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April
2002
Volume 4
Welcome to the Wilderness Guardian, a monthly online digest
dedicated to providing up-to-date news and
information concerning Wilderness protection and stewardship nationwide.
A service of Wilderness Watch, the
Guardian was created to help Wilderness advocates keep abreast of
breaking news, as well as providing
contact information to facilitate public participation.
Interesting Tidbits & Wilderness Quotes:
Against Wilderness Designation? - A Colorado branch of the
Wilderness Society is finding itself in a difficult situation as
it opposes the wilderness designation of 13 miles of canyon along
Deep Creek, near Glenwood Springs. Sponsored by Rep. Scott McInnis,
R-Grand Junction, the bill excludes thousands of acres of adjacent
public land, allows the National Guard to continue landing helicopters
in the area, and permits upstream interests to take water from the
canyon.
Reigned in at Maroon Bells – After a battling with the
public, the Forest Service has scrapped its plan to build a 5,000
square-foot visitor center. Instead, it will build 500 square-foot
visitor center and a 300 square-foot covered bus shelter. The agency
will also reduce and modify the current restrooms – a 2,600
square-foot monstrosity reported to look like a cross between a
bunker and the residence of Fred Flintstone.
Quote: "The trophy-recreationist has peculiarities that
contribute in subtle ways to his undoing. To enjoy he must possess,
invade, appropriate. Hence the wilderness that he cannot personally
see has no value to him. Hence the universal assumption that an
unused hinterland is rendering no service to society. To those devoid
of imagination, a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to
others, the most valuable part." - Aldo Leopold, A Sand County
Almanac
Contents:
Wilderness News Briefs provide short issue summaries and contact
information. Action Alerts are full-length, time-sensitive postings.
Wilderness News Briefs:
1. Judge Rejects Plan to Build Road in Wilderness
2. USFWS & USFS Withdraw Permission from Rock Creek Mine, MT
3. Judge Blocks Conservationists from Colorado Lawsuit
4. Montana State University Academic Senate & Students Oppose
Cabin in Wilderness
5. Radio Station Seeks Road Through Joshua Tree Wilderness, CA
6. Bring Your Wallet to This Wilderness
7. Colorado Wilderness Witnessing Increase in Snowmobile Trespass
8. Settlement Helps Protect Three Wild & Scenic Rivers in California
9. Independent Panel Sounds Alarm for America’s Wilderness
10. USGS finds that Drilling in ANWR Would Result in Environmental
Harm
* Wilderness News Briefs *
1. Magistrate Blocks Road in Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, MT
In a victory for Wilderness, the U.S. Forest Service, and a coalition
of conservation groups including Wilderness Watch, federal Magistrate
Richard Anderson rejected plans to build nearly nine miles of road
in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in southwest Montana. The request
for the 20-foot-wide gravel road came from the Absaroka Trust, a
trust established by California land developer-turned Montana resident
James Sievers. Sievers wanted the road built, at tax payer’s
expense, to access 124 acres of old mining claims he purchased in
1991, thirteen years after the Absaroka-Beartooth became a designated
Wilderness.
Sievers brought suit after the Forest Service denied his request
to have the road built. In upholding the Forest Service’s decision,
the Magistrate held that while the Wilderness Act discourages motorized
equipment and roads in Wilderness, Congress guaranteed adequate
access to property located within designated areas. Faced with seemingly
conflicting mandates, the Forest Service is required to research
historical modes of access on similar tracts of land, while determining
which modes of access would have the least impact on the area’s
wilderness character. The Magistrate was clear that in making its
determination, the Forest Service must remember that the preservation
of Wilderness predominates over other values.
For More Information:
ENN: http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2002/2002L-04-05-09.html#anchor3
Bozeman Chronicle: http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/311/public/news281020.html
2. Agencies withdraw Rock Creek Mine opinion
In a victory for conservationists opposed to the Rock Creek Mine
beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in Montana, both the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
have withdrawn their approvals of the project, claiming that new
information provided by environmentalists must be better considered.
The USFWS was the first to withdraw its 2000 Biological Opinion
that approved the mine despite evidence that it would harm grizzly
bear populations. The agency withdrew the Opinion in light of recent
litigation that revealed information "that we’re not so
sure we covered well. There may be new information we need to look
at." The agency’s action may be the first time a Biological
Opinion has ever been withdrawn after it was issued.
A day later, the USFS withdrew its approval of the project, stating
that without the USFWS Opinion, there was not enough documentation
to approve the project. However, Bob Castaneda, supervisor of the
Kootenai National Forest, stood by his original decision and hopes
to come to the same conclusion once the USFWS issues its new Biological
Opinion.
For More Information:
Missoulian: http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news03.txt
Missoulian: http://www.missoulian.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2002/March/30-776-news03.txt
Butte Montana Standard: http://www.mtstandard.com/newsregional/rnews.html
Billings Gazette: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/03/29/build/local/96-mine.inc
Spokesman-Review: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=032902&ID=s1124346
Rock Creek Alliance: http://www.rockcreekalliance.org
Clark Fork Coalition: http://www.clarkfork.org
Mineral Policy Center: http://www.mineralpolicy.org
Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov
Kootenai National Forest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/kootenai
3. Conservation groups blocked from lawsuit
Four conservation groups – Wilderness Watch, Aspen Wilderness
Workshop, Aspen Valley Land Trust, and the Wilderness Society –
have been blocked from entering a lawsuit determining ownership
of a patented mining claim in the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness.
Stating that environmental interests would be best represented by
the Forest Service, Federal Judge O. Edward Schlatter denied the
groups’ request to join the suit. His decision could affect
47 similar lawsuits that conservationists have tried to join, all
of which are pending.
Conservationists fear that turning the claims over to private ownership
will result in development, such as cabins and roads within the
wilderness. "We are not fighting legitimate claims," says
Wilderness Watch Executive Director George Nickas. "This is
a situation where unscrupulous land speculators are trying to gain
ownership of 51 parcels of land within the Maroon Bells-Snowmass
Wilderness, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness.
They must be stopped."
For More Information:
Wilderness Watch: http://www.wildernesswatch.org
Aspen Times: http://at.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=AT&Date=20020326&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=203250014&Ref=AR
4. Academic Senate vetoes cabin in Wilderness
By an unanimous vote, the Montana State University-Billings Academic
Senate opposed using the Crippen cabin in the Absaroka-Beartooth
Wilderness in southeastern Montana. (The Crippen cabin Action Alert
was posted in February’s Wilderness Guardian. Thanks for all
your letters!) The Senate listed its concerns with the cabin, stating
that using it would damage MSU-Billing’s academic reputation
due to its violation of the Wilderness Act, while also being prohibitively
expensive and unnecessary. The Senate would now like to speak with
University chancellor Ron Sexton, who originally supported the plan.
Unfortunately, Mr. Sexton has been too busy to offer his input or
even comment on the issue, though he has been preparing the University’s
application for the special use permit from the Forest Service.
For More Information:
Billings Gazette: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/04/12/build/local/76-msu-cabin.inc
5. California radio station wants road through Wilderness
The unique desert solitude of the Joshua Tree Wilderness in southeast
California is facing an unprecedented challenge. On April 11, 2002
the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Parks heard testimony
on H.R. 3718, the "Little San Bernardino Mountains Right-of-Way
Act," introduced by Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA). If adopted,
the bill would grant a right-of-way across the Joshua Tree Wilderness
to the RM Broadcasting Company to continue to drive on a road they
illegally constructed in 1987 to access a radio transmission tower
just outside the park. The tower serves KPLM, a radio station in
Palm Springs.
The Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, Wilderness Watch, the Center
for Biological Diversity and the Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility have joined in calling for the withdrawal or defeat
of H.R. 3718.
For More Information:
The Desert Sun: http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories/local/1018575321.shtml
6.Your own private Wilderness. . . for a fee
The commercialization of wilderness is underway, though in this
case visitors will pay entrance fees to a private landowner rather
than the government. Started by New Hampshire entrepreneur and multiple-use
advocate William Altenburg, the new preserve has fees for admission,
lodging, camping, guiding services and other amenities. The idea
has also sparked the interest of money-hungry timber companies,
who see an opportunity profit from their large landholdings in other
ways than logging.
William Altenburg is looking to expand his business to the Bitterroot
Mountains in Montana and Idaho, as well as the Cascades in Washington,
and the mountains of western Pennsylvania. He is the President of
Mountain Recreation, Inc. (to get an idea of this company’s
"wilderness ethics" see http://www.funoutdoors.com/news/news22_97.html)
Mr. Altenburg also advises the BLM, NPS, USFS, and other agencies
on strategies to commercialize and privatize public lands.
For More Information:
Wild Wilderness: http://www.wildwilderness.org
Political Economy Research Center: http://www.perc.org/privatesolutions/wilderness.html
Phillips Brook tract, managed by International Paper Co. is leased
for recreation use
to Timberland Trails, Inc..: http://www.phillipsbrook.org/factsheet1.htm
7. Forest Service hopes stiff penalties will curb Colorado snowmobile
trespass
The U.S. Forest Service is finding an increase in snowmobile trespass
in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area east of Steamboat Springs, CO.
Jon Halverson, area wilderness manager for the Forest Service, states
that "This has been a problem for many years. But it seems
to be getting worse. People are taking snowmobiles where they don't
belong." To cut down on the trespassing, the Forest Service
is threatening violators with a six-month jail sentence and a $5,000
fine.
Colorado is not the only state to witness an increase in Wilderness
trespass. New snowmobile technology, coupled with frustration over
area closures and ignorance of boundaries, is leading many riders
to break the law in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, to name a few.
For More Information:
Arizona Republic: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0322snowmobilers-ON.html
http://ens-news.com/ens/mar2002/2002L-03-22-07.html
8. Lawsuit wins protections for three California wild & scenic
rivers
A recent settlement between the Forest Service and the Center for
Biological Diversity, the Environmental Defense Center and Keep
Sespe Wild will result in increased protections for three designated
wild and scenic rivers in California - the Big Sur River, Sisquoc
River and Sespe Creek. The three waterways run through the Los Padres
National Forest, which has been targeted by the Bush administration
for oil and gas drilling.
The agreement requires the Forest Service to complete management
plans, which were due six years ago, by December 2003. In the interim,
the wild and scenic corridors will be closed to oil and gas development,
grazing, and new road construction for an area one-quarter mile
in width along each side of the waterway.
For More Information:
San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/03/23/MN115560.DTL&type=printable
Center for Biological Diversity: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd
Environmental Defense Center: http://www.edcnet.org
9. Independent panel finds flaws in wilderness management
According to a new report by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation,
the nation’s wilderness may not be as "protected"
as many Americans believe. The ten-person independent panel convened
to critique the Wilderness stewardship programs of the U.S. Forest
Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Fish
and Wildlife Service found serious deficiencies since the Wilderness
Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964.
In its report to the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior,
the panel calls for immediate action to stop the ongoing degradation
of the nation’s fragile wilderness heritage. Wilderness Watch
believes the report is much-needed wake-up call to the agencies
and the American people.
"People believe that once an area is designated as wilderness
that it is protected, end of story," says Wilderness Watch
president and former U.S. Forest Service Wilderness program leader
Bill Worf. "Unfortunately, as this report verifies, this assumption
is simply untrue. The agencies have a long way to go to actually
manage wilderness in a way that keeps it wild. "
A copy of the report, "Ensuring the Stewardship of the
National Wilderness Preservation System," can be found at http://www.pinchot.org/pic/wilderness.html
10. USGS Report discourages drilling in Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge
The U.S. Geological Survey has warned the Bush administration that
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would result in
serious environmental harm. The new 75-page report directly refutes
statements by Bush officials, including Gale Norton, who have stated
that the drilling would cause minimal damage.
The report focuses on damage to wildlife, especially the porcupine
caribou herd, snow geese, and musk oxen. According to the Wall Street
Journal, the new report is being taken seriously. "Maybe it
is time for the administration to start listening to itself and
rethink its position on the Arctic refuge," Sen. Joseph Lieberman,
a Democrat from Connecticut, said after his staff reviewed a copy
of the report.
For More Information:
Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB101735303113156480,00.html
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Since
its founding in 1989, Wilderness Watch has pursued its mission
as the citizen voice for Wilderness
stewardship, giving a voice to the wilderness and wild rivers of
our national preservation systems. We
seek to preserve our unique natural heritage - the public will articulated
by the Wilderness Act and Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act.
To join Wilderness
Watch please visit our website at www.wildernesswatch.org.
If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe from
this list, have any questions, or would like to post a news
release, please contact Hilary Wood at hwood@wildernesswatch.org.
If you prefer the post, please send your
letters to:
Wilderness Watch
P.O. Box 9175
Missoula, MT 59807
Ph: (406) 542-2048
Fax: (406) 542-7714
http://www.wildernesswatch.org
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