News from the Field
Click on a region to read more:
California/Nevada
Idaho
Northeast
Northern Rockies
Mid-Atlantic
Alaska
Southeast
Four Corners States
CALIFORNIA/NEVADA
The longest undeveloped ocean coastline in the Lower 48 states is now protected for all time. A total of 275,000 acres of northern California has become part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, thanks to legislation passed by Congress this fall. The new wilderness areas cover parts of five counties: Napa, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Del Norte. The bill also expanded the King Range National Conservation Area and added 21 miles of the Black Butte River to the Wild and Scenic River System. It is the largest California wilderness bill to pass since 1994, when 7.5 million acres of Mojave Desert wilderness were added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Authored by local Congressman Mike Thompson (D) and Senators Barbara Boxer (D) and Dianne Feinstein (D), the bill was backed by a diverse coalition that included tribes, timber unions, ranchers, vineyard owners, and sportsmen. This initiative has been a top priority for The Wilderness Society, working alongside the California Wild Heritage Campaign and other partners.
Sara Barth
415-561-6641
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IDAHO
The Owyhee Canyonlands in southwestern Idaho feature free-flowing rivers, sheer canyon walls, juniper hills, and a veritable sagebrush sea. Signature wildlife species include sage grouse, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and redband trout. A five-year effort with long-time partners such as the Idaho Conservation League and Idaho Rivers United—and with ranchers and other less traditional allies—created a far-reaching compromise that Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) has turned into legislation. The legislation calls for creating 517,000 acres of wilderness areas and safeguarding 386 miles of the Bruneau, Jarbidge, and Owyhee Rivers. It also would preserve Shoshone-Paiute cultural sites, limit where dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles can travel, permanently end livestock grazing in some wilderness areas, and secure new public access routes across private lands. We hope to see Senate passage—and possibly final action by Congress—before year’s end. Please urge your representatives on Capitol Hill to support S. 3794.
Craig Gehrke
208-343-8153
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NORTHEAST
Congress is expected to appropriate funds this fall to enable acquisition of an easement that will protect important wildlife habitat at Robb Reservoir and Willard Pond in southwestern New Hampshire. This tract has been a high priority for conservationists because of its central location in the Quabbin-to-Cardigan corridor through Massachusetts and New Hampshire. On the northern side of the state border, 5,000 acres of contiguous forestland will be protected eventually. The money is coming from the Forest Legacy program, created in the 1990s to take advantage of opportunities to prevent development of high-quality natural areas. The Trust for Public Land and New Hampshire Audubon have been leaders in the multi-year effort to safeguard this particular area, where development pressure is escalating rapidly. More than 115 bird species depend on this habitat, including the bald eagle, American black duck, and common loon. We play a major role within the Eastern Forest Partnership, a network of groups from Maine to Florida, in securing federal funds to protect such areas.
Jeremy Sheaffer
207-626-5553
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NORTHERN ROCKIES
The September ruling that the 2001 Roadless Rule be reinstated was especially encouraging for citizens committed to protecting the nearly ten million acres at stake in Montana and Wyoming. Not only are the region’s roadless areas full of families hunting, fishing, hiking, and floating, but more and more residents recognize that these areas provide clean air and water and help drive growing economies. Unfortunately, many roadless areas in the Northern Rockies remain at risk, and we are advocating improvements in the management plans for a number of national forests—the Bitterroot, Flathead, Kootenai, and Lolo—to protect as much wilderness-quality land as possible. These four forests in central and northwestern Montana play a vital role in the region’s traditions, outdoor legacy, and quality of life. We are working closely with Governor Brian Schweitzer, state agencies, local businesses, and other conservationists. Draft plans for these forests should be complete early in 2007.
Bob Ekey
406-586-1600
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MID-ATLANTIC
The long-term management plan for West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest is now final. The U.S. Forest Service wants to triple logging, increase the size of clearcuts from 25 to 40 acres, and protect very little of the wilderness. All or parts of at least 8 out of 16 protected backcountry areas would be opened up to logging and road building, including Little Mountain, Canaan Mountain, and North Fork Mountain. As part of the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition, we are working with a broad range of partners, including members of the Garden Clubs of America, on the most promising solution: congressional passage of a bill that would protect 143,000 acres of wilderness in the Monongahela. It has been endorsed by the West Virginia Council of Churches, while Christians for the Mountains and four other faith organizations have produced “A Christian Declaration on the Spiritual Values of West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.”
Fran Hunt
202-429-2657
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ALASKA
The Tongass National Forest is an extraordinary temperate-zone rainforest that makes up most of Southeast Alaska. It has more roadless land than any other national forest. Last year, a federal court ruled that the U.S. Forest Service’s long-term management plan for the Tongass was illegal because a massive error was made in calculating timber demand. That mistake greatly exaggerated the amount of old-growth logging to be allowed in roadless areas. The judge told the Forest Service to revise the plan, and we expect to see a draft this fall. We believe the plan should protect pristine roadless areas like Port Houghton and Emerald Bay, as well as the remaining wildlife habitat in places such as North Kuiu Island, which is important to the cultural traditions of the local Tlingit people. In addition, opportunities for public participation in revising the plan should be maximized. Read more.
Eleanor Huffines
907-272-9453
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SOUTHEAST
Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge is one of the country's most valuable stopovers for migratory birds. Broad-winged hawks, bluebirds, meadowlarks, and snowy egrets are among the many species that depend on this 1,100-acre refuge, which used to be an Air Force station. To prevent development from gobbling up important habitat just north of the refuge boundary, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently acquired parts of two former farms, using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other sources. LWCF appropriations also will help underwrite purchase of additional farmland. The Nature Conservancy of Virginia has been a valuable partner, purchasing 578 acres when they went on the market. The organization holds the tracts until the government has funding available to ensure permanent protection. For decades, The Wilderness Society has been a leader in securing LWCF appropriations so that such land investments are possible.
Frank Peterman
404-272-9453
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FOUR CORNERS STATES
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park received an important reprieve in September, when a court ruled in our favor. This park features spectacular gorges, a world-class trout fishery, and the wild roar of cascading water, especially when it reaches peak flow each spring. But in 2003 a back-room deal between the Interior Department and Colorado’s water interests created the possibility that much of the Gunnison River’s water would be diverted 100 miles away from the park for use in building subdivisions, highways, and shopping malls on Colorado's Front Range. The deal placed the national park near the end of the line of Gunnison River water users and robbed it of a fundamental resource. TWS and other conservation groups sued, represented by Trout Unlimited and Western Resource Advocates. A federal court blocked the government from giving away the public’s water and set an important precedent on governmental responsibility for protecting water in national parks.
Suzanne Jones
303-650-5818
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