---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 10:58:55 -0400 (EDT) From: WWF Conservation Action Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Some Big Wins, But Battles Aren't Over Yet
WWF activists like you have been loyal defenders of the environment during the past few months -- raising your voices to help save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, black-footed ferrets, tigers, rhinos, and much more -- at a time when strong advocacy was particularly needed. But neither the fight for the Arctic Refuge nor the battles to protect many other places and creatures are over yet. Read on for updates and to learn what more you can do to be a force for nature. * Fight Intensifies Over Drilling in Arctic Refuge Despite WWF activists sending nearly 70,000 messages to the U.S. Congress this year, the risk of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge increased this spring when Congress passed a budget resolution that calls for generating $2.4 billion in new revenues. The bill gives drilling proponents an opening to propose energy development in the refuge as the way to generate the new money. As a result, key House and Senate committees are expected to approve drilling in this special place. Language specifically authorizing drilling would need to be included in a budget reconciliation bill and approved by Congress, so we'll have another chance later this year to stop development of the refuge when Congress votes on the reconciliation bill. U.S. activists, tell Congress not to allow drilling in the refuge: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95114 * Increase Possible for Special U.S. Funds for Tigers, Rhinos, Other Imperiled Creatures Thanks for sending nearly 50,000 letters to the U.S. Congress this year pushing for more funding for imperiled creatures around the globe! Although constrained by a very tight federal budget, the House Appropriations Committee approved a small overall increase in six special U.S. funds for the protection of tigers, rhinos, elephants, great apes, sea turtles, and neotropical migratory birds, and in doing so rejected President Bush's request that the levels be significantly reduced. Now the action moves to the Senate, where the influential Interior Appropriations Subcommittee will soon decide on its funding levels. If you live in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin, your voice really counts because one of your senators serves on the key subcommittee and you can urge your senator to provide strong funding for this important program: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95115 * Water Pollution Legislation Passes in Tennessee Congratulations to the WWF activists in Tennessee who lobbied for passage of a state bill that would allow citizens to challenge water pollution permits issued to companies. The General Assembly recently passed the bill and Governor Bredesen is expected to sign it! According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, large industrial facilities and sewage treatment plants dumped 3 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Tennessee's waterways in 2001. The bill takes a huge step forward by allowing concerned citizens to address pollution issues and protect biodiversity before companies can discharge into the state's waters, many of which are unusually rich in aquatic biodiversity. * Global Warming Bill Needs Outpouring of Citizen Support With their 55,000 letters, WWF activists sent a clear signal to the U.S. Congress to pass the Climate Stewardship Act. But much more support is needed. The act would set a national policy to limit and reduce our country's heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions and is urgently needed to prevent further environmental damage to U.S. communities in places like Alaska; unique wildlife like corals and polar bears; and critical natural resources like water supplies in the West. In February, Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), the bill's main champions, hit the road for a series of public educational meetings to increase backing for their proposal. Show them they already have a huge following: U.S. activists, urge Congress to pass the Climate Stewardship Act and end U.S. inaction on global warming: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95116 * Funding and Future of a Key International Conservation Institution are in Question The U.S. Congress will soon decide whether to concur with the Bush administration's inadequate funding request for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) -- which supports conservation projects around the world -- and needs to hear now that Americans strongly support global conservation efforts. The nearly 40,000 messages that WWF activists have sent so far this year is a great start, but even more letters are needed. The United States and 31 other countries contribute funds each year to support the GEF. Regrettably, the entire GEF may be at risk because of the United States' pattern of not paying its fair share. U.S. activists, urge Congress to support the GEF and its work to protect nature around the globe: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95117 * Final Bush Roadless Rule is a Huge Disappointment You may have heard the bad news recently that the Bush administration has thrown out a 2001 rule protecting America's 58.5 million acres of national forest roadless areas and substituted a plan that requires governors to petition the federal government for protection of roadless areas in their states. The likely result is that millions of acres of wild forestland will be opened up to energy development and logging. Citizens (including many WWF activists) sent 1.7 million comments opposing the new rule during a public comment period last year. Roadless areas include many of the country's last great wildlands and are home to some of our most magnificent wildlife, including bald eagles, grizzly bears, gray wolves, elk, and salmon. These areas protect freshwater supplies for local communities, provide recreational opportunities, and serve countless other purposes. U.S. activists can take a stand for America's wild and pristine forests by showing your support for legislation that would make the Roadless Conservation Rule of 2001 a law: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95118 * Government Proposes More Killing of Prairie Dogs, a Key Food Source for Endangered Black-Footed Ferrets WWF activists sent 11,000 letters objecting to the U.S. Forest Service's proposal to kill prairie dogs in South Dakota. Prairie dogs are the primary food source for the highly endangered black-footed ferret. The killing of prairie dogs would eliminate ferret recovery options in several areas and destroy the best remaining ferret habitat on the planet. The Forest Service is now analyzing the public comments and is expected to issue its final plan in June. * Signs of Hope for Northern California Wilderness Legislation A bill that would protect 21 miles of rivers and 300,000 acres of wild lands in northern California received a ringing endorsement recently from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Much of the land is within the biologically diverse Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion, one of WWF's top priorities for conservation. The governor's support dramatically increases the chances that the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act will be enacted. Indeed, just one day after the governor backed the bill, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved it. California residents, thank Governor Schwarzengger for his support of California's wild legacy: http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95119 * Strong Foundation Laid for New Mexico Water Conservation Legislation WWF activists in New Mexico sent 250 letters to their state legislators and made good progress in building support for landmark legislation that would conserve water and save wildlife habitat in the state, much of which falls within the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, another high priority for WWF. The Water Efficient Technology Act would raise millions of dollars from a modest surcharge on water to plug the huge gaps in the state's water infrastructure. The bill was introduced in both chambers of the New Mexico state legislature. The House Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed the measure, but the House Committee on Taxation and Revenue unfortunately tabled it, bringing the bill's prospects to an end for this year. We'll be back next year promoting cost-effective and sustainable solutions to the state's water crisis. * Final Management Plan Expected in Fall for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument WWF activists sent many of the more than 15,000 letters received by the federal Bureau of Land Management pushing for a management plan that better protects the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwest Oregon. The 53,000-acre monument was the first one set aside to protect an area's biological diversity and is home to countless rare plants and animals. The activists advocated for making protection the top priority for management of the monument, preventing the logging of mature and old growth trees, closing unnecessary roads, stopping livestock grazing that is incompatible with protection, and restricting snowmobiles. The government's final decision on how it will manage the national monument is due out in September. * Logging of Old Growth Reserves Underway in Oregon Since February, WWF activists in Oregon have sent 1,130 letters to Governor Ted Kulongoski, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.), and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Oreg.) urging them to speak out against the logging of old growth reserves within Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest within an area burned by a huge fire in 2002. Fire is a natural component of the region's ecology and the burned areas are best left to regenerate naturally. Unfortunately, logging of the old growth reserves is now underway and attempts to stop it through the courts have been unsuccessful. * Huge Development Threatens Everglades Many thanks to the residents of Palm Beach County, Florida, who took action to stop a huge biotechnical research park that would undermine restoration of the greater Everglades ecosystem. The final outcome is still uncertain. The county and the company have a contract to build at the site that the WWF activists opposed, but that plan is being challenged in court based on growth management issues. The Palm Beach County Commission has been reluctant to allow construction for the research park as long as there is a threat that a legal challenge from environmentalists could prove successful. The company is threatening to pull out of the deal unless construction begins soon. As a result, some Florida legislators, with strong support from Governor Jeb Bush, are trying to pass legislation that would prevent a judge from ordering a teardown of the buildings if such a challenge to the permit process proves successful. You can take great pride in the victories you have achieved and the progress we have made on many fronts. While these updates demonstrate that we continue to face many challenges to our living planet, by working together in the future, we can save wildlife, protect habitats, and address global threats. Thanks for all that you do. P.S. If there was ever a time to urge your friends to join us, it's now. Please forward them this email and ask them to join by visiting http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/ctt.asp?u=30516&l=95120 _____________________________________________________________________ You received this message because [EMAIL PROTECTED] is an activist with the World Wildlife Fund Conservation Action Network. _____________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] from [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word REMOVE in the subject line or you can unsubscribe at http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/unsubscribe/index.asp. _____________________________________________________________________ Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________________________________ The Conservation Action Network is sponsored by World Wildlife Fund-US. Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF is dedicated to protecting the world's wildlife and the rich biological diversity that we all need to survive. The leading privately supported international conservation organization in the world, WWF has sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than 1 million members in the United States. WWF calls on everyone -- government, industry, and individuals -- to take responsibility by taking action to save our living planet. World Wildlife Fund 1250 Twenty-fourth Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 http://www.worldwildlife.org http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org
