January 2002
Volume 1

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.

Contents:

Wilderness News Briefs provide short issue summaries and contact information, while Action Alerts are full-length, time-sensitive postings.

Wilderness News Briefs:
1. Mine Approved in Cabinet Mountains Wilderness
2. Judge Gives two High Sierra Wildernesses a Break From Outfitting
3. Submerged Plane Causes Controversy in OR's Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness
4. Recent Study Reveals Illegal ATV use in Georgia Wilderness
5. Feral Hogs to be Removed From Cumberland Island Wilderness, GA

Action Alerts:
1. Poisonous Business in the Bob Marshall Wilderness
2. Defend Your Right to Participate in the Management of Your Public Lands
3. Your Comments Needed for Nevada WildernessWilderness News Briefs

1. Mine in Wilderness approved after 14 years

Summary:
After years of controversy, the Sterling Mining Company received approval to move forward on plans to build a massive silver and copper mine under the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness in Montana. The project was approved on December 26th despite opposition from numerous environmental groups who believe that removing 10,000 tons of copper and silver ore a day for 35 years will result in massive degradation of the Clark Fork River and Cabinet Wilderness.

For news stories concerning this issue please see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/28/national/28MINE.html
http://www.missoulian.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2002/January/06-618-opinion1.txt
http://www.everyweek.com/News/News.asp?no=2180
http://www.missoulian.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2001/December/27-1663-news01.txt
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/134390692_mindy14.html
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/NewsEngine/SelectStory.tpl?command=search&db=news.db&eqskudata=76-813394-26
http://www.billingsgazette.com/archive.php?section=local&display=rednews/2001/12/28/build/local/10rockcreek.inc
http://www.mtstandard.com/rednews/2001/08/29/build/newsregional/rnews11.html

Want to help? Please contact the following groups:
Rock Creek Alliance: http://www.rockcreekalliance.org
Clark Fork Coalition: http://www.clarkfork.org
Mineral Policy Center: http://www.mineralpolicy.org
Montana Wilderness Association: http://www.wildmontana.org
Alliance for the Wild Rockies: http://www.wildrockiesalliance.org

2. Victory for conservationists gives Wilderness a break

Summary:
Thanks to a recent federal court ruling, California's heavily used John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness areas will enjoy a 20 percent reduction in commercial outfitting operations this summer. The decision, arising from a lawsuit filed by the High Sierra Hikers Association, Wilderness Watch, and other concerned organizations, recognizes that current levels of commercial use result in substantial damage to the wilderness character of the areas' alpine meadows and lake basins. Evidence of such degradation is supported by documentation from the Forest Service's own scientists and wilderness rangers.

For more information:

http://www.highsierrahikers.org
http://www.wildernesswatch.org

3.Helicopter will not get air time in Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness

Summary:
In November, the Forest Service released a Finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed removal of a World War II era, Globe Swift aircraft from the bottom of Fish Lake in Oregon's Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness. Wilderness Watch challenged the original proposal, stating that the use of mechanized equipment is forbidden in Wilderness, except in emergencies involving the health and safety of persons in the area, or when necessary to meet minimum requirements for administration of the wilderness resource. Though we do not oppose the removal of the plane by packstock, we argued that the agency's reasons for airlifting the wreckage did not trigger either of these exceptions.

In January, the Forest Service learned that past unauthorized attempts by aviation enthusiasts to remove the plane have broken it into several pieces and forced it into the lake's deeper regions, where it now lies invisibly under 100 feet of water. The fragmented condition of the plane has convinced the agency to retract its decision to use a helicopter, opting instead to use packstock to remove the wreckage.

4. Study reveals ATV damage in Georgia Wilderness

Summary:
A recently released study conducted by the nonprofit organization Georgia Forestwatch reveals widespread environmental degradation from illegal ATV use on public lands, including designated Wilderness. The organization's findings add credence to the Forest Service's estimation that the 865,000 acre area has more than 550 miles of illegal trails that would cost at least $1 million to rehabilitate.

For more information:
http://www.gafw.org/index.htm
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/tuesday/metro_c3345d0fe123e15a1010.html

5. Feral hogs to be removed from Cumberland Island Wilderness, GA

Summary:
Wilderness Watch has reviewed the National Park Service's proposal to remove feral hogs from the Cumberland Island Wilderness. Though we are in favor of removing the hogs, we are concerned that the proposed project falls short of providing a lasting remedy. The non-native hogs pose problems for the small island by eating the eggs of threatened loggerhead turtles and ground nesting birds, and feeding on roots of dune-stabilizing plants.

For more information:

Defenders of Wild Cumberland: http://www.wildcumberland.org
Wilderness Watch: http://www.wildernesswatch.org

Action Alerts:

1. Protect the lakes of the Bob Marshall & Scapegoat Wildernesses

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MDFWP) and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) are proposing a massive trout poisoning and restocking program using helicopters and motorboats on twelve lakes in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Montana. Though the lakes were naturally fishless, they have historically been stocked with various species of trout that the proposal aims to replace with westslope cutthroat trout.

Wilderness Watch believes that this project raises a number of serious issues. First, MFRWP is proposing to use helicopters and motorboats, both of which are prohibited in Wilderness unless such use is the minimum required for preserving the Wilderness. Second, the project would dump 15,360 gallons of rotenone poison into 12 Wilderness lakes. Rotenone doesn't just kill fish, it also kills many of the native aquatic biota that live in the lakes. The use of poison is inconsistent with Wilderness values. Third, if the current fish populations are eradicated from these lakes, the lakes should be left in their naturally fishless condition. Wilderness must be as free as possible of human manipulation. Though westslope cutthroat are native to Montana, they are an exotic species in these Wilderness lakes. Removing one introduced species and replacing it with another continues to detract from the area's Wilderness character.

The BPA is funding the project, making it the federal agency responsible for preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA will be available for public comment in the spring of 2002.
Now is the time to urge the agency to consider the following concerns in the EA:

1. The use of motorized equipment in designated Wilderness is prohibited unless such use is necessary for the administration of the area or in emergencies. As this project fits neither exception, a non-motorized alternative must be considered.

2. The EA must itemize the details of the action, such as the amount of poison used and the number of helicopter and motorboat trips expected for each lake.

3. The Wilderness Act defines Wilderness as an area "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man . . . managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." If the non-native fish are removed, the lakes should remain fishless to encourage the regeneration of native biota.

4. Poison has no place in wilderness stewardship. In other Wilderness lakes, managers have used non-toxic alternatives such as trapping, angling, the introduction of sterile predator fish, and screening off of
spawning beds. Downstream impacts on endangered bull trout populations must be addressed, as well as the poison's affects on non-target species such as amphibians, plants, and insects.

Please address your comments at your earliest possible opportunity to:

Colleen Spiering, Environmental Project Manager, Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 3621,Portland, OR 97208-3621

With Copies to:
Regional Supervisor, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 490 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell, MT 59901
Cathy Barbouletos, Forest Supervisor, Flathead National Forest, 1935 Third Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59901
For more information please contact George Nickas at Wilderness Watch, PO Box 9175 Missoula, MT 59807 Ph: (406) 542-2048, gnickas@wildernesswatch.org

2. Sign on to protect your right to comment!

On September 20, 2001, the Forest Service issued a directive to allow categorical exclusions (CEs) to be issued for major projects in sensitive lands such as wilderness study areas, threatened species habitat, roadless areas, and wetlands. A categorical exclusion allows the agency to approve a project without conducting an Environmental Assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An Environmental Assessment requires the agency to review proposed projects in detail, in addition to notifying the public and soliciting their participation.

In the past, categorical exclusions were only issued for small projects for which a public process would be unnecessary, such as re-paving a small parking lot. Under the new directive however, large projects such as mining exploration, timber sales up to a million board feet, and road construction would be considered valid for categorical exclusions. This move directly impacts your right to be notified and given a right to comment on potentially harmful projects on your public land!

Please sign on to the letter drafted by American Lands dated February 10, 2002. The letter can be found at the following address:
http://www.americanlands.org/udall_sign_on_letter.htm

3. Comments needed for the Black Rock Desert - High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area

* COMMENTS DUE BY FEBRUARY 4, 2002
The BLM is conducting public scoping to elicit comments for a resource management plan for the Black Rock Desert - High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (NCA). The NCA encompasses approximately 1.2 million acres of public land, including 757,100 acres in ten Wildernesses. (Black Rock Desert, Pahute Peak, Calico Mountains, High Rock Lake, little High Rock Canyon, High Rock Canyon, East Fork High Rock Canyon, North Black Rock Range, and North and South Jackson Mountains).
Designated in 2000, the Wildernesses provide habitat for pronghorn, bighorn sheep, raptors, and countless other species. Please take this opportunity to send your comments to the BLM, as all concerns must be raised in the scoping process in order to be considered in the management plan. Following are a few comment points to consider:

* The plan should outline steps to prevent motor vehicle trespass in Wilderness.
* No predator control associated with livestock grazing or game management should be allowed in Wilderness.
* The plan should proactively establish group size limits to prevent resource damage and ensure continuing opportunities for solitude. Base group limits NOT on species, but on total number of beating hearts, or total number of feet and hooves on the ground.
* Wilderness access roads should not be upgraded. Trailheads should remain primitive, and no new signs should be constructed.
* No new trail construction or trail upgrading should occur in Wilderness except if necessary in a limited area to protect fragile resources.
* The plan should identify the size and location of all wilderness inholdings and require individual special use permits for access. The plan should call for public comment and review of alternatives prior to issuance of any special use permit for motorized inholder access through Wilderness.
* The plan should establish a process for conducting minimum requirement analyses for administrative actions that are generally prohibited in Wilderness. The process should adopt the minimum requirement model developed by the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, and solicit public comment prior to the decision.
* In Wilderness, wildlife populations should not be manipulated to artificially boost hunting or fishing opportunities.
Please send your comments by mail or fax to the address listed below:
NCA Resource Management Plan Project Manager, Winnemucca BLM, 1500 E.
Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445. Ph: 775-623-1500, Fax: 775-623-1503.
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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