July, 2009

What’s killing the whitebark pine forests?

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On a hot summer day last week, a group of forest scientists and managers hiked up a cool Idaho mountain ridge to look at trees in trouble. Whitebark pines are hardy, gnarly and long-lived trees at high elevations across the Pacific Crest, western Canada and the Northern Rockies of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. While these trees have long withstood wind, snows and freezing temperatures for millennium, on slopes from 5,000 to over 12,000 feet — today, a combination of conditions puts the species at risk. more

How our science is helping save the Tongass National Forest

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Yesterday, The Wilderness Society celebrated a small but meaningful victory in our ongoing efforts to protect America’s largest national forest — the Tongass National Forest. more

Wildlife Refuges — Not Just for the Birds! Serving up a taste of America’s history

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America’s National Wildlife Refuges — 549 of them, scattered throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories — are best known for the wildlife they protect: thousands of species of animals, birds, reptiles, fish, wildflowers, and trees. What’s less well known is that many refuges also offer a glimpse into America’s past — encompassing the story of our land beginning with the native people who lived here long before the first European settlers, and continuing through the major events of our nation’s history. more

Oregon’s Ancient Forests Win! Logging plans withdrawn at last

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As I sat down at my computer yesterday morning and looked at my overflowing email inbox, a new unread email subject line caught my eye: “Secretary Salazar to Announce Decision on Pacific Northwest Forest Management.” The day had come! The Obama Administration would finally decide the fate of Oregon’s ancient forests, which have been under serious threat from a Bush-era plan that proposed to more than double the amount of logging on some 2.6 million acres of Bureau of Land Management forests. more

Obama’s next big opportunity: Court decision gives president chance to shape future of forests

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Thanks to a court victory last month that tossed out misguided ideas for how the U.S. should manage its forests, President Obama now has a golden opportunity to replace them with his administration’s principles. The result could be a mandate for the Forest Service to make decisions about managing forests based on the 21st century imperatives of global warming and clean drinking water. more

Recent Utah looting underscores need for artifact protections

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In the Four Corners region, among the rugged mountains, mesas and deep canyons of the high desert there are pockets of desert wilderness where the soil is the only thing standing between travelers and a wealth of ancient Pueblo artifacts. In these lands, the ancient Pueblo people once settled villages with hundreds of family farms. Today, the area is rich with evidence of their small communities, but it’s also a hotbed for those looking to profit from illegally selling this priceless cultural heritage. more

Yukon Flats Safe at Last!

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Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its decision to identify the “no action alternative” for a proposed land exchange under consideration for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. more

Wind shifting in right direction on fire policy

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Though shifts in the wind aren’t always welcome when fighting wildfires, they can be very refreshing if they’re coming from the halls of government. Thanks to the hard work of the Forest Service, Department of Interior, Congress and nonprofits like ours, we’re starting to see positive change on a host of wildfire-related issues. more

What’s changed in national fire policy and why it matters

Areas of the Prescott National Forest in Arizona are getting a long overdue visitor called fire. Normally, this wouldn’t be news — the type of ponderosa pine forests that make up places like the Prescott are naturally thinned out and tidied up by low-intensity fires every five years or so. It’s like nature’s maid service. more

Will solar energy prove a win-win for wildlands?

Unlike conventional energy production, we don't have to raze mountaintops or drill into our national wildlife refuges to access energy provided by the sun. Huge swaths of the Southwest receive enough sun to power utility-scale solar energy projects. Not only does solar energy not run out: it also runs wide. In fact, in the Southwestern United States alone, the sun provides enough energy to power our country 6 times over! more