge Overturns Administration’s 2005 Forest Management Rules
Administration found to have violated bedrock environmental laws
On March 30, Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the Federal District Court in San Francisco overturned the Bush Administration’s 2005 rules for managing the nation’s 155 national forests on grounds that the Forest Service violated basic environmental laws. The Forest Service failed to consult the public or consider environmental impacts before issuing the 2005 regulations. Judge Hamilton issued an injunction, which forbids the Forest Service from using the rules to make decisions about national forests and grasslands, but did not specify how national forests should be managed until new rules could be determined.

The Administration’s 2005 regulations reduced requirements for environmental review, weakened wildlife protection, and limited public participation in the development of management plans for individual forests. The rules gave more discretion to forest managers to approve mining, logging, and other commercial projects without environmental review. The Bush regulations even went so far as to eliminate the requirement that the government maintain viable populations of native wildlife in forests, monitor some populations regularly, and limit logging and drilling for oil and gas.

Judge Hamilton sent the management plans back to the Department of Agriculture for new analysis, this time taking into account the environmental protections and public participation requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) declared: “The courts have been pretty consistent in what they have been telling the Forest Service these past six years – that it has to follow common sense legal requirements that let people know what decisions the Forest Service is making. By rejecting the Administration’s dramatic departure from sound forest management planning, this ruling is a victory for everyone with an interest and a stake in the future of our National Forests.”

Bush Administration Seeks to Gut Endangered Species Act
According to internal documents released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Center for Biological Diversity, the Bush Administration is considering a set of regulations that would gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that prohibits industrial and other activities that could harm the habitat of threatened and endangered species.

The proposed changes would weaken the law by reducing protection for wildlife habitat and severely limiting the number of endangered species that could be listed. Kieran Suckling, policy director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said that the draft regulations “undermine every aspect of law – recovery, listing, preventing extinction, critical habitat, federal oversight and habitat conservation plans – all of it is gutted. Simply stated, it is the worst attack on the Endangered Species Act in the past 35 years.” Perhaps the most significant proposed change transfers authority of vulnerable species to the states. This provision would empower states to veto endangered species introductions and status changes, as well as administer virtually all aspects of the Endangered Species Act within their borders.

The proposed draft rules lift language from both former Senator Kempthorne’s (now Secretary of Interior) proposed 1998 legislation and a controversial bill by former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA). Pombo tried for years to gut the ESA, and when he failed to do so, the Administration vowed to change the ESA through administrative regulation. According to Dale Hall, Service Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the changes would not need approval by Congress and could be signed by Secretary Kempthorne or a representative of the Interior Department. The draft regulations are being circulated for final inter-agency review and are expected to be formally unveiled later this spring. For more information, go to www.peer.org or contact Carol Goldberg, PEER, at 202-265-7337.

Myrtle Creek HFRA Project
A municipal watershed in Myrtle Creek Valley, which supplies Bonners Ferry, Idaho with drinking water, has been severely damaged by logging and road building that occurred after the 2003 Myrtle Creek Fire. Recently the Forest Service proposed the Myrtle Creek project, which calls for massive logging that will further degrade water quality. The Forest Service proposes to log 2,080 acres, create over 40-acre clear-cuts, log old growth areas, and fragment a 2000-acre Grizzly bear seclusion area. The Lands Council of Spokane intends to fight the project in court on the grounds that logging will take place in two Inventoried Roadless Areas, which is counter to the current “law of the land,” the 2001 Roadless Rule.

Ranotta McNair, supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, expects to sign the final approval documents for the project later this spring after a 30-day period for objections. Mike Petersen, Executive Director for the Lands Council, said that his group “simply cannot agree to logging in roadless areas in an already damaged watershed.” More logging would only destabilize the thin soils and increase the risk of another fire fueled by piled up logging slash. The 2003 Myrtle Creek Fire started in a slash pile left from recent logging. For more information, go to www.landscouncil.org or contact Tania Ellersick, Lands Council, at 509-838-4912.

American Lands Alliance National Forest Protection Week, June 11-14, 2007
Come join other forest advocates from around the country to educate Members of Congress about priorities for forests in the 110th Congress. Develop new congressional champions for national forests, and hear what Congress is saying about our public lands.

Some of the issues that we will be focusing on will include: protecting roadless forests, holding the Forest Service accountable for upholding the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the Bush Administration's attack on public involvement in public land management through the reckless use of Categorical Exclusions (CEs).

Travel scholarships are available to those with financial need. You will need to participate for the entire 4 days in order to receive a travel scholarship. Everyone is asked to attend the issue briefing on Monday, June 11 from 9:00 a. m. – Noon. If you are interested in attending Forest Protection Week, please click here to RSVP. More details will be sent out soon. For more information contact Jen Sawada, jksawada@americanlands.org, 202-547-9400 or Anne Martin, annem@americanlands.org, 509-624-5657.


***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 03.23.07

Idaho Wolves Face Grave Threat
On January 29th, 2007, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed removing the gray wolf from the threatened and endangered species list for the Northern Rocky Area. Idaho and Wyoming have taken this proposed delisting as an opportunity to publicly announce their plans to aggressively hunt the animal.

Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter has said that the state will seek to kill 75% of the wolf population. Idaho’s official position calls for the removal of all wolves “by any means necessary.” Wyoming would allow wolves to be shot on sight in most of the state.

The Endangered Species Act requires that the gray wolf be fully recovered before it can be delisted. Additionally, every state with wolf populations must have a credible plan to maintain healthy, sustainable wolf populations before delisting. Currently, the gray wolf is not ready to lose federal protection in the Northern Rocky area because the Wyoming and Idaho plans will not protect wolves nor manage wolf populations responsibly.

The Wyoming and Idaho plans do not provide sufficient protections to ensure that wolf populations will continue to have viable populations. Because wolves travel across state borders, protections in the Northern Rockies should not be lifted until Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana all have wolf plans that can provide the continued protections wolves need to survive. It is especially important to have robust wolf populations in Idaho and Wyoming as they are critical to returning wolves to Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Utah, which are part of the gray wolf’s historic range.

It is unclear whether the current wolf populations are adequate enough to ensure recovery in the region. Human population growth, habitat development, and disease are still possible threats to wolf recovery that need to be addressed.

The FWS needs to hear your comments by May 9, 2007. Comments can be sent by email to NRMGrayWolf@fws.gov with "RIN number 1018-AU58" as the subject line of your message. Comments can also be sent my mail to: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Wolf Delisting, 555 Shepard Way, Helena MT 59601 or by fax to: 405-449-5339. For more information and talking points, visit www.landscouncil.org/alerts or wildwolves.homeip.net/IdahoWolves/ResistingDelisting1.html.

EVENTS
**This issue of Landscope is focusing on events, as there are many exciting happenings coming up in the near future. Don’t miss out!**

“Quiet Commotion” Summit, May 2007
The Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance is hosting the Quiet Commotion Summit, May 4-6, 2007 at Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Connecting with nature and the natural soundscape¹ are fundamental to Colorado's identity and quality of life. The conference will address how we can protect and enhance the world class natural and recreation heritage contained in the national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands of Colorado and Southern Wyoming. Discussion topics include implementation of the US Forest Service 2005 Travel Rule, managing for natural soundscapes, collaboration and partnerships, and providing for long term, sustainable access to our public lands.

The summit will bring together sportsmen, conservationists, biologists, national and local experts, and public land managers to discuss the future of recreation in the Southern Rockies public lands. Land managers, public officials, and concerned citizens will have the opportunity to participate in positive dialogue with agency staff on how to achieve quiet recreation opportunities in a network of connected, sustainable ecosystems, watersheds, and quality wildlife habitat areas. The goal of this conference is to establish desired backcountry recreation settings that leave behind an untrammeled natural heritage to be enjoyed by future generations. For more information and a detailed agenda, contact Richard Huck, 720-436-6061, richardjhuck@yahoo.com or Aaron Clark, 720-324-7031, aaron@quiet-trails.org.

17th Annual Heartwood Forest Council, Memorial Day Weekend, May 2007
Join the largest annual gathering of citizens who care about our national forests from across the United States. The 17th annual Heartwood Forest Council will be held during Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, 2007, in the Missouri Ozarks at Camp Taum Sauk. The Heartwood Forest Council will focus on threats to regional ecology and human and community health, while also allowing for social time, leisure, music, dancing, and food. Kids of all ages are encouraged to attend. This year’s theme is Localism: Answering Globalism. The Forest Council will explore how we can nurture sustainable local and regional networks that offer a viable alternative to the dominant economy and land ethic. The program will include three days of workshops, discussions, keynote speakers, and field trips. For more information, including program, registration, directions, and a complete presenter list, go to: www.heartwood.org/forestcouncil/ or contact Jim Scheff at shagbark12@sbcglobal.net or 314-991-4190.

WORC Training Session: Principles of Community Organizing, July 2007
The Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) is holding a hands-on workshop covering the basics of leadership, fundraising, organizational development, and community organizing. The most important skills for organizers and leaders of grassroots community organizations will be addressed, including membership recruitment, running good meetings, and working with the media. This training will be held July 11-14, 2007 in Billings, Montana and consists of small group activities, videos, role plays, and open discussion. Each participant will receive a copy of Applying the Principles of Community Organizing, a notebook of support materials. For more information or to register online go to: www.worc.org/development/pocotraining.html or call 406.252.9672.

**To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org **

¹ Soundscape defined as the natural acoustic environment, consisting of the sounds of the forces of nature and animals, including humans.

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 01.19.07

Timber Companies Allegedly Taking Advantage of Green-Labeling Program
Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek Timber, two of the nation’s largest timber companies, are both being challenged by environmental groups for using the forest industry’s green-labeling, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), as whitewash to cover up ecologically damaging activities. Weyerhaeuser is purportedly harming endangered spotted owls in Washington and violating the Federal Endangered Species Act, while Plum Creek Timber has violated forestry laws in Maine by cutting too much timber without proper plans and failing to notify the state about clear-cuts. The Seattle Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Council of Maine are demanding that the Sustainable Forestry Board revoke certification for the companies until they comply with the albeit, sub-standard, SFI certification standards.

There are two prominent certification systems. The Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) was created by the timber industry, while the independent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created by a group of environmentalists, forestry experts, sociologists, and indigenous groups. The SFI markets US timber companies’ harmful practices as being “sustainable.” Unlike the FSC standards, the SFI standards allow widespread logging of irreplaceable old growth forests and roadless areas, the conversion of naturally diverse stands to ecologically impoverished industrial forest plantations, excessive use of toxic chemicals and permanent conversion of forests to urban sprawl. There is also no guarantee that SFI labeled products actually come from SFI certified forests.

Green labeling is a major marketing tool for timber companies because it allows them access to a larger marketplace and promises consumers that their purchases are minimizing harm to the environment. Forest certification ensures consumers that products come from forests that meet strict environmental and social standards. The FSC is the world’s leading forest certification system, and is widely considered to be the most credible and effective system for non-federal lands.

The two timber companies have 45 days to respond to the challenges by the Seattle Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. A full investigation by the SFI will likely take several months. For more info on SFI and FSC visit http://dontbuysfi.com.

Victory for Old Growth Habitat Dependent Species
Earlier in January, the Supreme Court upheld a victory for species that are dependent on old growth forests for their survival. The Court declined to hear an appeal from the 9th Circuit court that ruled on the amount of scientific review necessary for logging projects in national forests.

In 2002, the WildWest Institute, formerly the Ecology Center, challenged the Lolo National Forest’s Lolo Post-Burn logging project. The WildWest Institute claimed that the logging project would cause loss of valuable wildlife habitat created by the 2000 fires that burned in Montana’s Lolo National Forest. The 9th Circuit court ruled in favor of the WildWest Institute based on the fact that the Forest Service could not prove their claim that logging in old growth forests would benefit wildlife. The 9th Circuit also ruled that the Forest Service should have conducted soil tests in the proposed logging areas to determine if soil quality would be affected.

The appeal was filed by a group of Montana counties, school districts, the timber industry, and the Bush administration. They claimed that the 9th Circuit’s ruling imposed new scientific and procedural requirements on the Forest Service that are not included in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other environmental laws. However, the attorney representing the WildWest Institute, Thomas Woodbury, argued that the 9th Circuit did not add any new procedural or substantive requirements on the Forest Service other than those already required in NEPA and the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). For more information contact Jeff Juel, WildWest Institute, 406-728-5733.

Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau, Earth Day 2007
An original theatrical play, Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau is about the last two days Henry David Thoreau spent in his cabin at Walden Pond. In recognition of Thoreau and Earth Day, the script will be available at no charge to all high schools and colleges in the US and Canada to be performed to celebrate Earth Day in April. Thoreau is a forefather of the environmental movement and “in an age of global warming, biofuels, hybrid cars, and oil wars the script can introduce students to Thoreau as well as environmental concerns in their own home towns,” said Michael Johnathan, author of Walden. To learn more, visit www.waldenplay.com or email producer@waldenplay.com.

Save the Date! 25th Annual PIELC, March 1-4, 2007
Thousands of activists, attorneys, students, and scientists are expected to attend the 25th annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) at the University of Oregon School of Law in Eugene, Oregon on March 1-4, 2007. This year’s theme is “Cultivating Corridors for The People.” There will be a list of dynamic keynote speakers and panelists. For more information or to register, visit www.pielc.org, email askpielc@uoregon.edu or phone at 541-346-3828.

***To submit an item for a future edition of Landscope, please email Jen Sawada at jksawada@americanlands.org ***

LANDSCOPE…News and Views from American Lands 12.22.06

Good News! Proposed Village at Wolf Creek Update
In the June 30th edition of Landscope, we reported that Texas billionaire developer "Red" McCombs was seeking to construct the “Village at Wolf Creek”, just below the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Ski Area. The “Village” at Wolf Creek would destroy lush meadows, alpine creeks, unspoiled backcountry recreation opportunities, and one of the most critical wildlife corridors in the Southern Rocky Mountains in the surrounding Rio Grande National Forest.

On November 21, US Federal District Judge Kane issued a preliminary injunction (PI) stopping road construction and other activities related to the proposed “Village.” The PI specifically prohibits road construction, application for highway access permits from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), or any other ground disturbing activities from going forward until the Court can rule on the case next spring.

If developed as proposed, the Village could house up to 10,000 people and construct two access roads. In October 2006, Colorado Wild and San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council filed a lawsuit arguing that the Forest Service failed to consider the Village’s full impact by only considering the impacts of the two access roads themselves. For more information contact Ryan Bidwell, Colorado Wild, ryan@coloradowild.org or visit www.friendsofwolfcreek.org.

Court Finds BLM Logging Illegal! Cow Catcher and Cottonsnake Old Growth Protected
On November 6, Judge D. W. Nelson of the US Court of Appeals, 9th circuit, reversed a lower court’s ruling and ruled in favor of Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Umpqua Watersheds, and Cascadia Wildlands Project, thereby stopping the Cow Catcher and Cottonsnake timber sales from going forward.

“We are hopeful this ruling will affect other BLM sales where the agency did not follow the law regarding the public’s participation along with survey and management precautions for these species and forests,” said Penny Lind, Executive Director, Umpqua Watersheds. Public involvement is required by the Federal Land Management and Planning Act, the primary law governing BLM lands, and by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These sales are just two examples of the BLM’s continued destruction of critical old growth forests in southern Oregon.

Both spotted owls and red tree voles make their home in these proposed timber sale lands. The Court also found that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to involve the public before downgrading the classification of the red tree vole, under the “survey and manage” provisions of the Northwest Forest Plan.

The Cow Catcher and Cottonsnake area, in the Glendale Resource District outside Grants Pass, is especially important to spotted owls and red tree voles. This area is designated as a critical connectivity area, a narrow corridor connecting the coast mountain spotted owls with the Cascades. The red tree voles are small rodents that live in old growth forest treetops and they provide 50 percent of the owls’ food source. To read the ruling: www.lclark.edu/org/peac/objects/RTV_opinion.pdf. For more information contact Penny Lind, Executive Director, Umpqua Watersheds, penny@umpqua-watersheds.org.

Commercial Bioprospecting in National Park System
The National Park Service proposed in a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) allowing commercial bioprospecting throughout all 84.4 million acres of the National Park System, including 40 million acres of federal Wilderness Areas. Bioprospecting is the prospecting of microscopic resources, the genetic and biochemical information found in wild plants, animals, and microorganisms. Uses of products developed from material discovered through bioprospecting include many consumer products and pharmaceuticals. If the Park Service gets its way, corporations will be allowed to remove, exploit and patent, living organisms on publicly owned lands for commercial prof