Pentagon Vs. EPA
June 30, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Defense Department, the nation’s biggest polluter, is resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Fort Meade and two other military bases where the EPA says dumped chemicals pose “imminent and substantial” dangers to public health and the environment.
From MSNBC…..Tip From Thinking Outside blog
Bear Attacks Alaskan Bike Racer
June 30, 2008
A teenage girl riding in an all-night mountain bike race was badly injured early Sunday morning when a bear attacked her on a trail in Far North Bicentennial Park.
Police officers with shotguns escorted medics into dark woods to retrieve the girl, who underwent surgery at Providence Alaska Medical Center. The girl is expected to survive, Anchorage Fire Department spokeswoman Cleo Hill said.
Montana Gets 320,000 Acres Protected From Timber Company
June 30, 2008
Kalispell, MT (Vocus/PRWEB ) June 30, 2008 — Today, The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land announced they have reached agreement to purchase approximately 320,000 acres of western Montana forestland from Plum Creek Timber Company (NYSE:PCL) for $510 million.
The purchase is part of an effort to keep these forests in productive timber management and protect the area’s clean water and abundant fish and wildlife habitat, while promoting continued public access to these lands for fishing, hiking, hunting and other recreational pursuits.
“This project is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to protect these lands for our families and future generations,” said U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who helped facilitate the agreement. “It will keep jobs in Montana, help maintain our communities and our working forests, and preserve public access for hunting and fishing. This will be the most significant land conservation project in the state’s history, by far, and I’m proud to be part of it.”
The lands in the agreement, which include part of the Swan Valley and areas surrounding Missoula, are located in the heart of the “Crown of the Continent,” one of the most ecologically diverse and intact biological systems remaining in the United States.
“This is a landmark conservation project that will benefit the environment and help to maintain strong local communities,” said Kat Imhoff, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Montana. “We are pleased that we were able to agree on terms that will protect some of the nation’s most important wild areas.”
An important goal of the agreement is the continued support of local timber economies. Though many factors affect the timber industry in western Montana, the conservation of these lands for forest uses will contribute to stability of the land base and its forest productivity. A condition of the agreement provides for continued timber harvesting on some of these lands to help supply Plum Creek mills with wood fiber for up to 15 years. This harvesting will be third-party certified as sustainable forestry.
The lands to be purchased offer habitat for wide-ranging big game animals, grizzly bears, lynx, wolverine, bull trout and numerous other wildlife. These lands are also some of the most popular recreation areas in the western United States.
“Plum Creek has a strong history of conservation and is pleased to partner in the sale of this important land to accommodate the public interest in its ecological, recreational and timber production values,” said Rick Holley, president and chief executive officer for Plum Creek. “With this sale, we are proud that the company has placed more than 860,000 acres of land in the country, including more than 600,000 acres in Montana, into permanent conservation.”
Funding for the $510 million purchase could come from several private and public sources, including the new Qualified Conservation Forestry Bonds mechanism in the recently passed Farm Bill. The bonds would fund the purchase of lands adjacent to Forest Service ownership, lands that would eventually be conveyed to the Forest Service.
Championed by Senator Baucus, this source of funding could help stem the conversion of traditional timberlands across the United States.
“We are grateful for how hard Senator Baucus worked to create this new funding mechanism which will enable the protection of lands and livelihoods,” said Will Rogers, president of The Trust for Public Land. “We hope the Forestry Bonds will serve as a model for other similar places that are experiencing this trend in land ownership conversion.”
Funding is also being sought from other sources, including the State of Montana, private philanthropists and investors. The plan is for the purchased lands to be transferred into a mixture of private, state and federal ownership. The lands sold into private ownership will be subject to conservation easements that will restrict subdivision and home development. A key goal is the continuation of public access to these lands for hunting, fishing, camping and recreation, as Plum Creek allowed during its ownership.
Neither The Trust for Public Land nor The Nature Conservancy plans to retain long-term ownership of any lands.
The property will be acquired by The Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy in three phases. Phase I is expected to close in December 2008, Phase II in December 2009, and Phase III in December 2010. The sale is subject to the issuance of certain federal rules pertaining to conservation bonds and related tax refunds, along with other contingencies typical in a transaction of this size and complexity.
“This is literally a now or never opportunity,” said Hank Goetz, Blackfoot Valley resident and lands director for the Blackfoot Challenge. “Prices for these lands will continue to go up, so it is great that this agreement has been reached. I think our kids and grandkids will say ‘we’re sure glad they made this happen.’”
For more information about the Montana Legacy Project go to:
www.themontanalegacyproject.org
www.nature.org
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
The Trust for Public Land is a leading national non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to conserving land for people. TPL believes that connecting people to the land is key to creating livable communities and a healthy environment for generations to come. Since 1972, TPL has worked with willing landowners, community groups and public partners to protect nearly 2.3 million acres around the country. Visit The Trust for Public Land on the Web at www.tpl.org.
Plum Creek is the largest and most geographically diverse private landowner in the nation, with approximately 8 million acres of timberlands in major timber producing regions of the United States and 10 wood products manufacturing facilities in the Northwest. For more information, visit www.plumcreek.com.
Contact
Cristina Mestre, cmestre @ tnc.org, (703) 841-8779, The Nature Conservancy
Tana Kappel, tkappel @ tnc.org, (406) 579-3951, The Nature Conservancy-MT
Deb Love, deb.love @ tpl.org, (406) 579-6931, The Trust for Public Land
Kathy Budinick, kathy.budinick @ plumcreek.com, (888) 467-3751, Plum Creek
Barrett Kaiser, Barrett_Kaiser @ baucus.senate.gov, (406) 670-0541, Senator Baucus
Alaska Backs Canada: Challenges Listing of Polar Bear
June 26, 2008
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is planning on suing the United States government over the recent listing of the polar bear as a threatened species. This comes on the heals of Canadian officials meeting with the United States earlier this week over the same issue.
Governor Palin fears that the listing of polar bears will hamper oil and gas development in the northern reaches of the state-the polar bears’ prime stomping grounds. The basis for her lawsuit will stem from not enough information supporting the need to list the polar bear as threatened. She mentioned that through conservation efforts in Alaska that polar bear populations have dramatically increased over the past 30 years.
Governor Palin’s remarks have warranted a bit of controversy around her home state. Many believe that she is denying the effects of global warming, something that many Alaskans say that the United States has finally acknowledged through listing the polar bear as threatened.
Canada argues that the listing of the polar bear will significantly hamper small northern villages who have relied on proceeds from polar bear hunts with foreigners as a means for survival. They also argue the basis for the listing, something Canada has still not enacted in their own country, as scientifically without merit.
You can read more on this issue by following the link over to CTV.com
Everglades National Park In Historic Deal
June 25, 2008
Everglades National Park just got a huge boost from corporate america–or rather the demise of corporate America.
U.S. Sugar, in a landmark deal with the State of Florida, has decided to give up business and move out. What exactly does this mean? Everglades National Park will now become the new owners of almost 300 square miles of Everglades land. U.S. Sugar happens to be one of the nation’s leading producers of cane suger–an industry that has been noted for ravaging the Florida Everglades, polluting the area, and drawing away vast amounts of resources away from the wetlands.
It didn’t come cheap, though. In response for the opportunity to have U.S. Sugar move out of the area, Florida will be paying the company a total of $1.7 billion dollars. The deal also comes with a stipulation…U.S. Sugar can continue operations until 2014 on their current land. When 2014 comes around, U.S. Sugar will close up shop and move out. This will enable Florida to merge the three hundred miles of new wetlands with the Everglades National Park System and protect an additional 300 miles of area from future development.
The area being purchased lies just south of Lake Okeechobee. Wrapped up in the deal is all cane fields, a road, a railroad line, and almost 187,000 new acres of wetlands.
This is a huge deal for one of the world’s most endangered eco-systems. The Florida Everglades are home to the American Crocodile, Florida panther, and the West Indian Manatee, as well as a host of other rare and endangered species. Everglades National Park is a designated International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage site, and a Wetland of International Importance.
I always love these stories. Anytime a national park can expand and offer new conservation, environmental initiatives, as well as protect those species listed as endangered or threatened–it’s a good day for the outdoors.
To read more on this click Landmark Deal for Everglades National Park. Once your done there, go explore the Everglades National Park website. Finally, come on back and enjoy an article I wrote a few months back about Kayaking In Everglades National Park.
Canadians Fight For Polar Bear Hunt
June 24, 2008
A group of Canadian officials are in Washington to argue against the United States’ recent approval of placing the polar bear on the endangered species list. Canada has not joined the United States in these efforts and are actually fighting to allow U.S. hunters the right to come to Canada to continue hunting the polar bear.
The United States has banned sport hunting of polar bears, but Canada still allows this practice. Canadian officials are worried that the United States recent listing of the polar bear as endangered, will hamper hunters from being able to bring polar bear hides back to the United States. The hides are what most hunters are after.
Canadian officials are arguing that if this practice is enacted and the United States disallows the transport of the polar bear hides across the border, that their sport-hunting industry may crumble. They also mention that if hunting the polar bear is outlawed that many villages in polar bear country’s northern reaches could suffer from not having the income of such hunts.
Many other nations have questioned the United State’s intentions by listing the polar bear as endangered. The United States lists habitat endangerment as the main focus with the ruling, but scientific evidence has not been provided to prove or disprove that global warming may be playing a part in the destruction of the polar bear’s natural habitiat. To add more to the controversy, no one is even sure how many polar bears are even left in the wild.
It doesn’t look like this argument is going to go away anytime soon. The American public has looked at the United States’ recent ruling as a sign that the country may be developing a different stance in regards to global warming, an issue that the United States has been pretty slow to develop an opinion on. Others still argue that global warming has not been scientifically proven and thus should not be used to aid future initiatives as the sole reasoning without a proper foundation of information to base these conclusions on.
To read more, click on Canada’s stance towards the polar bear, from ABC News.
Indiana To Host Wilderness First Aid Courses
June 24, 2008
From the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
The Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs, in cooperation with St. Vincent Hospital are offering two, 2-day Wilderness First Aid (WFA) courses at two state parks this summer.
One course will be held at Prophetstown State Park July 12-13. A second course will be at McCormick’s Creek State Park on August 2-3. Classes for each course run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
The courses will provide participants with the opportunity to earn WFA certification in a fun and interactive environment taught by qualified EMS educators. Only one weekend needs to be attended.
Wilderness medicine involves providing first aid or more advanced patient care to the sick and injured that are more than one hour from definitive medical care. Situations involving wilderness medicine can include hiking, camping, hunting and fishing in remote areas, or providing care in an urban environment that has been ravaged by a natural or man-made disaster.
The course is $130 per person and includes textbook, handouts, WFA certification good for three years and gate entrance fee. Minimum age for participation is 14. A parental consent signature on the application form is required for participants younger than 18.
Space is limited. The registration deadline for the Prophetstown State Park course is June 27. The registration deadline for the McCormick’s Creek State Park course is July 18.
For further details and a registration form, visit www.interpretiveservices.in.gov or call (317) 338-4354.
Fishing Louisiana’s Prized Birdfoot Delta
June 20, 2008
By Jerry LaBella
Mention the Birdfoot Delta in any fishing circle,and you’ll get more than your share of puzzled looks. Yet this is the exact term geologist use to define the prolific area of Southeast Louisiana, better known as the Mississippi Delta complex. It’s safe to say that few anglers realize that this is the best known of the world’s major delta systems–and for more than just fishing reasons:
According to geologist, the Mississippi River has formed sixteen separate delta lobes in the past 6,000 years. Fourteen are included in the Teche, St. Bernard and Lafourche Delta complexes; the remaining two include the present Birdfoot Delta, out of Venice, which is an extension of the earlier formed initial lobe of the Plaquemines modern complex. Simply put, the delta complexes are a direct product (formation) of the powerful, land-building machine–the Mississippi River.
It can rightly be said that nature took no rest when it came to building this fertile delta region, as even at present it is still building despite man’s efforts to tame it.
Climate, Trees, and People In The Peruvian Amazon: Toward a Sustained Rainforest Movement
June 19, 2008
By Nick Engelfried
While many adults in the US are still in a state of denial over global warming, young schoolchildren in villages deep in the Peruvian Amazon are learning about the effects climate destabilization is likely to have on their way of life.
That’s just one thing I learned during a recent three-week trip to the Loreto region (northeast corner) of Peru, with a Peace and Conflict Studies class from Pacific University in Oregon.
In Focus: Wildlife Laws And The Reason We Have Them
June 18, 2008
By Tom Remington
Ever wonder what life was like in 1800s? Maybe. It’s safe to say that it was far different then than now. Most of life was surrounded around the trials and tribulations of trying to eke out a living on a farm somewhere in rural America, while cities were beginning to grow and develop becoming a draw for that person who needed a life other than farming dirt.
Hunting, trapping and fishing were a necessary part of the formula for survival for many Americans. As the population grew and the needs, wants and demands of life also grew, without regulation wildlife came to be harvested too much putting many game animal’s populations at risk.
In the state of Maine, which formally became a state in 1820, a few laws existed in an attempt to control hunting, fishing and trapping. In 1880 the Maine Legislature decided that the two Fisheries Commissioners would be responsible to enforce what laws existed regarding wildlife.
