A Lasting World

[ALW_Linda]

History is full of heroes, and our conservation history in this great country is no exception.

Take John F. Lacey, a Civil War veteran and eight-term Republican member of Congress from Iowa, as an example. More than a hundred years ago, Lacey said, "The immensity of man's power to destroy imposes a responsibility to preserve." He served 12 years as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands, and is known as the father of the Antiquities Act of 1908, used by presidents of both parties to protect special places as national monuments and marine sanctuaries, starting with President Teddy Roosevelt and most recently by former President George W. Bush.

Another is Howard Zahniser, who wrote the Wilderness Act of 1964, and toiled for eight years alongside Representative John Saylor, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Senator Hubert Humphrey, a Democrat from Minnesota, for its enactment. Zahniser said these wild places that have come to us "through the eternity of the past" should be allowed to persist in their natural state "through the eternity yet ahead." Sadly, he died just a few short months before his dream was signed by President Lyndon Johnson on a sunny September day in the Rose Garden.

These two great laws share notable attributes. Both are exceptional tools that have been given to us as gifts to protect an enduring natural legacy, which we can proudly hand down to future generations. They were championed originally by statesmen of both parties, and used subsequently by Republicans and Democrats alike to meet the responsibility to preserve in perpetuity some of primeval America, the anvil on which our nation was forged.

The third noble trait of these two organic acts is that they are truly democratic, with a small "d," because they enable us to make our government work for us.

Real people protecting real places. That's what makes heroes every day.

For the Wild,

Mike Matz
Director, Campaign for America's Wilderness, Pew Environment Group

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IN THIS ISSUE OF YOUR WILDERNESS

Web version >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=WZioAsdVovbWMR4cJwnYsQ..

Take Action - "No More Wilderness" No More

Featured Wilderness - The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Addition -- Where Trees are Lovelier than Poems

Wilderness Hero - John Crafton: Building Community Around Wilderness and Wildlife Protection

Congressional Update - Bad Weather Slows Action on Wilderness Legislation

Featured Organization - The Alaska Wilderness League: Championing Alaska's Wild Lands and Rural Cultures

More Information - Western Wilderness Conference 2010

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Take Action

"No More Wilderness" No More

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the Interior Department, takes care of the biggest chunk of our public lands on your behalf. But only 8.7 million acres of its 262 million acres, or 3.3 percent, have found permanent protection as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The BLM manages marvelous landscapes, but a policy reversal during the Bush Administration halted BLM identification of potential wilderness for Congress to safeguard -- closing off what is by far the greatest source for future wilderness designations. Ask Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to restore the legally required BLM wilderness inventory process.

Take Action Now: http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=tPFlSj9Ywbi3ggzrYMwA3A..

Congress charged the BLM in section 603 of the Federal Land Policy Management Act to conduct wilderness inventories. Under that requirement, BLM determined that, of its vast holdings, only 14 million acres merited classification as Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) -- to be protected until Congress determined which lands should be added to the National Wilderness Preservation System. That's an abysmally low figure, not reflecting the true attributes of the nation's sagebrush seas, intimate canyons, and sweeping tundra. In Utah alone, perhaps as much as nine million acres could be added. In Alaska, it could be easily four or five times that much.

Fortunately, Congress required the BLM in Section 201 of the same law to conduct these inventories on a continuing basis. WSAs have been established under this authority by previous administrations -- until the last one, when then-Secretary Gail Norton reinterpreted the statute and determined that Section 603 reviews were the final agency review, and no more wilderness could be identified under Section 201. This interpretation has been widely challenged, including by 55 law professors who wrote a letter to Secretary Salazar noting that BLM does have legal authority to establish new WSAs. The New York Times also opined in an editorial that he should rescind the Norton "No More Wilderness" policy.

Please take a moment yourself to ask Secretary Salazar to reopen the door to wilderness. The Secretary has reversed several decisions of the past administration. This is another one he should add to his growing list of accomplishments. These reviews and subsequent expert agency recommendations are critical to identifying pristine BLM areas that are potentially threatened by development and should be permanently protected as wilderness because of the ecological values that they possess.

Read More >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=h1mVWc54hooGqVJJa6sfVg..

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Featured Wilderness

The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Addition -- Where Trees are Lovelier than Poems

The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness stretches across eastern Tennessee into western North Carolina encompassing 17,394 wooded acres in the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests. This area embodies the rare beauty of old growth, virgin forest -- an oasis of ancient trees that escaped the human blade. These woodlands have remained untouched for hundreds of years, with trees now as tall as 150 feet and as wide as 20. The area represents a unique and extremely diverse type of forest found only in the Appalachian Mountains, and includes yellow pine, hemlock, sycamore, basswood, dogwood, beech, and oak trees.

Read More >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=nC_ewTUJULU5wm68uw4kQA..

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Wilderness Hero

John Crafton: Building Community Around Wilderness and Wildlife Protection

Wilderness advocates and wildlife advocates would seem to be natural allies and partners in conservation efforts, and while they are in many places, it is not always the case. However, if John Crafton with the Redmond Chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association has his way, these partnerships will become the rule. Crafton grew up on a ranch in the central Oregon town of Fossil. He's been hunting since birth and grew up living off the land. His family raised their own vegetable garden and hunted their own meat. Brought up with a subsistence lifestyle, John learned early of the importance of balance in nature and the necessity for healthy habitats for plants and wildlife.

Read More >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=LVLLbUBkmRHVZAiHC6NUWg..

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Congressional Update

Bad Weather Slows Action on Wilderness Legislation

February (not March) came in like a lion in Washington, DC, as the nation's capital was hit by two major snowstorms in less than a week. This unusual double whammy resulted in the federal government closing for several days, so Congress did not conduct any official business during the week preceding the Presidents Day District work period. As a result, several pending wilderness bills did not receive expected consideration since our last congressional update.

Read More >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=NTQTdPlBxFc45MUt6YZS0g..

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Featured Organization

The Alaska Wilderness League: Championing Alaska's Wild Lands and Rural Cultures

The nickname for Alaska is "The Great Land." And so it is, in every possible way. Just consider its size -- over 365,000,000 acres of land. A great deal of Alaska (which was once entirely owned by the federal government) was given by the American people as a gift to the new State of Alaska in 1959, and a great deal more confirmed to ownership of Alaska's aboriginal peoples in 1971. Yet, all Americans share in a huge legacy of remaining public lands stretching across Alaska, from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.

Read More >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=6H0Xjg9KHxOUElm5vrOr7w..

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More Information

Western Wilderness Conference 2010

This year's Western Wilderness Conference will be held April 8-11 in Berkeley, CA.

Save the date, and learn more here: http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=H3dyj-gZIzogrSC_IovHpA..

In the last four years, wilderness advocates have succeeded in establishing over two million acres of protected wilderness from coast to coast. Come find out how.

Join other wilderness advocates from across the country to celebrate our recent successes and discuss proven strategies to strengthen environmental campaigns. Nearly 50 workshops and discussions, led by the nation's most effective advocates, teach you tools and strategies to strengthen your campaign. Whether you're a long-time activist or new to environmental advocacy, you'll gain know-how, inspiration, and a valuable network of fellow wilderness activists.

Register Today: http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=-vsABWZdJb7HMcYumgd4jw..

Read More >> http://advocacy.leaveitwild.org/site/R?i=Eqr75JTUVOQncwY1rWkdyA..

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