Earth Alerts Archives
URGENT ACTION ALERT !!!!!
Comments needed to stop radical weakening of National Park Service’s mission
Deadline: February 18, 2006
The National Park Service is proposing to revise (i.e., seriously weaken) all of its national policies, including its wilderness protection policies. Public comments are being accepted through Feb 18. It is very important that we make a strong showing of public opposition to the Bush administration’s proposed gutting of the mission of the National Park Service. Only a strong public outcry can persuade the Administration to back off.
The current proposal would weaken numerous existing NPS policies. The HSHA is especially concerned that the proposed policies would dilute the meaning of wilderness. For example, they would allow (and even encourage) park managers to permit degradation of the wilderness character in order to promote and facilitate increases in damaging recreational activities such as high-impact commercial packstock uses.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send a letter, or e-mail comments, as soon as possible—by Feb 18 at the latest. (Comments sent via U.S. Mail must be postmarked by Feb 18. E-mail comments must be sent and dated by Feb 18 at 11:59 PM, Mountain Standard Time.) If you send comments via e-mail, be sure to include your name and mailing address, or your comments may not be counted.
Begin your comments by saying that you are commenting on the proposed changes to the NPS Management Policies. Then make the following points:
- The proposed changes misconstrue the six “public purposes” listed in Section 4(b) of the Wilderness Act (i.e., recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical uses) as the primary “purposes” of the Act. In contrast, the real statutory purpose of the Wilderness Act is singular, not plural. The Wilderness Act is clear that the purpose of the Act is to preserve the wilderness character of each area in the National Wilderness Preservation System, not to promote any of the allowed uses!
- The proposed changes would improperly require park managers to place a primary emphasis on “accomplishing” the six “public purposes” listed in Section 4(b) of the Wilderness Act by accommodating, encouraging, and facilitating greater public use of wilderness. NPS wilderness management policies should instead emphasize that appropriate types and amounts of public use are allowable in wilderness only to the extent that they are compatible with protection of an area’s wilderness character, including the area’s undeveloped, non-motorized qualities and wilderness solitude.
- The proposed policies place major emphasis on NPS encouraging, and facilitating visitor use of wilderness, including promoting the use of commercial outfitting services. Tell NPS that it’s not their job to promote increased use in wilderness or market wilderness as a recreational playground. By law, their job is to preserve wilderness character, prohibit unnecessary commercial uses, and enhance public awareness and appreciation for the qualities and values that make wilderness unique and different from non-wilderness national park backcountry (which may be more appropriately managed primarily as a recreational resource).
- The new policies define the purpose of wilderness monitoring, in part, as “ensuring that the public purposes (uses) of wilderness are being met.” Tell NPS that wilderness monitoring is about preserving wilderness values and wilderness character, not about promoting more recreational or other uses. Wilderness monitoring must also focus on more than biophysical carrying capacity; the central focus of monitoring must be to assure that the unique qualities of wilderness character are respected and preserved (including BOTH biophysical resources AND the wilderness experience of park visitors).
- The new policies would allow special events in wilderness if they have a park or wilderness theme and are consistent with the “public purposes” (uses) listed in the Wilderness Act (i.e., recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical uses). This could, for example, allow competitive cross-country horse races or other such events in national park wildernesses. Tell NPS that organized special events are inappropriate and unnecessary in wilderness, and they are incompatible with wilderness values of solitude and small groups or individuals traveling in a self-reliant, independent, primitive and unconfined mode, free to experience and interact with wilderness in a personal manner.
- The proposed policies would grant outfitters and guides special privileges not allowed to other wilderness visitors, such as placement of caches in wilderness. Tell NPS that commercial outfitters should be held to the same rules and standards as other wilderness visitors, including the same (or lower) group size limits and no authorization to install camp facilities or equipment caches in wilderness. Outfitted groups should not need more equipment than any other group, and therefore have no need to store extra food or equipment in caches in wilderness. NPS and its permittees should lead the way in setting an example for other visitors in regard to appropriate wilderness travel techniques.
- The NPS policies do not adequately acknowledge the Wilderness Act’s general prohibition on commercial enterprises or the Act’s narrow exception that allows commercial activities in wilderness only “to the extent necessary.” The NPS Management Policies need to be supplemented to require that all concession contracts, incidental business permits, and other commercial use authorizations for commercial activities in wilderness must first undergo a written "needs assessment" accompanied by environmental analysis with full opportunities for public review and comment.
SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO:
e-mail address:
waso_policy@nps.gov
U.S. Mail address:
Bernard Fagan, Room 7252
National Park Service, Office of Policy
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
You can view the proposed policy changes at the NPS’s website:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?projectId=13746&documentID=12825
You can also find more details at the website of Wilderness Watch: http://www.wildernesswatch.org/hot%20topics/action%20alerts/nps.html
http://www.wildernesswatch.org/pdf/NPS_Policy_Alert.pdf
Together, we can make a difference !!!!!
Alert prepared by:
High Sierra Hikers Association
P.O. Box 8920
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158
email: HSHAhike@aol.com
website: http://www.highsierrahikers.org
1/10/06
Please contact your senators and urge them to vote against the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito. He has written decisions which would erode the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws, and prevent citizens from challenging unwise actions by Congress and big business. His answers before the Senate hearings also indicate he is against Roe v. Wade, and would undermine a woman's right to choose in such matters. With Alito on the Supreme Court, we would have an activist ultraconservative court for years to come.
Please make your opinions known to your elected representatives.
12/21/05
For those who called their senators to protest ANWR being included in a Pentagon appropriations bill, well done! Democrats and some moderate Republicans were able to remove ANWR from this bill and once again protect the land of the caribou. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
As for Senator Stevens of Alaska who is most responsible for this latest of schemes to approve drilling, it's time to retire. He is 82 and revealed recently that he is clinically depressed. He needs to take a break, get his meds squared away, and see a therapist . Let ANWR be ANWR.
Major Alert!
This from the National Resources Defense Council:
It's the most outrageous scheme yet to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
to oil drilling. We have just learned that pro-drilling Senators are sneaking
their Arctic drilling measure into the Defense Appropriations bill.
The vote on the Senate floor could come as early as tomorrow!
Call your two Senators right now and tell them to
get Arctic drilling out of the Defense bill, with a filibuster if necessary.
Call them even if it's Friday night or Saturday:
In California:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: (202) 224-3841
Senator Barbara Boxer: (202) 224-3553
Here's the good news: thanks to a nationwide outcry from millions of Americans,
including you, House and Senate leaders have given up on including Arctic
drilling in the Budget Reconciliation bill.
But some Senators are so shameless in their quest to boost oil company profits
that they're willing to exploit the Defense Appropriations bill, which is meant
to fund our troops in Iraq and other military needs.
Your Senators will be under enormous political pressure to vote Yes on the
Defense Appropriations bill no matter what's in it. We're counting on a last-
ditch effort by a determined group of senators to filibuster this bill until
Arctic drilling is removed. In that case, the oil industry and their allies
would have to get over 60 votes to keep drilling in -- something they have
never been able to do.
Call your Senators right away and tell them you're outraged that Arctic
drilling would be snuck into a bill that is meant to protect our troops. Urge
them to get Arctic drilling out of the Defense bill, with a filibuster if
necessary. And tell them you will publicly support their No vote if they come
under attack for it in your state.
The next 24 hours are critical. Call your Senators right now!
12/10/05
At the U.N. talks on global warming here's what happened and what some participants said:
Harlan Watson, the U.S. chief negotiator walked out when the US was criticized by other wealthy industrialized countries for refusing to negotiate to advance the goals of the 1992 treaty on climate change.
Said Jennifer Morgan, director of the climate change project at the World Wildlife Fund, "This shows just how willing the U.S. adminstration is to walk away from a healthy planet and it responsibilities to its own people."
Said former President Bill Clinton: "I think it's crazy for us to play games with our children's future. We know what's happening to the climate, we have a highly predictable set of consequences if we continue to pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and we know we have an alternative that will lead us to greater prosperity."
Said Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin: "To the recalcitrant nations, including the United States, I would say this: There is such a thing as a global conscience, and now is the time to listen to it."
In response, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli, said: "If you want to talk about global consciousness, I'd say there's one country that is focused on action, that is focused on dialogue, that is focused on cooperation and is focused on helping the developing world. And that's the United States."
Focused spin, I would say.
11/25/05
The journal Science reported today, after an exhaustive study, that there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point in the last 650,000 years. This greenhouse gas is one of the major factors in fueling global warming. According to the SF Chronicle, "by analyzing tiny air bubbles preserved in Anarctica ice for millennia, a team of European researcher highlights how people--by clearing forests and burning coal, oil, and other fossil feuls--are dramatically influencing the buildup of these gases."
The study disputes the claim of skeptics that global warming is part of a naturally fluctuating cycle.
Of course, for all those Congresspeople with their heads in the sand, it's nice and cool down there.
11/10/05
Twenty-nine moderate Republican congresspeople have joined with Democrats in removing the provision to drill in ANWR from the budget bill. This is wonderful news and many thanks to those of you who contacted your representatives in the House of Representatives. However, the Senate is still considering keeping this ill-conceived provision in its version, and , if they did could still negotiate with the House to keep drilling in the final version. So please contact your senators to urge them to also drop Arctic drilling from their bill. As the House action shows, YOUR VOICE COUNTS.
Many Republican conservatives have continued to show contempt for preserving our environmental treasures. I would urge their defeat at every turn during the 2006 midterm elections.
Please thank any or all of these environmental heroes for
forcing Arctic drilling out of the House budget bill!
Please note: the City, State and Zip Code for all mailing addresses below is Washington, DC 20515. HOB stands for House Office Building.
Rep. Christopher Shays CT (202) 225-5541 1126 Longworth HOB
Rep. Rob Simmons CT (202) 225-2076 215 Cannon HOB
Rep. Nancy Johnson CT (202) 225-4476 2409 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Michael N. Castle DE (202) 225-4165 1233 Longworth HOB
Rep. Jim Leach IA (202) 225-6576 2186 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Mark Steven Kirk IL (202) 225-4835 1717 Longworth HOB
Rep. Timothy V. Johnson IL (202) 225-2371 1229 Longworth HOB
Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest MD (202) 225-5311 2245 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett MD (202) 225-2721 2412 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers MI (202) 225-3831 1714 Longworth HOB
Rep. John J.H. Schwarz MI (202) 225-6276 128 Cannon HOB
Rep. Mark R Kennedy MN (202) 225-2331 1415 Longworth HOB
Rep. Jim Ramstad MN (202) 225-2871 103 Cannon HOB
Rep. Charles F. Bass NH (202) 225-5206 2421 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Joseph E. Bradley, III NH (202) 225-5456 1218 Longworth HOB
Rep. H. James Saxton NJ (202) 225-4765 2217 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Christopher H. Smith NJ (202) 225-3765 2373 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo NJ (202) 225-6572 225 Cannon HOB
Rep. Michael Ferguson NJ (202) 225-5361 214 Cannon HOB
Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen NJ (202) 225-5034 2442 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert NY (202) 225-3665 2246 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Sue W. Kelly NY (202) 225-5441 2182 Rayburn HOB
Rep. James T. Walsh NY (202) 225-3701 2369 Rayburn HOB
Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick PA (202) 225-4276 1516 Longworth HOB
Rep. James W. Gerlach PA (202) 225-4315 308 Cannon HOB
Rep. Bob Inglis SC (202) 225-6030 330 Cannon HOB
Rep. Tom Davis VA (202) 225-1492 2348 Rayburn HOB
Rep. David George Reichert WA (202) 225-7761 1223 Longworth HOB
Rep. Frank James Sensenbrenner, Jr. WI (202) 225-5101 2449 Rayburn HOB
10/1/05
The House has passed a bill that would strip the Endangered Species Act of a lot of its teeth. Time to contact your Senators to kill this beast of a bill.
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The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is warning that the world's oceans will soon be depleted of fish if present fishing practices continue. Eighty million tons of fish are caught throughout the world each year, four times more than 50 years ago. WWF is urging consumers to buy only fish that are known to come from secure and replaceable stock. One fish that is near extinction worldwide is the sturgeon, the source of black caviar. Overfishing, pollution, and loss of habitat is causing the decline.
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New York skyscrapers are starting to dim their lights at night to protect some 5 million migratory birds that pass through the area in the fall and spring. It's estimated that 100 million birds die from crashing into buildings each year during migration times because they can't see the glass windows.
9/18/05
Yesterday, I read of a couple in Canada who followed the caribou on their 1000-mile migration to the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. They made a documentary film ("Being Caribou") and found that these animals are even extremely sensitive to the presence of just two people. Imagine if there were hundreds around, with drilling equipment running 24/7? There's not enough oil there to justify disturbing the wildlife of this region. Help stop the desecration of the Arctic!
9/10/05
From Save the Arctic Refuge website:
This is it! The showdown vote
to protect the Arctic Refuge is upon us!
Last spring, Congress narrowly passed a Budget Resolution that paves the way for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now the final vote to protect the nation's greatest wildlife sanctuary looms near. This September, soon after Congress reconvenes from its summer recess, the House and the Senate will vote on the Budget Reconciliation Bill, the final vote in the budget process. The Budget Reconciliation Bill will formally legalize drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge! With your help, we will defeat it.
Please call your Senators and your Representatives and urge them to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by rejecting the Budget Reconciliation Bill in September!
There are some places that should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. Drilling would do nothing to reduce gas prices or alleviate our dependence on foreign oil, yet the harm to wildlife habitat for polar bear, caribou, and millions of migratory birds and to the people of the Gwich'in Nation would be permanent and irreparable. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That's why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years.
7/16/05
President Bush says he remains unconvinced that global warming is a human-created problem and that more study is needed before taking action. Consider these facts, as reported by Earthweek.
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Ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic rose to an all-time high last year in one of the world's richest environments for marine life.
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Sea ice off Labrador was below normal for the 10th consecutive year and water temperature outside St. John's Harbor, in Newfoundland, was the highest on record during 2004.
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Ocean temperatures around the globe have also risen, leading to many species dying. This has also led to an increase in the intensity of hurricanes.
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In 2003, an unprecdented heat wave hit Europe killing over 20,000 people .
When will this government admit that global warming is upon us and that the excesses of human activity has caused it? Please contact your government representatives and let them know of the need for action.
7/21/05
This is an urgent message from the National Resources Defense Council, one of our most effective environmental watchdogs:
Dear NRDC BioGems Defender,
Your help is urgently needed to stop the Bush administration from drilling in a
remote corner of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, part of our Redrock
Wilderness BioGem.
Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/redrock/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=52874
and tell the National Park Service to keep oil wells out of this sensitive area
of Glen Canyon, which is adjacent to two magnificent national treasures: Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Capitol Reef National Park.
Wildlands like Glen Canyon must be kept off-limits to drilling -- and not just
because, according to the Park Service's own estimates, drilling would produce
an insignificant amount of oil.
The proposed well would be drilled in one of the most scenic locations in the
West, in a region renowned for its geological wonders, outstanding backcountry
recreational opportunities and a rich tapestry of human history. It would
result in construction of a drill pad, sludge pit and several miles of road,
which could scar the landscape for decades.
Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/redrock/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=52874
and urge the Park Service to conduct a full environmental review and hold
public meetings before proceeding with the proposed well in Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area. The Park Service is accepting comments until the end
of July, so we need you to speak out right away.
Thank you for taking action.
Sincerely,
John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council
7/11/05
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is still at risk for oil drilling. We need wild places like this to offset wide-scale development and habitat reduction. As a culture we are out of balance and increasingly out of touch with the natural world. Please contact your elected representatives and let them know how important it is to preserve one the last wild places left.
The following is an excerpt from a Sierra Club statement on the passage of a budget resolution that, in effect, paves the way for drilling in ANWR. The budget is not finalized though and there is still time for concerned citizens to take action.
Sierra Club Statement on Passage of Budget Resolution Conference Report
"The passage of this budget resolution means that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still at risk. A budget conference report need not say the words "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" to pave the way for Arctic Refuge drilling. At the same time, we are encouraged by the strong bipartisan opposition to this budget resolution. In particular, Rep. Nancy Johnson (R, CT) deserves the gratitude of all conservation-minded Americans for her leadership in making the vote in the US House of Representatives a strong bipartisan statement against drilling.
The budget process is not over, and we will continue to fight every step of the way, using every procedural and legislative option at our disposal, to ensure that Congress ultimately listens to the majority of Americans and rejects every effort to include Arctic Refuge drilling in the reconciliation bill…
This vote is another example of the extraordinary disconnect between public opinion and Congressional action. Americans have remained steadfast in their commitment to keeping the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wild, unspoiled, and free of oil drilling. To an even greater extent, they are overwhelmingly opposed to sneaking drilling the Arctic Refuge into the budget process. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of thousands of Americans have called, written letters, e-mailed, and faxed their representatives in Washington to voice their opposition to Arctic Refuge drilling. And starting today, they will be letting their Members of Congress know how unhappy they are about this vote and encouraging their representatives in Washington to continue to fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge…
There are some places that should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. Drilling would do nothing to reduce gas prices or alleviate our dependence on foreign oil, yet the harm to wildlife habitat for polar bear, caribou, and millions of migratory birds and to the people of the Gwich'in Nation whose subsistence culture is based on the caribou would be permanent and irreparable. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That’s why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years."
For a live video stream of ANWR, go to:
http://www.sierraclub.org/explore/caribou/ and follow the link.
