home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

To: All Activists
From: Alix Davidson, Recreation Campaigner
Date: January 8, 2002

Stop Air and Noise Pollution from Off Road Vehicles
Write the Environmental Protection Agency Today

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a
proposal to reduce air pollution from snowmobiles, dirt bikes and
all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).  This proposal sets weak standards –
especially for snowmobiles – and will not substantially reduce air and
noise pollution from off-road vehicles unless strengthened
significantly.  To make matters worse, during recent public hearings in
Washington and Denver, the off-road industry presented a united front
opposing the proposal as too stringent, and made it clear it would
submit “many, many comments” against it.  Contact the EPA today –
NRANPRM@epa.gov – to urge the agency to do more to reduce harmful air
and noise pollution from these machines.

The deadline for comments is January 18th!

Dirty Machines – Dirt bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles are a major source of
air and noise pollution nationwide.  Most of these machines are powered
by antiquated two-stroke engines that burn a combination of gas and oil.
According to the EPA, the average two-stroke dumps 25 to 30 percent of
its fuel unburned into the air and water.  The California Air Resources
Board concluded that operating a two-stroke motor for about 7 hours
generates as much smog-forming pollution as driving a modern car more
than100,000 miles.  The EPA estimates that dirt bikes, snowmobiles and
ATVs alone produce 10 percent of all hydrocarbon pollution from vehicles
nationwide.  Air pollution from these machines also threatens public
health and has been directly linked to respiratory disease, cancer and
premature death.

Polluting Public Lands – Off-road vehicles are a major source of
pollution on public lands.  In Yellowstone National Park, although cars
outnumber snowmobiles 16 to 1, snowmobiles produce as much as 68% of the
Park’s annual carbon monoxide pollution and up to 90% of all hydrocarbon
emissions.  The average dirt bike traveling across BLM lands in the west
generates 8 times as much air pollution as the average car.  Pollution
controls are also needed because these machines are impairing visibility
in national parks, wilderness areas and other public lands across the
country.

Weak Proposal – The EPA has taken a step in the right direction by
proposing to reduce pollution from these machines – a step that’s long
overdue.  However, the proposal issued on September 14 falls far short
because:

1) It fails to encourage a rapid transition from dirty two-stroke to
cleaner, more fuel-efficient four-stroke engines, especially in
snowmobiles.
2) It fails to address noise pollution from machines that are as loud as
a busy street.
3) It does not include a labeling system that would give consumers
user-friendly information about emissions to help them make more
informed choices between machines.

These standards can be much stronger.  Four-stroke technology is widely
available today in off-road vehicles.  In fact, two of the four major
snowmobile manufacturers are already making and promoting four-stroke
machines.  Nevertheless, the snowmobile industry pressured the EPA to
issue a weak proposal and has made it clear it will fight even the very
modest pollution controls under consideration.

TAKE ACTION -- Contact the EPA before December 19, 2001 and urge the
agency to:
1) Substantially strengthen the proposed standards for snowmobiles in
order to quickly and completely phase-out dirty two-stroke snowmobiles;
2) Harmonize proposed standards for dirt bikes with ATVs by requiring
catalytic converters on both machines;
3) Use its legal authority to reduce noise pollution from all machines;
4) Establish a mandatory, multi-tiered labeling system that gives
consumers easily understandable information about vehicle emissions; and

5) Require particle filters on all diesel boats to protect public
health.     

Contact Information:

In all comments, reference "Docket A-2000-01."

Send electronic comments to: NRANPRM@epa.gov

Send written comments to: The Honorable Christine Todd Whitman, c/o
Margaret Borushko, U.S. EPA, National Vehicle and Fuels Emission
Laboratory, 2000 Traverwood, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

A sample letter is below- please modify before using.


Dear Governor Whitman:

I urge the Environmental Protection Agency to use its clear legal
authority to substantially revise its proposal to control air pollution
from recreational vehicles and engines in order to provide stronger
protection for air quality, human health and the environment.

Dirt bikes, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are a
significant source of air pollution nationwide and particularly large
sources on public lands and in rural areas.  As the proposal explains,
these machines alone account for approximately 10 percent of nationwide
mobile source emissions of hydrocarbons.  While virtually every other
vehicle has been, or soon will be, getting cleaner, snowmobiles, dirt
bikes and ATVs have not.  In fact, these vehicles are a larger source of
air pollution today than 10 years ago. On public lands, off-road
vehicles can be the largest single source of air pollution.  For
example, although cars outnumber snowmobiles by about 16 to 1 in
Yellowstone National Park, the National Park Service has concluded that
snowmobiles produce up to 68 percent of the Park’s annual carbon
monoxide pollution and as much as 90 percent of its total hydrocarbon
emissions.

The adverse health effects associated with carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, fine particles and the host of toxic chemicals, including
benzene, common to pollution from off-road vehicles are severe and
well-documented, including respiratory disease, cancer and premature
death.  Riders, public employees and others directly in the path of
these machines are particularly at risk for high-level exposure to
harmful emissions.  Moreover, the health of millions of Americans is
negatively impacted as pollution from these machines travels hundreds of
miles to communities from coast to coast.

In order to provide stronger protection for public health and the
environment, the EPA should revise the proposal by:

1) setting more protective air standards for snowmobiles in order to
encourage a rapid and complete transition from dirty two-stroke to
cleaner, more fuel-efficient four-stroke engine technology;
2) harmonizing emission standards for dirt bikes with ATVs by requiring
catalytic converters on both machines;
3) proactively using its authority under the Public Health and Welfare
Act to reduce harmful noise pollution;
4) instituting a mandatory, multi-tiered labeling system that will
provider prospective purchasers with user-friendly information about
vehicle emissions; and
5) requiring particle filters on all diesel boats.

The EPA has very clear legal authority – and an unquestionable legal
responsibility -- to issue final standards that will more significantly
reduce air pollution than would be achieved under the proposal.  Section
213 of the Clean Air Act requires the Agency to issue standards that
will achieve the greatest degree of emission reductions achievable with
technology that will be available.  The proposal as written does not
meet this standard.  Technology available today, including four-stroke
engines, catalytic converters and other advanced emission control
equipment, can reduce pollution much more significantly while remaining
cost-effective and safe.  Four-stroke technology is already widely used
in ATVs and many dirt bikes.  Moreover, two of the four major snowmobile
manufacturers are producing four-stroke machines.  In spite of the
widespread availability of this technology today, the proposal would
allow continued large-scale production of two-stroke snowmobiles for the
indefinite future.

In addition, Section 169 of the Clean Air Act gives EPA clear authority
to protect and improve pristine air quality in class 1 federal areas,
including National Parks and wilderness areas.  Off-road vehicles are
impairing air quality and visibility in National Parks and other public
lands in part because they emit very high levels of hydrocarbons – as
much as 250 times more on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis when compared to a
modern car.  The adverse impacts on visibility and air quality are not
limited to National Parks and wilderness, but extend to National Forests
and regions under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management
where the use of dirt bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles is widespread and
growing.  Finally, more protective standards will also be
cost-effective, reduce energy consumption and help to cut harmful noise
pollution.

Air pollution is a national problem – not only an urban problem.  The
EPA has clearly documented that snowmobiles, dirt bikes and ATVs
contribute significantly to this problem, and that contribution has
actually increased.   I urge the EPA to revise its proposal in order to
strengthen protection for air quality, public health and the
environment.

This issue is especially important to me because....



Sincerely,

Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

WHAT’S NEW IN ALASKA'S RAINFOREST:
1/8/02

ALASKA RAINFOREST CONSERVATION ACT GAINING SPEED: The Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act (HR 2908) now has 94 co-sponsors!  The Act provides legislative protections for the nation's two largest national forests- Alaska's Chugach and Tongass. Celebrated the world over as the last great temperate rainforest, the Chugach and Tongass under the ARCA will receive protection from clear-cut logging, road building, and other harmful development activities.  You can help pass this landmark legislation by urging your Congressional Representative to become a cosponsor of HR 2908.  Its easy just point your web browser to http://www.akrain.org where you can send a personalized letter directly to your Representative. Now is also the time to plan a visit with your Congressional Representative during the congressional recess. If you are interested in meeting with your Rep. while they are in district and want more information, drop us a note at info@akrain.org or give us a call at 907-747-8292 and we will be glad to walk you through the steps.

TONGASS NEWS:

ROADLESS/TIMBER SALE UPDATE: Timber sale planning on Alaska’s Tongass is moving full steam ahead despite the overwhelming public support for the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Several member groups and affiliates of the Alaska Rainforest Campaign recently won an appeal on the Woodpecker Timber Sale outside of Petersburg, AK. The sale calls for logging old-growth forest stands and building new roads into the Crystal Roadless Area.  The Woodpecker Sale is one of more than 100 timber sales (over half of these in roadless areas) being planned and developed on the Tongass right now! ARC’s member groups are working on tracking all of these sales and protecting these invaluable roadless areas. For more information on these sales visit the Tongass Timber Sale Information Center at http://home.gci.net/~sitkawild/timsales.html


WILDERNESS REVIEW UNDERWAY: A few months back ARC member groups won a huge victory in a lawsuit challenging the failure of the Forest Service to adequately evaluate new potential Wilderness designations in completing the management plan for Alaska’s Tongass. As a result the Forest Service has begun work on a forest-wide wilderness review. This is our opportunity to let the Forest Service know we want more Wilderness for America’s largest forest-the Tongass. For more information on the Wilderness review visit http://www.tongass-seis.net/ be sure to check out the “getting involved” page.

CHUGACH NEWS:

CHUGACH FOREST PLAN UPDATE: After years of planning, the Forest Service is expected to release a new forest plan for the Chugach National Forest. The Chugach is the nation's second largest national forest, and is 98% undeveloped, yet no wilderness has been designated on the forest. The Forest is divided into three regions – the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta regions. In their draft preferred alternative, the Forest Service reduced its wilderness recommendations on the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound regions from the last Forest Plan in 1984. They increased their wilderness recommendations for the Copper River Delta region; however, they recommended wilderness for an area that is primarily rock and ice. Alaska Senator Frank Murkowski and Representative Don Young requested a GAO audit of the planning process. The Forest Service is waiting for the release of the GAO report before releasing the final Forest Plan. The GAO report is scheduled to be released sometime in February. We'll keep you posted.

KATALLA OIL AND GAS: Chugach Alaska Corporation is proposing to conduct exploratory drilling for oil and gas in the Katalla Area of the East Copper River Delta region of the Chugach National Forest. The drilling would occur on private lands, with lateral drilling extending into subsurface oil and gas rights beneath public lands. The Copper River Delta area is an extraordinary wetlands complex -- the largest on the pacific coast of North America – hosting some of the strongest salmon runs in Alaska, among other ecological marvels. The Forest Service is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) which they intend to release in late February. A 30-day public review period will follow the release of the EA.

HELICOPTERS:
Another heli-ski season is gearing up on the Chugach National Forest. This year two heli-ski operators will be allowed to operate on the forest, one on the Kenai Peninsula and one in the Copper River Delta region. A settlement agreement reached between three environmental groups (The Wilderness Society, Alaska Center for the Environmental and Turnagain Arm Conservation League) and the Forest Service is limiting the number of operators on the forest at this time. Once the new Forest Plan is finished, the settlement agreement will no longer apply. As many as eight or more new helicopter operators have applied for permits on the forest, and the Forest Service's draft preferred alternative for the new Forest Plan will open up huge areas of the forest to commercial helicopter landings. We can be assured of seeing large increases in helicopter activity in the future.

To:   All Forest Activists
From: Darcy Davis, Headwaters (541) 482-4459
Date: January 8, 2002

11th Annual Western Forest Activist Conference, February 1-3, Ashland,
Oregon

Headwaters is excited to once again organize the annual western forest
activist conference with co-host the Ecology Center of the Siskiyous, a
student group at Southern Oregon University.  The conference theme is
"Moving the Movement - Connecting People and the Planet," and will focus
on answering tough questions about how to move forest protection efforts
forward in times of international turmoil, heightened ecological
degradation and apparent public apathy.

This powerful event is sure to stimulate both new and seasoned
activists, providing both background and technical details about forest
protection issues. Forest activists will come from across the region to
Ashland to reflect on the past year's efforts, discuss current issues
and strategize to confront future threats to Northwest forests.

A Friday evening keynote address will be delivered by nationally
acclaimed environmental activist and Native American leader, Winona
LaDuke.  A Saturday lunch keynote address will be delivered by Paul Ray,
co-author of Cultural Creatives - How 50 Million People are Changing the
World.

Sunday will be devoted to "Skills Workshops," where activists will have
in-depth training to equip them to tackle the most critical forest
protection issues of our time.   Workshops include: Restoration Know
How, Media Skills, Adopt-a-Wilderness, Non-violent Direct Action,
Backcountry Skills, GIS Introduction, NEPA Process & Timber Sale
Tracking, and last, but
not least, Outreach to "Cultural Creatives" with Paul Ray.  With over 50
breakout topics and skills sessions, there will be something for
everyone.

Conference fees are on a sliding scale of $75-150, which includes 3 days
of breakfast and lunch. Students are welcome for $50, and work trades
are available to offset all but $20 of the attendance costs.
Registration forms are due by January 25th, and are available on our
website http://www.headwaters.org

Please join Headwaters and the Ecology Center of the Siskiyous for an
inspiring weekend of education and rejuvenation.  For more information
please contact Darcy Davis at 541/482-4459 or
mailto:darcy@headwaters.org
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe please send a message to mailto:ldix@americanlands.org
..............

WORD FROM ‘THE WEST WING:' Martin Sheen says stand up for Arctic refuge

WHAT'S BRUIN? New protection on way for Florida black bears

A ROAD RUNS THROUGH IT: Forest Service attacks roadless rule

RULES FOR THE EVERGLADES: Corps of Engineers produces ‘recipe for inaction'

DEADLY TECHNOLOGY: Study shows Navy sonar tests killed whales

ADOPT AN ANIMAL: Help save wildlife for Valentine's Day

BIODIVERSITY CRISIS: At least 235 species may vanish from North America

1. WORD FROM ‘THE WEST WING:' Martin Sheen says stand up for Arctic refuge Martin Sheen isn't the president. He just plays one on TV. But when it comes to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the real president should listen to the star of "The West Wing." Sheen is calling for Americans to urge their senators to protect America's greatest wildlife preserve from oil drilling. "The voices of the special interests are loud and omnipresent," Sheen says. "But ours is a strong political democracy where the will of the majority still is the most important factor in determining U.S. policy." Watch for a special message from actor Martin Sheen that we will e-mail to you. After a year of public debate, the Senate is now firmly scheduled to vote next month on legislation that will determine our energy future. The Senate could adopt a reasonable, balanced policy that promotes alternative and renewable energy sources and improved efficiency. But Big Oil and its political allies are lobbying for a bill that would increase our reliance on fossil fuels by opening the Arctic refuge and vast stretches of other pristine public land to commercial exploitation. The House of Representatives has already passed this reckless energy bill. With Big Oil lobbying hard to maximize its profits, the outcome in the Senate is too close to call. 2. WHAT'S BRUIN? New protection on way for Florida black bears Defenders of Wildlife is helping win new protections for Florida black bears. Acting in a lawsuit brought by Defenders and other groups, a federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reconsider its refusal to list the bear under the Endangered Species Act. There are only 2,000 of the bears remaining, and they're threatened by hunters, poachers and habitat destruction. "Without rules that help black bears and their habitat, we will continue to wipe out the woods and roll the asphalt over areas where bear tracks should appear," said Laurie Macdonald, director of Florida programs for Defenders. Click here http://www.defenders.org/slideshows/flsl00.html to see our Florida black bear slide show. 3. A ROAD RUNS THROUGH IT: Forest Service attacks roadless rule From its start, the Bush administration has tried to gut the new federal rule barring road-building in 58 million acres of pristine national forests. Now, the Forest Service is accepting public comments on its proposal to rewrite the rule to accommodate the timber and mining industries, which want publicly funded access to our last remaining wild places. Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen called it "the coming-out party for the ideologues and hard-liners within the Forest Service." Click here to read more: http://www.defenders.org/publiclands/habitat/roadless.html, and check our Web site daily for updates on this issue and more. 4. RULES FOR THE EVERGLADES: Corps of Engineers produces ‘recipe for inaction' The Bush administration's first blueprint for how to revive Florida's shrinking Everglades is drawing criticism for leaving too many key decisions for later. The most glaring omission: How will billions of gallons of water produced from the 40-year project be divided among the Everglades, corporate farms, and sprawling cities on the fringes of the wetland? There are also no biological standards for judging the success of projects. Defenders of Wildlife called the plan "a recipe for inaction." With the Everglades at half its historic size and 68 of its native species facing extinction, environmentalists hoped the regulations would put the needs of nature first -- not the wishes of thirsty developers and other special interests. To read more, click here: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/eglades/everback.html 5. DEADLY TECHNOLOGY: Study shows Navy sonar tests killed whales The mystery of the mass stranding of 16 whales in the Bahamas has been solved – it was caused by the U.S. Navy blasting intense sounds underwater in tests of its sonar system. That's according to a new government report by civilian and military scientists. Six of the 16 beached whales died, and X-rays showed bleeding around their inner ears, along with trauma to their auditory systems and brains. At the time of the deaths in March 2000, the Navy was generating underwater noises of about 230 decibels in an exercise meant to improve coordination of ships. That's 100,000 times louder than the noise that's known to cause tissue damage in sea animals. Defenders of Wildlife has sued the Navy to stop sonar tests. Click here to learn more: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/new/marine/whales/sonar.html 6. ADOPT AN ANIMAL: Help save wildlife for Valentine's Day With Valentine's Day only a month away, have you started looking for that perfect gift to say "I love you"? Adopt an animal today for a loved one or family member and help save imperiled animals for future generations. Just go to http://www.defenders.org/adopt and adopt an adorable polar bear, wolf pup, sea otter, whale, dolphin, brown or black bear or "Harry Potter" owl today. 7. BIODIVERSITY CRISIS: At least 235 species may vanish from North America Wildlife habitat is shrinking so fast that at least 235 species could disappear from North America in a "widespread crisis," according to a new report by some of the continent's leading scientists. The report by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation blamed pollution, human encroachment and aggressive agricultural practices. "North America's diminishing biological diversity has profound consequences," the report said. "Because the loss is irreversible – species that are lost are lost forever -- the potential impact on the human condition, on the fabric of the continent's living systems, and on the process of evolution is immense." Click here to read the report: http://www.cec.org/soe, and forward this issue of DENlines to friends to help spread the word about the threat to North America's wildlife. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DENLINES DENlines is a bi-weekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to denlines@defenders.org and put the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Defenders of Wildlife 1101 14th Street, N.W. Suite 1400 Washington, DC 20005 Copyright Defenders of Wildlife 2002

Please act now to help shape a management plan that will affect the
future of endangered black-footed ferrets, prairie dogs, burrowing
owls, ferruginous hawks, swift foxes, and other wildlife that depend
on national grasslands within the globally outstanding Northern High
Plains ecoregion.  

Once teeming with a mosaic of wildlife, this region has suffered
greatly from more than a century of development and agricultural
activity.  Unfortunately, the Forest Service's draft plan for managing
nearly 3 million acres of the region's grasslands shortchanges
proposed wilderness, opens more wildlife habitat to oil and gas
development, and fails to recommend the designation of any Wild and
Scenic Rivers.  World Wildlife Fund has a different vision and
believes instead that many parts of the Northern High Plains ecosystem
can be restored and can serve as the foundation of a stable economy.

BEFORE THE JANUARY 22 DEADLINE, PLEASE FOLLOW THE SIMPLE STEPS BELOW
TO SEND A FREE MESSAGE URGING THE FOREST SERVICE TO RESTORE OUR
WILDLIFE HERITAGE TO THESE IMPORTANT PUBLIC LANDS.  

For more background information, see the very end of this message.

**********************TAKE ACTION NOW!****************

To send the message below, as is, to the Northern Great Plains
Planning Team of the U.S. Forest Service, hit "reply" to this email
and then "send."  We will fill in the name and address and
automatically send the message for you.

However, we urge you to greatly increase your impact by adding your
own thoughts to your message.  Personalizing your message only takes a
minute; see below for details.

ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND INCREASE YOUR IMPACT  

Log in to your Personal Action Center --
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/login.asp -- with your email
address (alerts@earthhopenetwork.net) and your password.  (If you have
forgotten your password, follow the instructions on the log-in page to
have a new password emailed to you.)

Once you are in your Personal Action Center, click on "Protect
black-footed ferrets and other prairie wildlife" and follow the
instructions for adding your own thoughts to your message.

*********************LETTER TEXT******************

Dear Northern Great Plains Planning Team:

I write to urge you to increase protection for native wildlife and
habitat on our national grasslands.  Specifically, I ask that you

*  Manage for healthy populations of all native species on all
national grasslands.  Priority should be given to adequately
protecting imperiled species, such as the swift fox, mountain plover,
and ferruginous hawk, and to restoring native species such as the
black-footed ferret and prairie dog.

*  Eliminate prairie dog poisoning and shooting and take other steps
in order to conserve and restore prairie dog towns to a minimum of 10
percent of suitable habitat on our national grasslands.  

*  Rest one-third of national grasslands from livestock grazing
annually, to allow the growth of adequate amounts of taller grasses
necessary for several wildlife species.  Also, keep livestock away
from streams and wetlands.

*  Restore wild bison on our national grasslands.

*  Reintroduce black-footed ferrets into all nine ferret
reintroduction sites identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and make the reintroduction sites as large as possible.

*  Prohibit oil and gas development where it is incompatible with
other uses, such as proposed wilderness areas.  Disallow placement of
fixed structures for all remaining roadless areas, special interest
areas, natural research areas, and other important wildlife and
recreation areas.

*  Propose the remaining 574,000 acres of roadless grassland areas for
wilderness designation.

Protecting our national grasslands will be an important step in
restoring the Northern High Plains ecosystem and can serve as the
foundation of a stable economy in the region.

Sincerely,

Your name and address
will be inserted here

***********************END OF LETTER TEXT*********************

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Less than 200 years ago, the Northern High Plains was North America's
Serengeti.  Vast herds of grazing animals -- bighorn sheep, elk,
pronghorn, and as many as 70 million bison -- roamed the area, and an
estimated 400 million black-tailed prairie dogs dotted the plains from
horizon to horizon.  These animals provided abundant prey for
predators like wolves, cougars, grizzly bears, numerous species of
raptors, and black-footed ferrets, now among the rarest mammals in
North America.  Despite more than a century of development and
agricultural activity, the biological values of the ecoregion remain
outstanding.

Over the next half-century, WWF envisions a more sustainable economy
in the Northern High Plains based on a restored prairie ecosystem.  
You can help by urging the Forest Service to strengthen its draft
management plan for nearly 3 million acres within the Northern High
Plains, including some of the most outstanding examples of prairie
left in public ownership.  Unfortunately, public land managers in the
past have poisoned wildlife, including most prairie dog towns, and
allowed oil and gas development, extensive livestock grazing, and
unregulated prairie dog shooting.

Please act now.

P.S.  WWF thanks all the activists who last spring pushed for
restrictions on prairie dog shooting on Bureau of Land Management
property in Montana.  While the BLM has not enacted the restrictions
we requested, the huge volume of messages caught their attention.  
Please take today's action to show that there is continued strong
public support for prairie wildlife conservation.

______________________________________________________________________
Direct any questions about the WWF Conservation Action Network to
actionquestions@takeaction.worldwildlife.org
______________________________________________________________________
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

To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: January 9, 2002

Bush Rollbacks Threaten National Forests & Grasslands

After several wonderful months off on honeymoon spent with my darling
bride Beth Daley my batteries are now fully recharged for a knock down
drag out fight with our beloved President George Bush.  Instead of
supporting the public's desire to protect our remaining wild forests and
to restore degraded wildlands to create good jobs, the President and the
Forest Service are back to ladling out favors to special interests and
serving as the henchmen of the timber industry.  

The President and the Forest Service are using every means at their
disposal, both legal and illegal, to get the cut out, weaken the
public's right to involvement and legal power, and reverse the progress
made under the last Administration to protect roadless areas and reform
the Forest Service.  There can be only one response, to fight these
rollbacks, not give an inch to despair, and demand that roadless areas
be immediately protected with everything we've got.

Because the Administration is so forcefully attacking the forests and
environmental laws we use to protect them, our community must now turn
to Congress and work with our elected officials to stand up to the
President and the Forest Service.  In 2002, we will see at least four
major pieces of legislation affecting forests in addition to the annual
Interior Appropriations bill which funds the Forest Service and serves
as the hitching post for harmful riders and positive policy changes.  

Right now, before Congress returns to Washington in early February is an
excellent time to meet with your Representative and Senators about your
forest protection priorities for the year.  Make sure they know your
positions and specifically ask for their support and votes on key
issues.  You can best contact your Rep. and Senators at their local
district office (usually in the blue pages of the phone book).

Here is a brief summary of issues we expect to see considered in 2002:

Roadless Area Protection:

Through a series of directives, the Forest Service is steadily weakening
the roadless area protection policy while it remains in legal limbo.  
Activists continue to engage in the comment periods and legal challenges
to retain the policy, but the agency has made it very clear that they
have no intention of protecting roadless areas.

Intervention by Congress to prohibit destructive logging and
roadbuilding in roadless areas is needed to ensure these areas will not
be destroyed.  This can be accomplished by contacting your Rep and
Senators and let them know you are very disappointed in the Bush
Administration's rollback of the roadless area protection policy.  Urge
them to support the policy by supporting legislation to permanently
protect all National Forest roadless areas.

Interior Appropriations

The annual interior appropriations bill offers activists an opportunity
to influence the Forest Service budget, make policy changes and stop
harmful riders.  This year there are a number of issues we expect to see
address in the Interior bill.

1) Roadless Area Protection Amendment

We expect to see amendments offered in the House and Senate to cut off
funding for all logging and roadbuilding projects in roadless areas.  
This would put the roadless area protection policy into effect and
undermine  Forest Service efforts to undo the plan.

2) Off Road Vehicle Enforcement and Monitoring Funding

Additional funding is needed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management to monitor and enforce regulations related to off road
vehicles (ORVs).  Significant harm is being caused by motorized
recreation and the agencies are failing to enforce existing regulations
or follow monitoring requirements.  Funds from the agencies law
enforcement budget need to be specifically earmarked for ORV law
enforcement and the overall monitoring budgets need to be increased.

3) Grazing Allotment Retirement

There is an historic opportunity to retire many grazing allotments on
public lands by making a reasonable payment to cattle ranchers who wish
to retire.  This would enable heavily grazed lands to start healing,
while allowing the ranchers a secure retirement.  

4) Fire & Restoration Funding

There have been significant problems caused by recent funding increases
for fire and restoration programs due to the lack of environmental
safeguards and financial incentives for more logging.  We are
particularly concerned about the "goods for services" provision in
stewardship contracting which allows the Forest Service to give away
trees to pay for contracted activities.  In 2002, we seek to reform the
implementation of the national fire plan and to begin securing adequate
funding for an ecologically based restoration program.

5) Anti-Environmental Riders

The Interior bill is normally the place for harmful riders.   Last year
we witnessed a forest planning rider to allow the Forest Service to
ignore the deadline to revise forest plans every 15 years.  This rider
got through and now activists have no way of forcing the agency to
revise outdated plans.   We will remain vigilant and inform you if any
new riders surface in this year's Interior bill.

Farm Bill in Conference Committee

The Senate is nearing completion of the Farm bill which poses a
significant threat to the National Forests if current language
encouraging more logging and less agency accountability are approved.  
The Senate bill contains a compromise concerning stewardship contracting
that will allow for fourteen goods for services contracts to be offered
by the Forest Service.  However, this is a significant improvement over
the stewardship language in the House Farm bill which gives the agency
unlimited authority to give away trees in all stewardship projects until
2007.  

When the Farm bill goes to conference (probably in late January or early
February), the final details on stewardship contacting as well as
harmful legislation to promote biomass using forests will be agreed to
by the conferees.  We will be very engaged in this conference committee
process and will keep you informed about harmful forest provisions that
encourage more logging in the Farm bill.

Fast Track in the Senate

The House narrowly passed Fast Track 215-214 and the bill now moves to
the Senate where it has been strongly supported in the past.  Amendments
may be offered to address the lack of environmental and worker
safeguards in trade negotiations.  Please contact Jason Tockman,
740/594-5441, mailto:tockman@americanlands.org for more information.

Fee Demonstration Program Legislation

Last year, Congress extended the fee demonstration program until 2004
and lifted the cap of the number of locations fees can be charged.  This
year we expect efforts to resume to make the fee program permanent.  A
hearing is expected in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
to discuss the program and lay the groundwork for this legislation.  
Activists will be testifying at the hearing and continuing to build
opposition to the fee program.  For more information on how you can get
involved please contact Alix Davidson,
mailto:adavidson@americanlands.org

Sen. Bingaman's Forest Restoration Bill

Promoting a valid restoration agenda is a high priority for our
appropriation initiative in 2002.  In addition, Sen. Jeff Bingaman
(D-NM) is expected to introduce legislation calling for the creation of
$200 million a year program to fund restoration projects on the public
lands.  We haven't seen the final bill at this time, but we seek to
incorporate adequate safeguards and standards to ensure the restoration
projects will be ecologically sound.

Implementation of Fire Plan

Stopping bogus projects related to the National Fire Plan such as the
Bitterroot Salvage Sale will undoubtedly take a lot of activists time in
2002.  We want Congress to provide the agencies better direction on how
fire dollars should be spent and to curb fire justified logging.  This
includes defining the urban wildlands interface, instituting clear
standards for thinning and removing financial incentives (such as goods
for services) that encourage logging over brush removal.

Old Growth Forest Protection

Activist groups in the Pacific Northwest are calling for a complete end
to logging of mature and old growth forests in the spotted owl forests
of Oregon and Washington.   New scientific research indicates that
preserving the old growth ecosystem requires the protection of all
forests in the region 80 years and older.   Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
recently announced his intention to support an end to old growth logging
and to pass old growth protection legislation this year.  The details of
Sen.Wyden's legislative proposal have not yet been released.  Please
contact Jasmine Minbashian, Northwest Old-Growth Campaign, (360)
714-0572, mailto:jasmine@pcbp.org for more information.

Energy Bill in the Senate

Energy legislation calling for drilling in the Arctic and weakening
regulations concerning oil and gas developments on National Forest lands
has already passed the House.  This spring, the Senate is expected to
being considering its version of the Energy bill.  Activists will need
to ensure that harmful anti-forest provisions are excluded from the
bill.

Forest Planning Regulations

This March the Forest Service is expected to release new forest planning
regulations.  We expect these regulations will make it harder for the
public to get involved with agency decisions, and make it harder for
citizens to take effective legal action.  We will be doing everything
possible to discredit these new regulations including generation
opposition in Congress and possible legal action.

Building for a Better Future

It is unfortunate we have to spend to time refighting, and rewinning old
campaigns.  Fortunately our efforts to stop these rollbacks can create
the momentum for new protections in the years to come.  

As a movement we should recognize that we have strength in our
diversity.  There are numerous far reaching campaigns underway to do
what really needs to be done to protect forests on both public and
private lands and create a sustainable society that all deserve our
continuing support.  The McKinney/Leach bill to end commercial logging
now has 106 cosponsors in the House.  The Northern Rockies Ecosystem
Protection Act to protect 15 million acres of Wilderness and jobs
through restoration now has 100 cosponsors.  Pressure campaigns against
Boise Cascade and Staples to become good corporate citizens are making
remarkable progress and creating essential pressure for change.

Stay Involved and Stay in Touch

Well, as you can see there will be a few things happening this year.  As
you move ahead in your work, please keep in mind that it only takes a
few people to make a huge difference.  And together, we as a forest
protection movement are many more than just a few people.  

Best of luck in all of your efforts and please keep me informed about
developments in your area and with your politicians by contacting me at
202/547-9105 or mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org   Thanks.
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe please send a message to mailto:ldix@americanlands.org
..............

Don’t Gut the Clean Air Act

Click         here to take action now!

To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: January 10, 2001

CALL SECRETARY VENEMAN THIS FRIDAY!! URGE HER TO STAND WITH THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND IMPLEMENT THE ROADLESS RULE!

On the 1-year anniversary of the roadless rule, we are working to flood
the phone lines of Agriculture Secretary Veneman to urge her to keep her
promise to uphold the rule. Please make a free call to the Secretary's
office this Friday, Jan. 11, and urge your friends and colleagues to
call as well.  We are expecting a tremendous number of calls from around
the country, so if you receive a busy signal, please keep trying!

THE NUMBER TO CALL: 1-877-285-0051

SAMPLE RAP:
Hi, my name is _____ and I'm calling from _______ (city / state). Today
is the one-year anniversary of the historic Roadless Area Conservation
Rule which, was shaped by the greatest public input in federal
rulemaking history, including the more than 2.2 million comments
submitted by the American public. Although Secretary Veneman promised to
uphold this rule, she has instead taken many steps to undermine it. I
urge Sec. Veneman to stand with the American people and implement the
roadless rule immediately.  Thank you.
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe please send a message to mailto:ldix@americanlands.org

*****************************
* WILD ALERT
* Thursday, January 10, 2002
*****************************

Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

January 12th marks the first anniversary of the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule.  But instead of protecting 58.5 million acres of
pristine National Forests and Grasslands from roads and logging as was
intended, the Bush Administration is doing everything it can to
overturn the Rule.  Please honor this anniversary by once again
speaking out in favor of the Rule and the protections it provides for
these pristine areas:

   - CALL Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman (she oversees the Forest
Service) on FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 9 AM to 4:30 PM EASTERN TIME ONLY:
1-877-285-0051 (toll-free) and tell her to stand with the American
people and implement the Roadless Rule.

   - Then, SEND A LETTER to the editor of your local paper noting the
anniversary and asking that the Administration begin implementing the
Rule.

HOW THE RULE CAME ABOUT
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule was adopted by the U.S. government
after nearly three years of analysis and the greatest public input in
the history of federal rulemaking -- 600 hearings and 2.2 million
comments.  Ninety percent of those who commented support the strongest
protections possible for these wild areas.  It's no wonder the Rule
was widely hailed as one of the most significant public lands
conservation achievements of the past century.

WHAT THE RULE DOES
The Roadless Rule protects 58.5 million acres of pristine National
Forests and Grasslands from road construction and most logging.  A
well-balanced policy, exceptions were made to allow road construction
to fight fire, protect private property and endangered species
habitat, and allow access to state and private lands.  

And although our National Forests contribute less that 0.4% of our
nation's oil and gas resources, roadless areas already leased for oil
and gas drilling were exempted as well.

Among the Rule's goals: protect National Forest roadless areas which
provide a) critical habitat for vanishing wildlife species such as
grizzly bears, wolves, and salmon; b) clean drinking water sources for
millions of Americans; and c) superb recreation like hiking, hunting,
and fishing.

REVERSING COURSE
But the Bush administration, despite unconvincing assertions that it
will uphold the rule, has done nothing but impede its implementation.  
Through one obscure directive after another, the Bush Forest Service,
under the tutelage of Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and Forest
Chief Dale Bosworth, is steadily whittling away at the hard-fought
protections in the Roadless Rule.  

And despite assurances of Attorney General Ashcroft during his
confirmation hearings last winter that he would uphold the Roadless
Rule, the Administration has failed to defend it in court.

One year later, National Forest roadless areas remain at risk.

TAKE ACTION
*You* made the Roadless Rule a reality in 2001.  Now, please make your
voice heard again, by taking part in the Roadless Rule Anniversary
Call-In Day on Friday, January 11th, and also by writing a letter to
the editor of your local paper:

1) CALL AGRICULTURE SECRETARY ANN VENEMAN (who oversees the Forest
Service) to let her know that Americans stand strong behind this
policy.

Call 1-877-285-0051 (toll free) on Jan. 11th ONLY, from 9:00 am to
4:30 pm EASTERN TIME.  Please keep your call-in message short as many
other supporters will want to participate in the call-in day. An
example of what you can say:

"Hi, my name is _____ and I'm calling from _______ (city/state). Today
is the one-year anniversary of the landmark Roadless Area Conservation
Rule which was shaped by the greatest outreach in federal rulemaking
history, including more than 2.2 million comments submitted by the
American people.  Although Secretary Veneman promised to uphold this
rule, she and Forest Chief Dale Bosworth instead have taken many steps
to undermine it.  I urge Secretary Veneman to stand with the American
people and implement the January 12, 2001, Roadless Rule."

2) WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of your local paper.  Some points to
make (but please use your own words, your own perspective):

- The Roadless Area Conservation Rule was adopted by the U.S.
government after nearly three years of analysis and the greatest
public input in the history of federal rulemaking -- 600 hearings and
2.2 million comments.   

- Ninety percent of those who commented on the plan support the
strongest protections possible for these wild areas.  *Why is the Bush
Administration ignoring the wishes of the American people?*

- The Roadless Rule protects 58.5 million acres of pristine National
Forests and Grasslands from road construction and most logging.  
Exceptions allow for road construction to fight fire, protect private
property and endangered species habitat, and allow access to state and
private lands.  Roadless areas already under lease to oil and gas
development were exempted as well.

- National Forest roadless areas provide a) important habitat for
wildlife and fish, including vanishing species like grizzly bears,
wolves, and salmon; b) sources of clean drinking water for millions of
Americans;  and c) superb recreational opportunities like hiking,
hunting and fishing for all.

- This legacy of wild forest protection preserves a vital piece of our
natural heritage for our children and grandchildren.

- President Bush and his Administration should honor the will of the
American people and implement the January 12, 2001, Roadless Area
Conservation Rule.


***************************************************************
For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm

***************************************************************
An archive of past Wildalerts can be found at
http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm

***************************************************************
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https://secure-net.com/tws/join.asp

***************************************************************
WildAlert is an email action alert system brought to you by The
Wilderness Society to keep you apprised of threats to our wildlands --
in the field and in Washington.  WildAlert messages include updates
along with clear, concise actions you can take to protect America's
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Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect America's
wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands through
public education, scientific analysis and advocacy.  Our goal is to
ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water,
wildlife, beauty and opportunities for recreation and renewal that
pristine forests, rivers, deserts and mountains provide. To take
action on behalf of wildlands today, visit our website at
http://www.wilderness.org

Call Secretary Veneman this Friday, January 11, 2002,
and urge her to stand with the American people and
implement the Roadless Area Conservation Policy!

On the one-year anniversary of the Roadless Rule Earthjustice
is working to flood the phone lines to Agriculture
Secretary Veneman to urge her to keep her promise to
uphold the Roadless Rule. Please call (877) 285-0051
or (202) 720-3631 between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm EST and
urge your friends to call as well.

Sample statement:

Hi, my name is (your name) and I'm calling from (city/state).
Today is the one-year anniversary of the historic Roadless
Area Conservation Policy, which was shaped by the greatest
outreach in federal rulemaking history, including the
more than 2.2 million comments submitted by the American
public. Although Secretary Veneman promised to uphold
this rule, she has instead taken many steps to undermine
it. I urge Secretary Veneman to stand with the American
people and implement the Roadless Rule.

To read more about the Roadless Rule, visit our website
at: http://www.earthjustice.org/urgent/display.html?ID=38

--------------------------------------------------

Get your friends to help us tell Agriculture Secretary
Veneman to uphold the will of the people! At the web
address below, you can tell your friends about this
issue and invite them to call, too.

http://ga0.org/join-forward.html?domain=earthjusticeaction&r=S71aAPE1uuFY

If you received this message from a friend, you can
sign up for The Earthjustice Center at:

http://ga0.org/earthjusticeaction/join.html?r=S71aAPE1uuFYE

GE Food Alert 3 (ge-food-alert-3@iatp.org)    Posted: 01/11/2002  By  jvogt@iatp.org ===========================================================

KRAFT CAMPAIGN LAUNCH, NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION   FEBRUARY 6th AT SUPERMARKETS
NATIONWIDE

Genetically Engineered Food Alert, along with other environmental and food
safety activists, are gearing up for a worldwide campaign targeting Kraft
Foods to remove genetically engineered ingredients from their products. This
Fall, Genetically Engineered Food Alert began contacting Kraft, and on
November 8th we held the first Kraft campaign national day of action,
resulting in over 6,000 emails and phone calls into the Kraft Headquarters.
Kraft has not responded to this action, nor have they agreed to meet with us
to discuss our concerns. So on February 6th, we will publicly launch our
campaign to get Kraft to remove genetically engineered ingredients from
their products by holding actions and press events nationwide.

On the heels of the amazing grassroots victories at Trader Joe's and
Starbucks, we are planning to hold these actions/press events at
supermarkets across the country, working to broaden the impact of the
movement against genetically engineered (GE) food by telling regional and
national supermarkets that we don't want food containing GE ingredients,
while at the same time launching a campaign on the largest brand name food
company in the country, Kraft.

So far, actions in more than 25 cities are planned for February 6th. Actions
include leafleting, genetically engineered product returns, and press
conferences with doctors or children's advocates. GE Food Alert will provide
action kits with color flyers, posters, factsheets, sample press materials,
and ideas for taking action to any group that is interested in
participating.

WHY KRAFT?
Kraft Foods is the largest food company in the country, and the second
largest in the world, with products that can be found in 99% of U.S.
households. Yet many of these products, such as Taco Bell taco shells,
Oreos, Lunchables, and Macaroni & Cheese Dinners, are likely to contain
untested and unlabeled genetically engineered ingredients that put their
consumers at risk. Kraft is aware of the potential health and environmental
risks of genetically engineered foods-after StarLink corn was discovered in
their products, the company recalled millions of boxes of taco shells and
switched to non-genetically engineered white corn in their corn taco
products to avoid further contamination. Kraft also has moved to avoid
genetically engineered ingredients in their products in Europe, but
continues to use these ingredients in the United States. Kraft Foods, as the
largest food company in the country, needs to do more to ensure that their
foods are safe for our health and the environment.

****TAKE ACTION AND JOIN ONE OF OUR SUPERMARKET TEAMS ON FEBRUARY 6th 2002
****

HELP PRESSURE KRAFT TO REMOVE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED INGREDIENTS FROM
THEIR PRODUCTS!  WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO MAKE THIS DAY OF ACTION SUCCESSFUL!
PLEASE JOIN US!

contact: Lisa Archer at Friends of the Earth (GE Food Alert) at
1-877-843-8687 or larcher@foe.org or Kate Madigan at the State PIRGs at
kmadigan@pirg.org <mailto:kmadigan@pirg.org> or 213-251-3680 x 315 and we
will be happy to send you an organizing packet and get you in contact with
others organizing events in your city.

To: All Activists
From: Steve Holmer
Date: January 11, 2002

Subject: Bitterroot Salvage Sale: Harbinger of Things to Come or the
Forest Service's Downfall?

President George Bush has been steadily pursuing an anti-environmental
pro- development agenda on public lands and the nation's environmental
quality.  Examples of these attacks include:

1. Rolling back the roadless area protection policy to allow for renewed
logging and roadbuilding on National Forests

2. Promoting weaker environmental restrictions to drill oil and gas on
public lands and trying to open up the Arctic Wildlife Refuge

3. Reversing the phase out of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park

4. Making it easier for mining companies to mine public lands including
actions that could cause "substantial and irreparable harm"

5. Baring the reintroduction of grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies

6. Scrapping forest planning regulations in favor of new, significantly
weaker rules now under development

7. Trying to cut the public out of forest management decisions by
expanding the use of Categorical Exclusions

8. Working to increase logging subsidies through higher direct
appropriations for timber sales and biomass, redirection of fire risk
reduction and restoration funding for logging and stewardship contracts
that give away logged trees

9. Directing agency officials to deny citizens requests for information
under the Freedom of Information Act

10. Withdrawing the US from the Kyoto Climate Treaty talks and making no
significant committee for action to address the climate change issue

11. Picking Yucca mountain Nevada as the permanent repository for
nuclear waste

12. Opposing the inclusion of environmental or worker standards in any
trade agreements, Fast Track authority or US funding of IMF/World Bank
programs

13. Relaxing rules making it easier for developers to eliminate wetlands

14. Signing the Sierra Nevada Plan to protect species and old growth
only to announce you intend to weaken the plan

15. There are probably many more, if I missed something, please let me
know.

Bitterroot Sale Threatens 46,000 Acres of Montana Wildlands

In addition to all of these outrages, perhaps no better example of the
Bush Administration's disdain for the environment and the forests in
particular is the proposed Bitterroot Salvage sale.  The plan calls for
logging 176 million board feet of timber (300 miles of logging trucks)
from more than 46,000 acres of burned forest on Montana's Bitterroot
National Forest.  Over 50% of the logging would take place in roadless
areas or core bull trout or westslope Cutthroat trout habitat.

The massive project would log more timber than has been logged on the
Bitterroot in the past fifteen years.  The logging will cause serious
damage, particularly to streams, soils, bull trout, westslope cutthroat,
lynx habitats and greatly hinder the forest's recovery.  Dead trees have
significant environmental value as erosion barriers, fertilizer as they
decay and habitat for cavity nesting birds and other wildlife.

So intent was the Administration to get this sale out, that in an
unprecedented move, Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey signed the
decision notice and announced that the project would go forward without
citizen appeals being considered.  Mr. Rey said the decision to bypass
the appeals period was legal.

This quickly prompted an environmental lawsuit by The Wilderness
Society, American Wildlands and Earthjustice.  A separate suit to halt
the project was also filed by the Center for Biological Diversity,
Friends of the Bitterroot, Ecology Center, Sierra Club and Western
Environmental Law Center.

A federal court has now halted the project to permit appeals and made it
clear that the Forest Service was "in express contradiction to an Act of
Congress" to require citizen appeals on this kind of project.  It is not
yet known if the Administration will appeal this court decision.

"We regret that we had to haul the Forest Service into court to follow
its own rules," said Doug Honnold, attorney for Earthjustice.  "But this
end-run by that agency on the appeals process and trying to shut the
public out was dangerous precedent to attempt."

"We continue to support a burned area recovery plan that provides local
jobs, effective home protection and true forest restoration.  
Unfortunately, the Forest Service has caused unnecessary delay and  
proposed a massive logging plan that is not based on sound science and
will actually do more harm than good." said Larry Campbell,  Executive
Director of Friends of the Bitterroot.

Friends of the Bitterroot and other local conservation organizations
have developed a model burned area recovery plan for the Bitterroot
National Forest called the Conservation and Local Economy Alternative.
This true recovery plan, which has been dismissed by the Forest Service,
would provide local jobs restoring the forest and is based on the best
available science.

The Chief was obviously distraught the timber was not going to start
falling right away.  "I think it will be delayed for quite a long time
now," Chief Dale Bosworth said to the Missoulian in a telephone
interview from his Washington, D.C., office.  "We may not ever do any
recovery of timber volume in there."

The Forest Service has invested considerable time and staff energy to
promote this project including fanning public fears of wildfire to
justify massive logging.   "The folks in the Bitterroot did a huge job
of public involvement,"  Bosworth said. "They had field trips and
meetings, they took people out to the burned areas, they did a wonderful
job of trying to find whatever common ground there might be. They really
engaged the community."  And then they slammed the door closed on any
citizen appeals!

It is important we stop the Forest Service from breaking the law,
cutting the public out of the process and harming the forests with
projects like the Bitterroot Salvage Sale.  For more information about
how you can help stop the Bitterroot Salvage Sale please contact Matthew
Koehler, Native Forest Network, P.O. Box 8251, Missoula, MT 59807, (406)
542-7343, fax (406) 542-7347, mailto:koehler@wildrockies.org
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:wafcdc@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe please send a message to mailto:ldix@americanlands.org

ATTENTION NWF POPULATION ACTIVISTS!

Congress just increased funding for international family planning for 2002- but the amount is still less than 1995 levels.  This spring Congress will start working on the 2003 budget.  Please join us in Washington to tell your Congress members that more funding for family planning is needed!

----------

NWF Organizes Visit to Capitol Hill for Population and Environment Activists
Please join NWF Population and Environment Campaign staff, NWF population activists and students from around the country for the Sixth Annual Capitol Hill Days in Washington DC, March 9-12, 2002.

THERE IS NO REGISTRATION FEE FOR YOU TO ATTEND. LIMITED NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TRAVEL AND/OR HOUSING IS AVAILABLE.

What: Sixth Annual Population and Environment Capitol Hill Days
When: March 9-12, 2002
Where:Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Please join NWF Population and Environment Campaign staff, NWF population activists and students from around the country for the Sixth Annual Capitol Hill Days in Washington DC, March 9-12, 2002. You will learn how to lobby more effectively, hear from panels on population issues, receive training on building coalitions, meet new people and much more! You'll also get a chance to meet your legislators and see that YOU have the POWER to make a difference for wildlife. This unique training opportunity will draw on the expertise of the staff and activists from NWF as well as other organizations working on population issues, including the Sierra Club and Zero Population Growth. NWF participants will also be able to spend time discussing specific NWF Population and Environment Campaign plans for 2002.

WHY: NWF has a strong commitment to slowing population growth as part of our efforts to protect wildlife and wild places. Given that world population is expected to reach 9 billion in only 50 years, NWF considers efforts to slow population growth, including improved access to voluntary family planning, reproductive health care and women's education, to be critical conservation issues. Unless we address family planning needs around the world, human population growth will overwhelm even the most dedicated work of any environmental organization.

THE ISSUE: International family planning (IFP) assistance is funding for programs that enable people to freely and responsibly decide the number and spacing of their children. At current rates, world population could reach 12 billion by the middle of this century. Such unprecedented growth in global population severely impacts our environment, natural resources and wildlife. An estimated 150 million married couples worldwide do not have access to effective contraceptive methods and services. By providing educational materials for families, training for clinical and community health care providers, girls' education and supplies such as contraceptives, IFP services help ensure healthier families and reduce population pressure on the environment.

U.S. support for population assistance is imperative. Between 1995-1999 U.S. funding was cut by 30 percent. Over the past few years, funding has increased - largely due to citizen activism - although it is still well below 1995 levels. Furthermore, this funding has been subject to punitive and burdensome metering restrictions which waste tax dollars and harm the program's efficacy. Population Capitol Hill Days presents an excellent opportunity to let the 107th Congress know that Population and the Environment are important priorities.

THERE IS NO REGISTRATION FEE FOR YOU TO ATTEND. LIMITED NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TRAVEL AND/OR HOUSING IS AVAILABLE.

To attend Capitol Hill Days contact:
Caron Whitaker in our D.C. office
whitaker@nwf.org
202-797-6608
or
Julie Starr in our Vermont office
jstarr@nwf.org
802-229-0650

PLEASE reply ASAP because we have a discount hotel rate that is only guaranteed for a limited time.

Start off the New Year on a positive note by checking
out the Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! Campaign's weekly
good news update - "POSITIVE ENERGY!"

***VICTORY! BP DUMPS PLAN FOR LIBERTY OIL FIELD!!!***

Following years of campaigning by Greenpeace and other
environmental groups, BP announced Monday it is dropping
plans for the controversial Liberty oil field in Alaska.
BP proposed to develop the Liberty oil field in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea 40 miles to the east of where the controversial Norsthstar oil field was developed. Like Northstar, Liberty would have required an artificial drilling island located six miles off Alaska's north coast with a sub sea pipeline carrying oil ashore to the Trans Alaska Pipeline for shipment to Valdez, and eventual tankering to the Lower 48 and Asia. Greenpeace has opposed this new oil frontier development in the Beaufort Sea on the basis that it will exacerbate global warming and delay the transition to renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind.
                                    
For more details, go to: http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/press_releases/02_01_09.htm

***HAPPY NEW YEAR! ANOTHER GAS PLANT BITES THE DUST***

On Friday, January 4th, 2002, Pegasus Power Partners, a
unit of Delta Power Company, scrapped its plans for 180MW
electricity plant in Chino, California. The $164 million
"peaker plant" was originally slated to come on line by
Sept. 30, 2001, and intended to expand the plant so that
an additional 80-90 MW would have come on line by summer
2003. Delta first approached the California Department of
Water Resources to sell the dirty fossil fuel power, and
after being refused, the company made an offer to the
California Power Authority. Delta's offer was declined for
a second time! The Delta project is the 7th gas peaker
plant application to be withdrawn from the California
Energy Commission's list of proposals since last April.
Californians have been saved from the combined output of
the plants, close to 765 MW worth of air pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions.

***HELP REDUCE THE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN CALIFORNIA***

California Assembly Member Fran Pavley has introduced
Assembly Bill 1058, that would help reverse global warming
by addressing California's largest source of greenhouse gas
emissions--the transportation sector. Greenhouse gas
emissions are the root cause of global warming, the
greatest environmental threat facing us today. AB 1058 is
an extremely reasonable measure that instructs the
California Air Resources Board to adopt the maximum
feasible cost effective reductions of greenhouse gas
emissions from passenger cars and trucks in California.
AB 1058 is scheduled for a vote sometime this month, and
currently, there are not enough "yes" votes to pass it.  

Take Action! Call your Assembly Member today and tell
him or her to vote YES for AB 1058.

To find your Assembly Member online,
visit http://www.assembly.ca.gov and click on
"Find My District."
For more information on AB 1058, go to:
http://www.earthisland.org/bw/

The "Positive Energy" newsletter and website,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org, will gives you
good news about ways to achieve clean air, climate
justice and renewable energy solutions to our ongoing
energy crisis.

Dear Members of Global Response's "Quick Response Network:"

Good news from Brazil!

Our letters to the president of Brazil have had positive impacts on both of
the issues we addressed in GR Action #5/01: Protect Rivers, Forests and
Activists/Brazil (for the text of our action alert see:
http://www.globalresponse.org/gra/current.html). The Justice Ministry
accepted the involvment of Federal Police in the investigation of the murder
of environmental activist Dema, and the Federal Courts are clamping down on
the company, Eletronorte, that wants to build the Belo Monte dam on the
Xingu River.

Brazilian activist Raimunda Montiero sent us the following letter
(translated by Amy Boone at Environmental Defense), concluding with this
note: "I would like to emphasize that your help was fundamental to the
victories that we obtained in the sinister second half of 2001."

Many thanks to all who wrote letters to the Brazilian president. If you
haven't written yet, it's not too late. Raiumunda says continued
international pressure is needed.  See our alert at
http://www.globalresponse.org/gra/current.html. --Paula Palmer


Friends,

We end 2001 with two items of good news: the first is that the Justice
Ministry accepted the participation of the Federal Police into the
investigation of Dema's assassination; and second, that Electronorte has
another judicial and political defeat in their authoritative battle and
deceit over the construction of the Belo Monte Dam.

The external pressure that you organized contributed to the decision to get
the Federal Police involved. For our part, Dema's wife, Maria da Penha
Federicci, had a hearing with the Executive Secretary of the Justice
Ministry, accompanied by the Amazonian Secretary of the Environment
Ministry, Mary Allegretti, and the Secretary of Agricultural Policy of
CONTAG, Airton Faleiro. On this occasion, they submitted a dossier
demonstrating that the case was political assassination related to the
issue that Dema was denouncing, Sudam's embezzlement of funds in the
construction of the dam.

On December 22 the Minister of Justice himself called Mary, informing her
of the decision to authorize the participation of the Federal Police in the
investigations, beginning in January.

In regard to the dam, the Federal Courts once again confiscated the
studies, provoking  a great agitation in Electronorte and the local elites.
They attempted to stir the public against the social movement. They used
extortion, saying that they would bring their engineers for the studies of
the hydroelectric plant in Sao Luis, on the Tapajos. They organized a
demonstration with politicians and the mayors in Altamira in order to
support the permanence of Electronorte but only 1,500 people participated.
For the demonstration on the 7th day of Dema's assassination, more than
7,000 people participated!

Now Electronorte is not going to fight any more with the Justice
Department. It will try to comply with the requirements of the Justice:
pre-approval by the National Congress (which shouldn't be difficult for the
business lobby) and IBAMA licensing for the whole basin (which is not
difficult because of the understanding of the federal government with the
electric sector). Most important is that we achieve what we need in this
moment: to postpone Electronorte's agenda so that we can better organize
the resistance.

We have already begun to enlist more supporters in Brazil. But we continue
to need external pressure. We would like to propose that you come on a
mission to the Xingu and help us organize an international event about the
issue and an agenda of strategic visits in the countries that provide the
materials and financing for these dams. The Xingu is the portal for
destruction of all the Amazonian rivers and we cannot allow this to happen.

I would like to emphasize that your help was fundamental to the victories
that we obtained in the sinister second half of 2001. Now we have the
conditions to advance. I hope to continue to count on the support and the
international repercussions of our actions.

Hugs and my wishes for a successful year for us and for the health of our
planet.

Raimunda Monteiro


********************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
P.O. Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306
USA
TEL: 303-444-0306
FAX: 303-449-9794
Email: paula@globalresponse.org
Website: www.globalresponse.org

Global Response empowers people of all ages, cultures, and nationalities to
protect the environment by creating partnerships for effective citizen
action.  At the request of indigenous peoples and grassroots organizations,
Global Response organizes international letter-writing campaigns to help
communities prevent environmental destruction.  Global Response involves
young people as well as adults in these campaigns, to develop in them the
skills for global citizen cooperation and earth stewardship.

EarthNet News
... a project of the Center for Environmental Citizenship
http://www.envirocitizen.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------
January 11, 2002  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

In this week's EarthNet, tell Secretary Veneman that
we meant it the first 2.2 million times we said we
want our National Forests protected. Plus, read about
the good things to remember about 2001 and the green
hopes of our readers for 2002.

--Zachariah Silk, EarthNet Editor  
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

*SPECIAL NOTE*
We're asking our readers to share the EarthNet wealth.
All you have to do is click on the link below to send
this week's EarthNet News to a friend. Thanks!
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/07qAAaF1uPJM/to_your_friend

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shadow Congress: Said it once, said it 2.2 million
times
2. Quote of the Week
3. Glimmer of Hope: 2001 Highlights
4. Letters from You: Green Resolutions
5. Jobs, Conferences and Gatherings
6. Activist Phone Book & EarthNet News Info  

----------------------------------------------------------------------
SHADOW CONGRESS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

January 12th marks the first anniversary of the Roadless
Area Conservation Rule. But instead of protecting 58.5
million acres of national wild heritage from roads,
logging and development, the Bush Administration is
doing its darndest to unravel the Rule.

For those of you who may not remember -- after all
a lot's happened since last year -- the U.S. government
adopted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule after the
greatest public input in the history of federal rulemaking
-- there were 600 hearings and 2.2 million comments.
With nearly 60 million acres and 2 million comments,
it's no wonder the Rule was widely hailed as one of
the most significant conservation achievements of the
past century.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration just isn't impressed.
The administration made some mushy claims that it would
uphold the rule and then proceeded to promptly impede
its implementation at every turn. Through one obscure
directive after another, the Bush Forest Service --
under the tutelage of Secretary of Agriculture Ann
Veneman -- is steadily whittling away at the hard-fought
protections in the Roadless Rule.

One year after the most significant conservation achievement
in a hundred years, you'd think our National Forests
would be safe. As long as the administration believes
that people aren't watching, the forests remain at
risk. You've said it before -- 2.2 million times --
and now it's time to say it again. Tell Secretary Veneman
to stand with the American people and fully implement
the Rule.

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/0dqAAaF1uPJA/roadless_rule
Use the EarthNet Action Center to tell Veneman to do
the right thing.

FOR MORE INFO:

Washington Post: http://actionnetwork.org/ct/Q1qAAaF1uPJB/wp
Heritage Forest Campaign: http://actionnetwork.org/ct/PpqAAaF1uPJc/ourforests
Earth Justice: http://actionnetwork.org/ct/pdqAAaF1uPJw/earth_justice
Save Our Wild Forests: http://actionnetwork.org/ct/0pqAAaF1uPJN/wildforests

----------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Human history becomes more and more a race between
education and catastrophe.

-H.G. Wells

----------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIMMER OF HOPE
----------------------------------------------------------------------

2001 -- a year to remember. The terrorist attacks of
September 11th and our nation's response will haunt
this year for all of history. And our thoughts and
sympathies go out to all those affected by these events.

That said, EarthNet hopes the year is remembered for
more than its tragedies. Since January 2001, the environmental
community has accomplished some great things and EarthNet
hopes you are proud to have been part of it. There
is much to celebrate.

EarthNet is particularly impressed with how we -- the
next generation of environmental leaders -- organized
and educated ourselves for the fights of tomorrow.
Here, in chronological order, are some glimmers from
2001.

1. PEOPLE'S SUMMIT ON GLOBALIZATION

In March 2001, over 500 students arrived at the University
of Colorado-Boulder's campus for the People's Summit
on Globalization. It was an inspiring event. Folks
listened to speakers from all over the world talk about
the impacts of globalization on their communities,
learned skills to organize around economic injustice
issues, and networked with other young leaders and
activists. The results of the gathering are seen each
time someone does something to keep pressure on multinational
corporations and international governments.

2. GREENPEACE TAKES ACTIVISTS TO EUROPE PART II

Greenpeace built on the incredible success they had
when they took 225 students -- who they somehow managed
to get 'officially accredited' as delegates -- to the
climate talks in the Hague in November 2000. In July
2001, Greenpeace and 26 students headed to Bonn, Germany
to continue to pressure the diplomats to do the right
thing with the Kyoto Protocol. Here's to officially
accredited student activists!

3. ECOnference 2001

In October 2001, 1,500 students from around the US
converged on Washington, DC for ECOnference 2001. This
was the year's largest gathering of student activists.
People came from all over to learn about national environmental
campaigns from the leading activists in the country.
They got the knowledge and then built the skills --
through intensive trainings -- to run rockin' campaigns
back on their campuses. This wasn't the first ECOnference,
and it certainly won't be the last. So if you missed
it in 2001 keep an eye out for the next one.

4. ARCTIC NAT'L WILDLIFE REFUGE: SAFE, FOR NOW

On December 3, 2001 the Senate voted 94-1 to kill an
amendment that would have opened the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The amendment would
have been added to the totally unrelated Railroad Retirement
Security bill. This was yet another attempt by oily
interests in Congress to force through a provision
to open up the Arctic Refuge to drilling. The fast
action of EarthNet activists definitely made the difference
in this important vote. Again, thank you. But, remember,
this boogeyman isn't dead yet -- stay tuned!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Letters from You
----------------------------------------------------------------------

EDITORS NOTE: These are responses to last week's appeal
for our reader's best green resolutions for the New
Year. Big thanks to all who replied.

ELIZABETH WRITES:

1. desertion: to walk away from the over-consumptive
lifestyle I was raised to embrace.  
2. destruction: to smash the tools (both physical and
ideological) that have crippled Nature and man's relation
to it  
3. creation: to create a more harmonious balance between
myself and my natural environment. to live in necessity,
not in gluttony. to respect and defend all things wild
and free  

CHRISTINE WRITES:

1. I'm going to not leave the house without my plastic
coffee mug.
2. I'm going to try to buy produce that is grown closer
to home and eat more foods that are in season (no artificially
ripened peaches in January, for example).

GOLDMOOON WRITES:

My new years resolution is to stop eating meat and
less dairy. I was vegan for three years but stopped
when I had to move back home. I am going for another
try this year.

DARLENE WRITES:

I have had an ongoing "green revolution" for about
the last 35 years. I have several resolutions on going.
First, I want to continue to collect glass bottles
of all types so that I can build a concrete "bottle"
wall. I figure it's a great way to keep these out of
a landfill. Second, I have a resolution to eat even
less meat this year than last. Wish me luck on this
one. Last, I want to get a honest-to-goodness old-fashioned
wood stove and stop relying on my electric space heaters.

STEVE WRITES:

[Editor's note: Steve is talking about clothing and
accessories that are made from 100% post consumer recycled
plastic bottles and/or 100% recycled cotton.]  
I've got one for you that we've personally been doing,
but one that we feel a lot of your readers are not
doing, and it's probably simply because they're unaware
of the option. I don't doubt their eagerness to further
do good by purchasing green items, only their knowledge
that such a product is out there. It just is so ironic,
and scary, that this very viable option is out there,
yet most folks, even within our field, are just not
aware of 100% recycled clothing and accessories.

[Check out http://www.clothesmadefromscrap.com/ ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

These are a sampling of the over 200 environmental
and activist jobs and internships listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/index.asp

Job Title: Campaigner
Organization: Greenpeace
Location: Washington, DC
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/P7qAAaF1uPJd/3818

Job Title: Political Organizer  
Organization: Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition
Location: St. Louis, MO
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/PdqAAaF1uPJe/3815

Job Title: Naturalist/Environmental Educator
Organization: The Environmental Schools
Location: Ocean Park, ME
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/P1qAAaF1uPJ3/3809

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CONFERENCES, GATHERINGS AND VIEWINGS  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lots more events listed at http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/index.asp

WHAT: Thinking Ahead: Energy in a Changing Climate
WHERE: Boulder, CO
WHEN 1/26/02 - 1/28/02
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/p1qAAaF1uPJ2/energy_conference

WHAT: College Climate Response
WHERE: Portland, OR
WHEN: 2/8/02 - 2/10/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/p7qAAaF1uPJs/events2

WHAT: National Student Animal Rights Conference
WHERE: Washington, DC
WHEN: 2/15/02 - 2/17/02
FOR MORE INFO:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/ppqAAaF1uPJx/events3

----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVIST PHONE BOOK  
----------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121  
White House Comment Line: 202.456.1111  

White House Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington,
DC 20500  
Senate Address: US Senate, Washington, DC 20510  
House Address: US House of Representatives, Washington,
DC 20515  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Write your own short articles for submission to EarthNet.
We are particularly interested in articles about student
activism on your campus.

For general comments:
mailto:earthnet@envirocitizen.org

Submit Jobs/Internships/Volunteer listings at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/jobs/add.asp  

Submit Events at:
http://www.envirocitizen.org/enet/events/add.asp

--------------------------------------------------

Visit the web address below and tell your friends about
this awesome issue!

http://actionnetwork.org/join-forward.html?domain=san&r=ydqAAaF1uP-m

If you received this message from a friend, you can
sign up for Student Action Network at:

http://actionnetwork.org/san/join.html?r=ydqAAaF1uP-mE

In this post :

1. TAKE ACTION! Show Solidarity with South America's first Tree Sit in
Ecuador! Ecuador: Environmentalists Continue Forest Occupation in Mindo To
Block OCP Pipeline Contruction.
2. Mark Your Calendar! Key Dates for the Citi Campaign
3. Citi Days of Action
4. Empowering Democracy Conference.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
#1 TAKE ACTION! Show Solidarity with South America's first tree sit ever!

A statement follows from Julia Butterfly Hill, known worldwide for
her two year long tree sit atop a threatened 2000-year-old redwood tree in
northern California.
"When we see these Ecuadorian activists willing to put their bodies where
their beliefs are, risking serious danger and hardships, we know that all
other systems are failing-- corporations, governments, and consumers—all
failing in their responsibility to the planet, the people, and the future. I
stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters of Ecuador as they stand
against this absolute greed, destruction, and consumption of these priceless
and diverse ecosystems. The annihilation of this forest and all its
inhabitants for the laying of the oil pipeline and extraction of oil is
absolutely wrong-- morally, socially, culturally, and ecologically. I and
many others are deeply committed to helping the Ecuadorian people stop this
crime against humanity and the Earth."

For the past week, local community residents, students, and
environmentalists have been engaged in a permanent peaceful encampment high
in the mountains of the Mindo Nambillo Cloudforest Reserve to stop
construction of Ecuador's new heavy crude pipeline. This is the first known
tree-sit south of the border ever! Several activists have been climbing
trees and building platforms and about 20 others are chained to the base in
order to ensure that construction crews for the 300-mile pipeline, known as
the OCP, do not enter the protected area. Road buildingcrews have reached
the edge of this globally significant ecosystem forcing activists to begin
an encampment of tree sitters. Unconfirmed local reports indicate that the
police may be forcibly evicting the demonstrators in the next several days.
Citigroup is acting as financial advisor on the project and is loooking
closely at this protest.  It  is imperative that these activists are
supported and that both West LB and Citi feel the pressure.

You can check out photos online at :
<http://www.ran.org/news/newsitem.php?id=474>

Check out the Citi/Ecuador case study at:
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/cs_ocp.html

URGENT CALL FOR ACTION AND SOLIDARITY WITH ECUADORIAN TREE SITTERS
THESE ACTIVISTS NEED OUR IMMEDIATE SUPPORT!
PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY!!

6 Things You Can Do To Support Ecuadorian Activists:

1.E-MAIL THE FINANCIERS OF THE PROJECT IMMEDIATELY AND DEMAND THEY CANCEL
THE PIPELINE LOAN
(see sample letter and addresses below)
While activists in Ecuador take to the trees to defend the fragile Mindo
cloudforest and other ecosystems and communities affect by the new OCP
pipeline, the German Bank and Federal Government of the NWR Province are
holding a hearing this MONDAY JANUARY 14th to debate their $900 million
dollar loan to the project.  THIS MEANS THEIR FINANCING IS IN JEOPARDY!  WE
NEED TO BOMBARD THEM WITH E-MAILS BEFORE MONDAY AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WE
STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE TREE SITTERS AND ARE CALLING FOR A CANCELATION
OF THIS DESTRUCTIVE PROJECT.

2. SEND A LETTER OF SOLIDARITY TO TREE SITTERS SO THEY KNOW THAT THOSE OF US
CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS SUPPORT
THEIR ACTIONS!
As activists around the world who have put our bodies on the line to defend
our beliefs, we know that support from allies goes a long way in keeping our
spirits up.  We also know that from years of indigenous and civil society
uprisings, the Government of Ecuador routinely violates the rights of those
who have taken a stand for economic, social, and environmental justice.  The
physical safety of these activists, along with the fate of the forests and
communities they are defending, are all at risk and we need to let them know
they have our ongoing support.  Please take a moment to write a note of
solidarity to: Oilwatch@uio.satnet.net

3. FINANCIALLY CONTRIBUTE
In addition to the very real threat of repression against the activists by
the Ecuadorian government or the oil companies themselves, the natural
elements also pose a serious challenge.  The rainy season has begun and
activists are in need of financial support for food, gear for warmth, and
medicine in order to maintain their occupation.  Until the groups on the
ground have set up a bank account for donations, checks can be sent to
Amazon Watch.  As a 501 c 3 non-profit organization, Amazon Watch will wire
all donations directly to the activists - without any deductions.

Please send any donations to:
Amazon Watch
115 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite E,
Topanga Ca., 90290
Marked: Ecuador Tree Occupation

4. STAY INVOLVED AND UPDATED!
While OCP has announced that some construction will be delayed until April,
activists are committed to remain on the ground and in the trees until the
project is stopped.  As we all know, projects like the OCP can take a long
time and those who are on the front lines need sustained, long term
solidarity and support.  For background information and to join the Amazon
Watch list serve, go to: www.amazonwatch.org.  To learn more about Citibank’
s involvement in the OCP project, go to www.ran.org.

5. WRITE A LETTER TO WEST LB
EMAIL TO ALL THREE ADDRESSES:
presse@westlb.de
manfred_knoll@westlb.com
wolfgang.clement@landtag.nrw.de

Dear Sirs,
I am writing to bring your attention to an environmental and social tragedy
in the making—one that you have the power to avert.  The new OCP oil
pipeline in Ecuador will bring devastation to the communities, protected
ecosystems and pristine rainforests along its 300-mile route.
The OCP pipeline route affects eleven protected areas, and cuts through the
middle of the Mindo Nambillo Cloudforest Reserve and surrounding
ecologically sensitive forests, an area designated as the first "Important
Bird Area" of South America which contains over 450 species of birds.  At
his moment, affected community members and environmentalists are occupying
the forest and trees within the Reserve to prevent any further destruction
of this rare forest.  The pipeline will lead to the doubling of oil
production in the Ecuadorian Amazon, threatening the country's protected
areas and last remaining old growth rainforest, much of which falls on the
territories of several isolated indigenous communities. A doubling of oil
production of this magnitude will severely impact the Afro-Ecuadorian
communities of Esmeraldas, who suffer from chronic contamination from the
country’s only refinery.  I urge you to visit these communities to listen to
their protests.
I find unacceptable and incomprehensible the lack of transparency and
accountability shown by OCP financiers. The German financing bank WestLB and
the major capital holders of the bank, the German Federal State of North
Rhine Westphalia (NRW), represented by the government of NRW, made the
decision to finance the OCP project without ever having visited the region,
consulted its population, or thoroughly reviewed the true impacts of the
project.
The bank’s claims that the OCP follows World Bank guidelines are unfounded.
The OCP violates the Bank's Natural Habitat Policy. This policy requires
that critical habitats (such as the Mindo protected area) be avoided
altogether. Furthermore, World Bank guidelines require that strategic
environmental impact assessments be carried out that assesses the long-term
impacts—such as additional wells, flow lines, and refineries—and ensures
that serious negative impacts are mitigated or avoided.
It is a travesty of justice that WestLB and the government of NRW are
willing to finance a project in Ecuador that would never be approved in
Germany because of egregious social, economical and environmental impacts.
This pipeline project places fragile ecosystems, countless endangered and
threatened species, and hundreds of communities in jeopardy and could lead
to irreversible destruction of Ecuador's national parks and frontier
forests.
The OCP Environmental Impact Assessment, funded by the companies that will
benefit from the project, is seriously flawed. In line with the concerns of
Mrs. Baerbel Hoehn, Minister of Environment for NRW, I urge you to cancel
immediately all loan disbursement to the OCP project.  I also call on you to
end financing of oil exploration and production in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Sincerely,
[Date, your name and address]

6.CALL CITI'S INVESTOR RELATIONS :
1-888-250-3985 and dial 0 until you reach a human operator
Tell them to use their influence to halt this destructive project and
to stop funding destructive activities such as fossil fuel
development and logging.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
#2. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! KEY DATES FOR THE CITI CAMPAIGN
February 19th : Day of Action, kicking off a week of actions
February 25-April 30th. : The Planet is Not For Sale Balloon Tour.
March : Rolling regional actions.
April 13th-16th : Empowering Democracy Conference

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
#3. Citi Days of Action

FEBRAURY 19TH!
beginning a week of acti