Media Resources: In The News

The Trees Are All Right

March 8, 2012 - Exerpts: In most of the American West, the trees are not the right height, which may frighten Mitt Romney, and some of them are so old as to challenge the biblical view of creation that Rick Santorum wants taught in schools. The tallest trees in the world, the coast redwoods of northern California, grow to 378 feet — more than half the size of Seattle’s Space Needle. The oldest trees in the world, bristlecone pines that cling to hard ground in Nevada’s Great Basin, can live for up to 5,000 years. more

Homeland Security will not protect lands

March 8, 2012 - Excerpts: Few Alaskans seem to have noticed a bold move by Congress to turn over huge portions of our state to "operational control" by the Department of Homeland Security. The "National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act," also known as H.R. 1505, would put all federal lands within 100 miles of the Canadian border or any American coastline under the unregulated control of Homeland Security -- specifically the Border Patrol. more

Report: Wilderness "Under Siege"

February 28, 2012 - Excerpts: A vast area of the United States, totaling a half-billion acres of federal lands, is at risk of losing federal safekeeping from development, according to the new report by The Wilderness Society, titled "Wilderness Under Siege." The report finds that Congress is debating 13 separate bills that would undo decades of protections for some of the most pristine areas in the country, opening up lands to energy exploration, logging, and other development. more

Solid support for the bill

February 10, 2012 - Excerpts: In this part of the state, recreation and tourism are big drivers of the economy, and the beauty of our wild lands is what fuels much of that tourism. Keeping those wild lands protected will help ensure that tourism will help prop up the economy long into the future. Simply put: This bill deserves a fair shake in Congress, and we urge Rep. Scott Tipton to introduce it into the House of Representatives. more

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-Local activists head to D.C. to push for Fort Ord National Monument

January 26, 2012 - Excerpts: With more than 60 public agencies and a dozen-plus citizens’ groups claiming a stake in the former Fort Ord, consensus on how to manage it is as rare as the black legless lizard. So the solidarity in a push to designate up to 14,650 acres as a national monument is something of a shocker; stakeholders from Fort Ord Reuse Authority to the Sierra Club are asking the feds to protect the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Ford Ord acreage in perpetuity.
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We need to stop the Great Outdoor Giveaway

January 25, 2012 - Excerpts: more

Soapbox: A veteran's perspective: Make Fort Ord a national monument

January 24, 2012 - Excerpts: The men and women who serve in our Armed Forces travel around the globe, often to the most challenging conditions that can be imagined. Wherever we go, images and memories from back home sustain us during these times away from our families. For many men and women in uniform, our country's national monuments — from the Statue of Liberty in New York to Muir Woods in California — are the images that come to mind of the America we serve to protect. more

New Mexico benefits from emerging conservation legacy

January 22, 2012 - Excerpts: The great outdoors we love is under attack. Conservation laws that protect clean air and water, wildlife and natural areas face assaults from leaders in the House of Representatives. While virtually every Congress in recent memory has taken steps to protect our public lands and our ability to hunt, hike, fish and get outside, some politicians are focused on undoing our country's rich outdoor heritage.   more

Release Act a bad bill

January 20, 2012 - Excerpts: There is a draft bill in Congress called the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act (H.R. 1581), cosponsored by Rep. Denny Rehberg. This bad bill falsely promises to increase sportmen’s access to public lands, but what it really does is open Montana’s 6.4 million acres of national forest roadless areas to industrial interests. The legislation does nothing to increase sportsmen’s access. more

Obama encourages tourism to national parks

January 19, 2012 - Excerpts: Some of Utah’s most famous travel destinations might be a bit more crowded this summer if a new White House effort is successful. President Barack Obama issued an executive order Thursday, aiming to boost international tourism to the United States in an effort to spur job creation. Part of the initiative seeks to promote visits to national parks, including Utah’s scenic redrock country. more