home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Environment Action
Alerts June 16-23, 2002

I am writing this letter to all people I can that I know care about the
wolf and its place in our world. Be it here in the US or abroad.

We who care about the wolf must "set the standard" and assume the task
of trying to protect it now and in the future.                

I recently became aware of a situation in Norway where the government
has approved a new wolf hunt in Gudbrandsdalen.

This is a country where there are only
between 10 to 15 wild wolves left.

The population is so isolated and derives from only three individuals.

This hunt is directed at a lone wolf who has been stationery in that
area for over a year.

There have been several attempts to get permission to kill this wolf
before.

This lone wolf is being blamed for "all" the deaths of sheep plus
missing goats.

The truth be told it has killed only a few sheep.

There are over 2 million free-roaming unattended sheep there.

I think that the owners have the "over-all" responsibility for
protecting their animals.

There are things that can be done to protect them from the wolf; guard
dogs, electric fences, etc.

I am in close contact with a member of
the Alpha Association there and he informed me of this situation.

Read:

http://www.alpha-gruppen.com/english_articles.htm

You may also check Scandinavian Joint Action for Wolves:

http://www.fellesaksjonenforulv.org

(click on the English flag at the top of the page for the English page)

I respectfully ask that you write a letter to: The Office of the
Directorate at: postmottak@dirnat.no

----and to------

The Minister of Environment (Mr Borge Brende) at: borge.brende@md.dep.no

Ask them to please stop this wolf hunt.

To continue such actions with so few wolves will cause an end result of
total annihiliation.

If you want to contact me, please feel free to do so.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Donna Bettinger Sno_4_Ever@webtv.net

Action deadline:  Wednesday, June 19

Unless members of Congress hear a loud public outcry within the next
two days, the House may pass a bill that would undermine the
president's authority to protect endangered public lands.  Even if
you've taken action in the past on this issue, please send another
message now to your representative before this crucial floor vote.

If you are a WWF Conservation Action Network member, you can take
action by following the simple steps below.  If you received this
email from a friend, visit the Conservation Action Network at
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action.asp?step=2&item=1365 
to take action.

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

TO ACT QUICKLY -- hit "reply" to this email and then "send" and we
will automatically send the message below, as is, to your member of
Congress.  

MUCH BETTER YET, ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND GREATLY 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.  Once you are in your
Personal Action Center, click on "National Monuments at Risk" and
follow the instructions for adding your own thoughts to your message.
(Note:  Do not use the feature that allows you to print out and mail
your message; there is not sufficient time.)

Please forward this email to your friends and colleagues and ask them
to act today.

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

Dear (your representative's name will be inserted here):

I write to urge you to oppose H.R. 2114, the "National Monument
Fairness Act," when it comes to the floor this week.  This bill poses
a serious threat to our nation's ability to protect valuable public
lands.

H.R. 2114 would amend the Antiquities Act of 1906 to "sunset" after
two years any presidential designations of monuments of more than
50,000 acres unless Congress voted to maintain them.

Since Congress first gave presidents the authority to designate
national monuments, presidents from both parties have used this power
to preserve public lands with significant historical, scenic, or
scientific values.  Monument designation is a vitally important method
of protecting public lands from the onslaught of sprawl, development,
and abuse.  Many of the most recently-designated national monuments,
for example, are threatened by destructive logging, grazing, and
mining.

Under current law, Congress maintains authority over the management
and funding of monuments and may even abolish them.  The fact that it
has seldom chosen to do so is a testament to the care with which
presidents have traditionally applied their powers under the act.  The
Antiquities Act is not an encroachment on congressional authority.  
Rather, it is a mechanism whereby the executive and legislative
branches may more effectively bring their collective powers to bear to
protect America's natural heritage.

Please support the protection of the crown jewels of our public lands
by voting against H.R. 2114.

Sincerely,

Your name and address
will be inserted here

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

BACKGROUND

The legislation would severely weaken a nearly 100-year old law that
13 presidents have used to preserve endangered American landscapes.  
The law authorizes presidents to preserve public lands with
significant historical, scenic, or scientific values by designating
them as national monuments.

The new bill would require that national monuments of more than 50,000
acres be approved by Congress within two years of their designation by
the president, or automatically lose their protected status.  Had this
provision been in force from the beginning, it is doubtful that such
national treasures as the Grand Tetons, Olympic National Park, and the
Grand Canyon would enjoy the protection that they do today.

______________________________________________________________________
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

**************************
* WILD ALERT
* Monday, June 17, 2002
**************************

"Leave it as it is.  You cannot improve upon it.  Not one bit.  What
you can do is keep it for your children; your children's children, and
all who come after you."  These were the words of Teddy Roosevelt as
he set aside the Grand Canyon as a National Monument in 1906.

This week, the Antiquities Act, the law that gave President Roosevelt
the power to protect the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, Chaco
Canyon and many other beloved places, will be under attack in
Congress.  H.R. 2114 the "Monuments Fairness Act" would gut the
Antiquities Act.  The House will vote on H.R. 2114 this Weds. June
19th.  Your action is urgently needed to help stop the attack.  Please
read on, or take action now at:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/index.asp?step=2&item=1614
Better yet, please call your representative in Congress and ask him or
her to oppose H.R. 2114.  Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or see
"Calling Congress" below.


BACKGROUND
The Antiquities Act gives the President the authority to protect areas
that have significant historical, cultural, scenic and scientific
values.  It's been used by 14 of the last 17 presidents to protect
special places like Zion National Park and the Grand Tetons.

Now, the same anti-environmental Members of the Congress who make the
Antiquities Act such an essential tool in defense of our public lands
are out to gut it.  The weapon is H.R. 2114 and the U.S. House of
Representatives will vote on it as early as Weds., June 19th.


ATTACK ON THE ANTIQUITIES ACT
H.R. 2114, the "Monuments Fairness Act," authored by Rep. Mike Simpson
(R-ID) would:

-Remove protective status from any new monument of over 50,000 acres
within two years of designation unless the Congress okays it.  This
single provision would defeat the very purpose of the Antiquities Act.

-Prevent timely presidential actions to protect wild places and
wildlife habitat.

-Skew the balance between the President and the Congress in protection
of public land resources, a balance that has served us well for over
90 years.

This measure is only one of several loose in the Congress that aim to
weaken the Antiquities Act.  Others seek also to drastically diminish
the protections afforded to the new National Monuments established in
the Clinton Administration.  These public lands are the heritage of
every American.  


TAKE ACTION NOW
You can take quick action now from our web site at:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/index.asp?step=2&item=1614


CALLING CONGRESS
Or, call your representative.  You can use our legislative directory
to look up local phone numbers: http://tws.ctsg.com/wac/legDirectory
Or use the Capitol Hill Switchboard:  202-224-3121

POINTS TO MAKE
-Please oppose H.R. 2114, the "Monuments Fairness Act."

-This bill would eviscerate the Antiquities Act, which gives our
President the authority to protect special, imminently threatened
areas on our federal lands.

-Please also oppose any efforts to weaken the Antiquities Act or to
diminish protections for places set aside under the Antiquities Act.

-Please work to permanently protect our designated national monuments.


The Act gives Presidents the authority to protect scenic splendor,
scientific and cultural resources and wildlife habitat. In the 21st
century, this law may be more important than ever before.

DOWNLOAD OUR BROCHURE
You can download a full-color handbook about the Antiquities Act, with
a listing of national monuments, by going to:
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/monuments/
And clicking on "learn more."

************************
"Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only
mar it. "   -Theodore Roosevelt, title of novel, 1903.


***************************************************************
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

***************************************************************
To make a gift online to The Wilderness Society, click here
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
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provide. To take action on behalf of wildlands today, visit our
website at http://www.wilderness.org

Dear supporter,

Power plants emit more air pollution than any other industry in the United States.  And every year, air pollution sends hundreds of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms, triggers millions of asthma attacks, and causes tens of thousands of premature deaths.

We need strong enforcement of the Clean Air Act to reduce power plant emissions, but the electric industry has mounted a massive lobbying effort to gut a key clean air act program.  Last week, the Bush administration adopted the industry lobbyists' position and announced that it will issue new rules allowing more pollution to be emitted by thousands of power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities across the nation.

We need to let the Bush administration know that we oppose their proposal to weaken the Clean Air Act.  Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail President Bush and EPA Administrator Whitman.

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=9&id4=ES


BACKGROUND

Every year, air pollution sends hundreds of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms, triggers millions of asthma attacks, and causes tens of thousands of premature deaths.  At the same time, air pollution damages forest and aquatic ecosystems, poisons the fish we eat, and threatens the future of the planet by contributing to global warming.  Power plants emit more air pollution than any other industry in the United States.  The only comparable sources of air pollution are cars and trucks.

In order to reduce power plant emissions, we need strong enforcement of the Clean Air Act.  However the electric industry has mounted a massive lobbying effort to gut a key clean air act program.  Unfortunately, last week the Bush administration adopted the industry lobbyists' position and announced that it will issue new rules that will allow more pollution to be emitted by thousands of power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities across the nation.  The additional pollution caused by this rollback will lead to thousands of premature deaths per year that could have been prevented.

We need to let the Bush administration know that we oppose their proposal to weaken the Clean Air Act.  Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail President Bush and EPA Administrator Whitman.

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=9&id4=ES

Sincerely,
Gene Karpinski
U.S. PIRG Executive Director
http://www.USPIRG.org

-------------News Article-------------------

CNN.Com/WORLD

06/17/02

Cull threatens wolf population 

Experts say there are 13 wolves left in Norway    

By CNN's Gary Strieker

OSLO, Norway -- Wildlife authorities in Norway are re-thinking plans to
continue killing wolves following a bad year for the threatened
population.
Last winter, government-sponsored hunters killed 10 wolves in
southeastern Norway because sheep farmers complained the predators were
attacking their stock.
Conservationists protested against the hunt saying the country's wolf
population -- just 28 animals -- could not survive.
Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) CEO-Norway Rasmus Hansson told CNN:
"Last year we told [the government] that harvesting such a great
fraction of a very small population was biologically completely unsafe."
Experts now say there are only 13 wolves left in Norway and that the
single remaining wolf pack will probably scatter without breeding,
because its alpha male was among those killed.
It is a major reversal for wolf recovery in southern Scandinavia where a
few wolves migrated south from Finland -- where wolf hunting is still
permitted in some areas -- into Sweden, and then into Norway nearly 10
years ago.
Hunters wiped out the wolves in southern Scandinavia, Sweden and Norway,
in the early 1900s.
There are now fewer than 100 wolves -- which experts describe as an
isolated and vulnerable population -- in the two countries. Norway's
share of that population, experts say, has now suffered a catastrophic
loss.
The government was planning to launch another wolf hunt this winter, but
those plans are said to be on hold until Norwegian authorities develop a
new policy on wolf management.

------------------end of article--------------------

Sponsors Needed to Help Protect Yellowstone National Park

Thanks to all of the organizations that participated in collecting
comments for the most recent Yellowstone snowmobile comment period in
support of phasing out snowmobiles from the Park.   Now, we could use
your help getting more original sponsors on the Yellowstone Protection
Act which will soon be introduced in the House of Representatives.  

It is essential that we show the Bush Administration that Congress is
weighing in on this important National Parks issue in support of the
ban.  Bill champions Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Christopher Shays (R-CT)
are working hard on the bill and have sent multiple "Dear Collegue"
letters to gather cosponsors.  So far, 91 offices have agreed to support
the bill.  

Please contact your Representative at 202/224-3121 or see
http://www.congress.org to send a fax or email and urge him/her to be an
original sponsor of the Yellowstone Protection Act.   If they indicated
that they have already signed on, please thank them.

We urgently need your help.  When the Department of Defense
authorization bill comes to the Senate floor today, some senators may
seek to grant the department a blanket exemption from key
environmental laws.  Because military readiness is of utmost
importance to the nation, our environmental laws already provide
special waivers where national security is concerned.  Department of
Defense congressional allies, however, are seeking a dramatic
expansion of the exemptions already available to the department, and
appear to be gaining ground.  

A few weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives voted narrowly to
grant the Defense Department blanket exemptions from federal
provisions that protect endangered species, migratory birds, and
wilderness areas on public lands.  With White House backing, the
department's congressional allies are now pushing a more expansive
initiative in the Senate that would exempt it from key provisions on
marine mammal protection and hazardous waste laws.

While all Americans recognize the importance of military preparedness,
the manner in which the Defense Department conducts day-to-day
operations must be managed in ways that minimize damage to the
environment.  Poorly managed defense activities have led to needless
killing of seabirds in the Pacific Islands, desert tortoises in
California, and dolphins in the Bahamas.

If you are already a WWF Conservation Action Network member, see below
for how to send free messages urging your senators to oppose
additional exemptions.  If you received this email from a friend,
please visit the Conservation Action Network at
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action.asp?step=2&item=1522 to
take action on this issue.

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

TO ACT QUICKLY -- hit "reply" to this email and then "send" and we
will automatically send the message below, as is, to your senators.

MUCH BETTER YET, ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND GREATLY INCREASE YOUR
IMPACT -- Log in to your Personal Action Center
--http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/login.asp -- with your email
address and your password.  Once you are in your
Personal Action Center, click on "Oppose Unnecessary Environmental
Exemptions for Defense Department" and follow the instructions for
adding your own thoughts to your message.  

If you have any questions or problems with taking action, contact us
at actionquestions@takeaction.worldwildlife.org for help.

Please forward this email to your friends and ask them to act today.

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

Dear (your senators' names will be inserted here):

I write to urge you to oppose adding the Readiness and Range
Preservation Initiative or any other additional environmental
exemptions to the Department of Defense authorization bill when it
comes to the floor.  The Readiness and Range Preservation Initiative
would grant the Department of Defense an unnecessary and unwise
blanket exemption from critical environmental laws that protect
America's wildlife and wild places.  Public opinion polls show that
the majority of Americans oppose exempting the Defense Department from
these statutes.

Because of the utmost importance of the military's mission,
environmental laws already provide waivers where national security is
concerned.  These waivers, however, must be invoked on a case-by-case
basis, rather than by granting the Pentagon a blanket exemption to
ignore our laws.  No federal agency -- not even the Department of
Defense -- needs such a broad reprieve from laws to which individuals
and businesses must adhere.

The Readiness and Range Preservation Initiative's proposed exemptions
would affect 30 million acres of federal property that serve as
habitat for more than 300 endangered or threatened species.  How the
Pentagon manages these lands has profound implications for wildlife
and habitat.  In two recent years, the Department of Defense was the
number one violator cited in EPA enforcement actions against all
federal agencies.  The proposed legislation would exempt defense lands
and activities from key pollution laws, despite the Department's poor
environmental record.

I am also troubled by the manner in which this proposal is being
rushed through Congress, without opportunity for adequate public
review and comment.  The exemptions would make dramatic changes to
landmark laws and deserve open debate. The Department of Defense
already enjoys specific exemptions from most environmental laws where
national security is at stake.  Please do not add an additional
blanket exemption which would threaten our most basic environmental
protections.  

Sincerely,

Your name and address
will be inserted here

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

______________________________________________________________________
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

If you act quickly, you can help shape the outcome
of a momentous battle in California over air pollution
happening right now!

The auto industry is spending millions of dollars to
prevent final passage of landmark California legislation
to limit vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. If enacted,
this legislation can become a model for similar legislation
in other states -- and put the pressure on Washington
to act.  

Support Environmental Defense's fight to pass this
landmark legislation with your timely gift of $25,
$50, $100 or more:  
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/u11-AS11mc-S/donate

Contact California Governor Gray Davis urging him to
take a stand on global warming for the state and for
our nation:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ca_globalwarming2/wk8bxn2p78xb6m

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Bills to empower California officials to reduce greenhouse
gas pollution from cars and trucks have passed both
houses of the state legislature, and they await final
passage. If this global warming bill passes, it will
spur other states to act. Under federal law, California
is free to set its own air pollution standards and
other states have the option of adopting California's
strong standards.

There are 2 things you can do to help this critical
bill pass.

1) Give an Immediate Gift to Environmental Defense:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/u11-AS11mc-S/donate
Help this model global warming legislation pass today.
Your financial support is critical because it helps
us overcome the auto industry's desperate, last-ditch
effort to stop this legislation dead in its tracks.
Please rush a donation of $25, $50, $100 or more
to help carry this vitally important legislation through
to completion.

2) Contact California Governor Gray Davis:  
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ca_globalwarming2/wk8bxn2p78xb6m
Let Governor Davis know that you expect him to stand
firm in the face of intense auto industry pressure.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For more information about this global warming fight
in California, please visit:  
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/7p1-AS11mc-z/globalwarming

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

June 18, 2002
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action alerts--

1. WILDERNESS & WILDLIFE PROTECTION: Urgent - Senate vote tomorrow!
Tell your senators to stop the Bush administration's attempt to
exempt the Defense Department from important environmental laws

2. NATIONAL MONUMENTS: Urgent - House vote tomorrow! Urge your
representative to vote NO on a bill that could revoke future national
monuments

3. NATIONAL PARKS PROTECTION: Speak out to get noisy, polluting jet
skis out of Lake Mead

4. WATER POLLUTION: Tell the EPA not to weaken protections for our
rivers, lakes and streams

--Updates on Previous alerts--

1. AIR POLLUTION REGULATIONS

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for
how to unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action alerts
=============

1. WILDERNESS & WILDLIFE PROTECTION
Urgent - Senate vote tomorrow! Tell your senators to stop the Bush
administration's attempt to exempt the Defense Department from
important environmental laws

In April we asked you to take action on the House version of the
Defense Authorization bill, which would exempt the Department of
Defense from many of the country's most important environmental laws.
After thousands of you took action, the bill the House ultimately
passed wasn't as damaging as originally proposed, but it still
includes exemptions for the Defense Department under the Endangered
Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as well as language
that would reduce protections for Utah wilderness lands. The bill is
now before the Senate, where a vote is expected tomorrow, Wednesday,
June 19th.

The Defense Department is already one of the nation's biggest toxic
polluters. And the laws from which the department would be exempt
include those that preserve the air and water around our military
facilities and protect the health of people who live on or near
military bases around the country.

== What to do ==
Time is of the essence, so, if possible, please call your senators
*now* and tell them not to add exemptions for the Defense Department
to the Defense Authorization bill (the Capitol switchboard number is
202-224-3121). Or you can email or fax your senators directly from
NRDC's Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.

2. NATIONAL MONUMENTS
Urgent - House vote tomorrow! Urge your representative to vote NO on
a bill that could revoke future national monuments

The Antiquities Act was passed in 1906 to allow the president to act
quickly to protect significant natural, historic and cultural wonders
from imminent harm. Since then presidents of both parties, beginning
with Teddy Roosevelt, have designated more than 100 national
monuments including the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods, Death Valley and
Bandelier. Every year, more than 50 million people visit these
destinations for their spectacular inspirational, educational and
recreational opportunities.

But Rep. Simpson (R-ID) has introduced H.R. 2114, a bill that would
"sunset" (in essence, revoke) any new national monument of over
50,000 acres within two years of designation unless Congress voted to
approve it. The bill would defeat the very purpose of the Antiquities
Act by preventing presidents from acting quickly to protect
threatened public lands and resources. The bill is also unnecessary,
as Congress already has the authority to designate national
monuments, change their boundaries, re-designate monuments as
national parks, and even abolish monuments altogether.

Proponents of H.R. 2114 claim that some national monument
designations are "land grabs" that "lock up" our public lands; in
reality, though, these designations have occurred in response to
broad-based local and national support and pleas for protection of
these special places.

H.R. 2114 is scheduled for a vote on the House floor *tomorrow,*
Wednesday, June 19th.

== What to do ==
Time is of the essence, so, if possible, please call your
representative *now* and tell him/her to vote NO on H.R. 2114 when it
comes to the floor (the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121).
Or you can email or fax your representative directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.

3. NATIONAL PARKS PROTECTION
Speak out to get noisy, polluting jet skis out of Lake Mead

The National Park Service has released a proposed management plan for
Lake Mead National Recreation Area that addresses the impact of
personal watercraft, commonly known as jet skis, on park resources
and wildlife. Even though jet ski operators represent only 25 percent
of all park boaters, the Park Service's preferred alternative would
permit jet skis in 98 percent of the lake's waters. This huge
disparity in access is unfair to the vast majority of visitors who
come to Lake Mead to enjoy the scenery and wildlife, engage in
recreation, or simply relax amidst the peace and quiet.  

Besides destroying the natural soundscape, jet skis also pollute the
air and water, threaten public safety and endanger wildlife. And
although the Park Service would eventually phase out the dirtiest
two-stroke jet ski engines, the ban would not be fully implemented
until 2012.

The Park Service is accepting public comments on its proposed
management plan through June 26th.

== What to do ==
Send a message, before the June 26th comment deadline, urging the
Park Service to get jet skis out of Lake Mead.

== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the contact information
and sample letter below to send your own message, and please include
your own reasons why Lake Mead and its visitors should be protected
from the noise and environmental damage caused by jet skis.

Superintendent William Dickinson
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
601 Nevada Highway
Boulder City, NV 89005
Email:  lame_lmp@nps.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Strengthen jet ski restrictions in the Lake Mead management
plan

Dear Superintendent Dickinson,

I am writing with concerns about the National Park Service's proposed
management plan for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. While I
generally support Alternative B, the conservation option, I strongly
urge the total elimination of all personal watercraft, commonly known
as jet skis, throughout Lake Mead.

Jet skis pollute the air and water, create law enforcement problems,
threaten public safety, endanger wildlife, destroy natural
soundscapes, and diminish the experience of visiting Lake Mead for
non-jet ski users. The Park Service's preferred alternative
shockingly would permit jet skis on 98 percent of park waters despite
the fact that jet ski users represent only about 24 percent of all
Lake Mead boaters. This is simply unfair to the vast majority of park
visitors who do not engage in this dangerous, high-impact activity.

Additionally, the Park Service's timeline to phase out dirty
two-stroke jet ski motors by 2012 needlessly exposes park resources
to a decade's worth of additional damage, and must be moved up. But
even so-called "cleaner and quieter" four-stroke jet skis are still
toxic to plants and animals and do nothing to improve the craft's
horrific safety record or reduce its impact on wildlife.

Given the damage they cause, personal watercraft should be totally
eliminated throughout Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. In addition, I call
upon the Park Service to move up its phase-out date for two-stroke
motor operation on park waters.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

4. WATER POLLUTION
Tell the EPA not to weaken protections for our rivers, lakes and
streams

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, yet more
than 20,000 individual river segments, lakes, and estuaries across
America are still polluted. These waters may not be safe as drinking
water sources, or for fishing, swimming, boating or other basic uses.

A particular component of the Clean Water Act called the total
maximum daily load, or TMDL, program is designed to clean up the
nation's waters when technology controls on sewage plants and
factories are not sufficient to achieve applicable water quality
standards. The TMDL program requires that states and the EPA identify
rivers, lakes and coastal waters that remain polluted, rank them for
priority attention, and then develop pollution limits for each body
of water.

But the TMDL program has been virtually ignored by states and the EPA
for years. After dozens of citizen lawsuits, the EPA and the states
finally have begun taking initial steps to implement this cornerstone
Clean Water Act program. But now the EPA is about to propose changes
to the rules that would permit increased pollution and further delay
cleanups of polluted waterways.

== What to do ==
Send a message to EPA Administrator Christie Whitman, urging her not
to weaken the TMDL program.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to EPA Administrator Whitman directly from
NRDC's Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the
contact information and sample letter below to send your own message.

Administrator Christie Whitman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Fax:  202-501-1450
Email:  whitman.christine@epamail.epa.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject:  Don't weaken the TMDL provisions of the Clean Water Act

Dear Administrator Whitman,

I urge the EPA to not go forward with plans to change the rules
governing the TMDL program of the Clean Water Act. As you know, this
year is the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, yet more than 40
percent of our assessed waters fail to meet water quality standards.
The EPA and the states are already years behind in implementing the
TMDL program to clean up these waters.

By reopening the TMDL rules at this time, you would divert time and
resources away from your efforts to ensure that the TMDL program is
implemented and fully enforced. In addition, the proposed changes to
the program would permit increased pollution in exchange for promises
of future reductions, allow states to further delay cleanups, and get
the EPA off the hook from taking action when states fail to do what
is required.

The EPA should abandon its plans to rewrite the rules for the TMDL
program. Thirty years since the passage of the Clean Water Act is
already too long for the nation to wait for clean water.  

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

==========================
Updates on Previous alerts
==========================

1. AIR POLLUTION REGULATIONS
During the last several months, more than 9,000 of you sent messages
urging the Bush administration not to weaken key provisions of the
Clean Air Act. Nevertheless, on June 13th, EPA Administrator Christie
Whitman announced that the administration will revise the act's "new
source review" program in ways that will make it easier for companies
to pollute. The new source review program currently requires that
power plant and other industrial operators install the best pollution
control equipment available when building new facilities or making
major modifications that increase emissions from an existing
facility. The rules were designed to ensure that older facilities
built before the Clean Air Act took effect would not hamper the
nation's progress toward cleaner air, but many of the worst polluters
have illegally upgraded without installing pollution controls. The
administration's rule changes would permit this practice to continue.

Many of the changes the EPA is now moving to finalize have already
undergone a public comment period, so could be enacted without
further public review. The EPA is also proposing three new changes
that must go through new rulemaking and public comment processes
before becoming final; we'll let you know when those comment periods
begin. In the meantime thanks to all of you who attempted to persuade
the Bush administration not to move forward with these harmful
changes.

==================================================
About Our Bulletins/How to Subscribe & Unsubscribe
==================================================

NRDC distributes three bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all
of them or to join our activist networks, go to:
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/subscribe.asp.

If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or
update your email address or other information, go to:
http://www.join.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor (or see the unsubscribe
information below).

EARTH ACTION is sent biweekly and calls out urgent environmental
issues requiring immediate action. To unsubscribe from Earth Action,
send an email message to earthaction@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in
the subject line.

LEGISLATIVE WATCH is sent biweekly when Congress is in session and
tracks environmental bills moving through the federal legislature. To
unsubscribe from Legislative Watch, send an email message to
legwatch@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the subject line.

The CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT is distributed monthly
to members of NRDC's California Activist Network and provides action
tools to Californians and others concerned with protecting the
state's natural resources and the health of its citizens. To
unsubscribe, send an email message to wildcalifornia@nrdcaction.org
with REMOVE in the subject line.

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization with over 500,000 members nationwide and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to
protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and
healthy environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

6.18.2002
TO:  Forest and Wildlife Advocates
FR:  Daniel Hall, American Lands
RE:  Endangered Species Act - Under Attack in Congress - Please Help


THREAT #1:  Senate to vote THIS WEEK on Defense Authorization Bill.
Anti-ESA riders likely.

The House version of the bill includes riders exempting the Department
of Defense from complying with key portions of the ESA, the Migratory Bird
Treaty Act, and the Wilderness Act.  These and other environmental laws
already allow for exemptions for national security reasons -- but on a
case by case basis.  The military's request for blanket exemptions is
ecologically unacceptable, would make the military unaccountable, and
has not even been examined by the Congressional committees that oversee
these laws.

Fortunately, the Senate Armed Services Committee did not propose any
such riders.  However, riders will likely be offered when the bill reaches
the Senate floor and/or when the bill goes to Conference Committee.

ACTION #1:

==> Please call your senators NOW to remind them to oppose any riders or

other attempts to exempt the military from complying with the ESA and
other laws that protect our natural resources and environmental security.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121


THREAT #2:

House Committee to vote NEXT WEEK on anti-ESA legislation.

Representatives Jim Hansen (R-UT), Richard Pombo (R-CA) and Greg Walden
(R-OR) have joined forces in their efforts to weaken the ESA by
introducing H.R. 4840, the Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of
2002.  HR. 4840 is a rehash of previous attempts to gut the ESA,
including Pombo and Walden's HR 3705 and HR 2829, and would legislate what
"science" can be used in ESA decision-making.  The ESA currently requires that all

decisions use the "best-available science."  Politicians should not be
defining what the best-available science entails -- that should be left
to the scientists.

The House Resources Committee is scheduled to mark-up the bill on June 26.

ACTION #2:

==> Call the House Resource Committee members NOW.  Ask them to oppose
HR 4840 and uphold the Endangered Species Act.   Capitol Switchboard:
202-224-3121.  Key Committee members include:  Saxton (R-NJ), Gilchrest
(R-MD), Miller (D-CA), Markey (D-MA), Kildee (D-MI), DeFazio (D-OR),
Faleomavaega (D-AS), Abercrombie (D-HI), Ortiz (D-TX), Pallone (D-NJ),
Dooley (D-CA), Underwood (D-GU), Smith (D-WA), Christian-Christensen
(D-VI), Kind (D-WI), Inslee (D-WA), Napolitano (D-CA), Udall, T (D-NM), Udall, M

(D-CO), Holt (D-NJ), McGovern (D-MA), Acevedo-Vila (D-PR), Solis (D-CA),

Carson (D-OK), and  McCollum (D-MN).

For more information, including on beneficial ESA legislation that your
Members of Congress should be supporting, contact the Endangered Species

Coaliton.  http://www.stopextinction.org and
http://www.stopextinction.org/org/staff.html
wafcdc.vcf (Text attachment)

Action Alert - Ban Atrazine!

SaveOurEnvironment.org Action Center Update: June 19, 2002 Tell the EPA to Ban Cancer-Causing Atrazine! Atrazine is the nation's most widely used herbicide, applied liberally on cornfields by agribusiness and small farmers alike. Some of the more than 60 million pounds of atrazine applied annually inevitably makes its way into the water supply, especially during spring runoff. As a result millions of Americans drink atrazine in their tap water. Studies show that atrazine disrupts the production and function of normal human hormones, and is associated with a higher incidence of cancer in both humans and laboratory animals. The chemical causes severe sexual deformities in male frogs exposed at levels commonly found in rivers, streams, and even rain, and at 30 times lower than the level the EPA currently allows in drinking water. Just as alarming, a study at an atrazine manufacturing plant in Louisiana found that workers there were getting prostate cancer at three-and-a- half times the region's average rate. Several European countries have already banned atrazine, but the U.S. has not followed suit. Instead the EPA permits atrazine levels in drinking water supplies to average 3 parts per billion over the course of a year, allowing seasonal spikes far in excess of that level. As a result more than a million people receive drinking water from systems that have exceeded the EPA's safety level. Deadline Approaching - Take Action Now! Send a message to the EPA before the July 5th comment deadline, urging the agency to immediately remove atrazine from the market. Registered Users: Simply reply to this email, hit send, and we'll automatically send the message below to EPA Administrator Whitman to be counted as an official comment. Dear Administrator Whitman and EPA Staff, I urge the EPA to remove atrazine from the market as soon as possible. Studies show that this dangerous chemical causes cancer in animals, interferes with numerous hormones, and has adverse effects on reproduction and development. Atrazine-exposed people also have been shown to have higher rates of breast and blood cancer. Laboratory studies on frogs exposed to atrazine at a level one-thirtieth of the EPA's current drinking water standard revealed that the chemical caused severe sexual deformities. Also, workers in an atrazine manufacturing facility developed prostate cancer at an alarmingly high rate. As perhaps the most extensively used herbicide in the United States, atrazine frequently contaminates water bodies, and millions of people nationwide drink the chemical in their tap water. More than one million of these people receive their water from suppliers that have violated the EPA's safety standard for atrazine in drinking water. I expect the EPA to protect my family and me from public health threats, and the fact that millions of Americans are consistently drinking atrazine-laced water certainly qualifies as such a threat. Again, I urge the EPA to ban atrazine now. Sincerely,

For More Information... New Studies Confirm Dangers of Atrazine Natural Resources Defense Council Environmental Protection Agency Atrazine Documents

We track urgent issues
from over 40 leading non-profit organizations to make it easy for you to
take action and help make a difference. Your action today will help Amnesty
support human rights globally -- your action is critical! Check out this
special joint alert from Amnesty International USA and Care2.com


1. Send A Message of Hope
2. Action Center
3. More About Amnesty International
4. Quote of the Day

**************************************
1) SEND A MESSAGE OF HOPE TO A PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE

Ngawang Sangdrol, a Buddhist nun, is the longest serving female
political prisoner in Tibet. She was imprisoned in 1992 at the age
of 15 for taking part in a peaceful demonstration calling for
Tibetan independence from China. For this "crime", she received a
three-year sentence. In 1992 she was sentenced to a further six years
for composing and recording pro-independence songs in prison. In 1996
her sentence was increased by eight years for minor acts of disobedience
while in prison. In 1998 her sentence was extended yet another four
years for participating in prisoner protests at Drapchi Prison, where
most of the political prisoners in Tibet are detained.

At 24 years of age, Ngawang Sandrol is now serving a total sentence of 21
years. Because she has been beaten severely in prison in the past, Amnesty
International remains very concerned about her safety and health. Amnesty
considers Ngawang Sangdrol to be a prisoner of conscience and seeks her
immediate release.

Click here to Send a Message of Hope to Ngawang Sandrol. Let her know the
World is watching!
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4532


2) AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA's HUMAN RIGHTS ACTION CENTER
Your action can make a difference! Stay informed about pending legislation,
urgent human rights cases, alerts, local group events and more. Find out
how you can help protect Human Rights in the US and around the World.
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4533


3) ABOUT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Founded in 1961, Amnesty International is a Nobel Prize winning grassroots
activist organization with over one-million members worldwide. Amnesty
International is  committed to freeing all prisoners of conscience. Find
out more about Amnesty International's work -
http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4534


4) QUOTE OF THE DAY

Do What I Can
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
   -- Emily Dickinson

Tell AOL To Stop Sending Wasteful Metal Junk Mail   

Urge AOL’s Steve Case to conserve energy and help the environment by reforming his company’s junk mail practices. Take action!

To:  All Activists
From:  Steve Holmer
Date:  June 20, 2002

ROADLESS BILL AT 177 COSPONSORS - NEW SCIENCE REVIEW SUPPORTS ROADLESS
AREA PROTECTION

The Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2002, H.R. 4865, now has 177
cosponsors in the House and continues to gain momentum as the annual
appropriations season approaches.  Conservationists are urging Congress
to pass a roadless area spending limitations amendment to halt over
fifty new roadless area logging projects that violate the Roadless Rule.

You can help by contacting your Rep. at 202/224-3121 or by fax or email
at http://www.congress.org and urging them to support the Roadless Area
Conservation Act, H.R. 4865.  If your Rep. is already a cosponsor,
please thank them and urge their support for the roadless spending
limitations amendment.   A list of cosponsors is available at
http://www.americanlands.org/cosponsors.htm


"THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR ROADLESS AREA PROTECTION"
RELEASED BY  WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

A new report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) provides an overview of the
peer- reviewed science that supports calls for roadless area protection,
and summarizes recent economic studies of the issue. It was compiled
using extensive literature reviews, peer-reviewed science, the latest
satellite imagery and computer mapping that reflects nearly a decade of
studies conducted by WWF and the Conservation Biology Institute.  The
findings show that roadless areas are:

· less susceptible to catastrophic fires,
· more resistant to insects and forest health problems,
· potentially beneficial to local economies,
· vital to public municipalities that supply drinking water,
· crucial to conserving wildlife and plants, especially many threatened
and endangered species.

Full copies of the studies can be found at
http://www.worldwildlife.org/forests and then click on "roadless areas"
and then "Scientific Basis."   The executive summary is available at
http://www.americanlands.org/science_review.htm and can be downloaded as
a word file.

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

We are very eager to help indigenous communities and grassroots
organizations in Indonesia that are courageously defending their forests
from the onslaught of logging and oil palm companies.  Please read about
their struggle and send a letter to the CEO of Citigroup, demanding that
Citigroup stop financing companies that destroy rainforests and indigenous
lands.  Thanks very much for your participation in this campaign for
rainforest protection, indigenous people's rights, and corporate
accountability. --Paula Palmer

*************************************************
GLOBAL RESPONSE ACTION ALERT #4/02
STOP FINANCING RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION / INDONESIA
June-July 2002
*************************************************

“We ask, who is responsible for the destruction of our lives, our resources
and the life of the next generation?”

-- Benyamin Tawaakng, indigenous Dayak leader jailed for organizing
protests against oil palm plantation multinational PT London Sumatra
(LonSum)


When World Wildlife Fund researchers discovered the world’s most
biologically diverse area in a Sumatran lowland rainforest last February,
their awe quickly gave way to outrage. The Indonesian government has
designated this area a “production forest,” and logging there is already
underway.

Throughout the 17,000-island Indonesian archipelago, forests are being
felled at the record-setting rate of 2 million hectares (5 million acres)
per year.  Lowland tropical forests, which are richest in biological
diversity, are going fastest.  On the large island of Sulawesi, all lowland
tropical forests are gone; if current trends continue Sumatra’s will be
cleared by 2005 and Kalimantan’s by 2010.

What’s driving this unprecedented destruction? According to a new report by
World Resources Institute, “Deforestation in Indonesia is largely the result
of a corrupt political and economic system that regarded natural resources,
especially forests, as a source of revenue to be exploited for political
ends and personal gain…Indonesia today is a major producer of logs,
sawnwood, plywood, woodpulp and paper as well as such plantation crops as
palm oil, rubber and cocoa.  This economic development was achieved with
virtually no regard for the sustainable management of forests or the rights
of local people.”

As many as 65 million people (population estimates vary) live in Indonesian
forests and depend on them for their livelihoods, combining shifting
cultivation of rice and other food crops with fishing, hunting, and
gathering of non-timber forest products such as rattan, honey and resins.
They rely on the forests for medicinal plants and herbs, and their knowledge
of local ecosystems is unique and irreplaceable.

Forest-dwelling peoples throughout Indonesia are organizing to defend the
forests and their communities from a government that wants to turn all
forests into sources of capital. One of the government’s main schemes to
accomplish this is by converting natural forests into oil palm plantations.
Oil palm plantations already cover more than 3 million hectares (7.5 million
acres); a total of 30 million hectares (75 million acres) of natural forest
are slated for conversion.  This is almost 1/3 of Indonesia’s remaining
forests.

“Conversion” is a euphemism for massive deforestation rife with corruption
and human rights abuses. Some national and multinational companies have
obtained licenses to plant oil palm having no intention to do so; they clear
the forest solely for the timber profits and move on to clear more. After
the disastrous forest fires of 1997-98 that sent smoke clouds around the
globe, the Indonesian government accused 176 companies of illegally setting
fires to clear brush; of these, 133 were oil palm companies.

Typically, forest peoples are not consulted or informed about company
plans; bulldozers suddenly tear through their forests and farms, wiping out
rich biological and cultural diversity to establish huge monoculture
plantations. As a crop, oil palm requires massive amounts of fertilizer and
insecticides.  Soil erosion, loss of soil nutrients and watershed disruption
result as the land is carved with drainage ditches.

Threatened, harassed and jailed for their protests, indigenous Indonesians
are appealing to world citizens to help them stop the injustices and the
expansion of the oil palm plantations by cutting off the flow of
international funds to the most abusive companies.  Who is the primary
financial backer of these companies? The world’s largest financial
institution and one of the most powerful corporations on the planet:
Citigroup.  While major European banks have adopted investment criteria
proposed by Indonesian and international NGOs, Citigroup has refused to do
so.  At Citigroup’s annual meeting in April, indigenous Indonesians sent a
message stating, “We have told you before, but no one from Citigroup has
done anything to stop the bulldozing, the fires, the imprisonment of the
people, the military abuse, or the loss of our lands and livelihoods.”

*********************************************
BACKGROUND INFORMATION -- "THIS IS CITIGROUP"

Citigroup is the top funder of new oil, gas and mining projects around the
world; it profits from projects that destroy fragile ecosystems, accelerate
global warming and displace communities.  In Indonesia, Citigroup invested
over $300 million in PT London Sumatra (LonSum), a palm oil plantation
company that has taken over the lands of nine Benuaq Dayak villages in East
Kalimantan, devastating indigenous livelihoods and culture. Without notice,
in 1996 LonSum began bulldozing and burning 31,500 hectares of Benuaq Dayak
forests and gardens. When people protested, they were intimidated by police
and military forces or paid compensation equal to a fraction of the value of
their land, forests and crops.  After four years of continual protests, in
May 1999 military, police and company-hired thugs attacked and trashed the
village and arrested eight men; the police issued a “shoot on sight” order
if there were further demonstrations.  LonSum is currently waiting for
additional Citigroup loans that will enable it to clear another 11,000
hectares of Benuaq Kayak forests. Citigroup has the power to prevent this
travesty by refusing to finance companies like LonSum because of their
appalling human rights and environmental records.
*********************************************

REQUESTED ACTION:  Please write a polite letter to the CEO of Citigroup.

* Tell him you support these demands of the Benuaq Dayak people of
Indonesia: "Citigroup must cease financial support to LonSum and all
plantation companies that are destroying indigenous lands, shut down LonSum
and insist that the land be returned to the Benuaq Dayak people."

* Urge him to exercise leadership in corporate responsibility by adopting
policies to:

1- Stop all projects that negatively impact endangered forests and
traditional communities, including the clearing and burning of natural
forests to make way for monoculture plantations

2- Respect the rights and wishes of local communities

3- Integrate comprehensive social and ecological criteria into all
operations, from investment and lending to trading and internal business
practices, globally as well as locally.

ADDRESS:

Mr. Sandy Weill, CEO
Citigroup Center
153 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10043
USA

FAX: Int’l code+212 793-8999

********************
FOR MORE INFORMATION
********************
This Global Response Action was issued at the request of and with
information provided by Sawit (Oil Palm) Watch (http://www.sawitwatch.org); Telapak
(http://www.telapak.org); and Rainforest Action Network (http://www.ran.org).

For more information about the Citigroup campaign, see
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigroup/ and www.citiaction.org .

For info on oil palm plantations, see
www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Destruction/Agribusiness/Palm_Oil/

For the new World Resources Institute report “State of the Forests –
Indonesia,” see www.globalforestwatch.org/english/indonesia/maps.htm.

Also see Citigroup at www.citigroup.com.

NOTE TO TEACHERS AND PARENTS:  This Action Alert is available in versions
for children in grades 3-8 and also for grades 9-12.  See the Kids, Teens
and Teachers pages on our website: http://www.globalresponse.org , or contact
us at action@globalresponse.org.  Let's work together to inspire a new
generation of global citizens and earth stewards!


Copyright 2002 by Global Response.
Please circulate widely, giving credit to Global Response.

********************************
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: http://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.

We track urgent issues from over 40 leading non-profit
organizations to make it easy for you to take action
and help make a difference. Your action today will
help The Sierra Club protect Grizzly Bears in Montana!
Your action is critical! Check out this special joint
alert from The Sierra Club and Care2.com

1) MONTANA GRIZZLY BEARS NEED HELP!
2) ECO-ACTIVIST TIPS: CAR TIPS
3) QUOTE OF THE DAY

************************************************
1) MONTANA GRIZZLY BEARS NEED HELP!

Your comments are critical to protecting grizzly bears
in Montana! http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4568

There is a current proposal to remove the threatened
Yellowstone grizzly bear from Endangered Species Act (ESA)
protections.  The Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife and Parks has released a draft management
plan for grizzly bears if the population is delisted
from protection under the ESA.  Unfortunately, there
are significant holes in Montana's management plan!

We need solid, quantifiable protections for grizzlies
and their habitat. The plan must:

· Provide accountability by demonstrating how
the plan will be implemented;
· Not allow for a renewed grizzly bear hunt;
· Strengthen habitat protection; and
· Ensure adequate funding.


There is clear evidence that this grizzly bear
population is at LONG-TERM RISK due to increased
human population, development, isolation from other
populations in addition to mounting threats to their
key foods. With all of these challenges, we must
ensure that grizzlies will be protected and its up to
all of us to make Montana's protection strategy the
best plan possible!

Please tell the State of Montana that its proposed
grizzly bear management plan for southwest Montana
must be improved! http://www.care2.com/go/redirect/2/4568

ACT NOW: The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will accept
comments on the plan until July 5.

************************************************
2) ECO-ACTIVIST TIPS: CAR TIPS

* The next time you fill your tank at the gas station,
have the air in your tires checked. Driving on
underinflated tires contributes to poor fuel economy.
Check air pressure every 1,000 miles.

* Do not use drive up windows. This activity produces
large amounts of toxic emissions. Idling for more
than 30 seconds burns more gas than it takes to
restart the engine or than if the car were moving.

************************************************
3) QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did
do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the
safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."-- Mark Twain

Greenpeace's Positive Energy
June 17 - 22, 2002
v 2.21
 
Time for Greenpeace’s CLEAN ENERGY NOW! campaign’s weekly
good news update!!!!

-- Victory! Los Angeles Community College District Commits to Solar
-- Want Your College or University to Go Solar? Here's How

Action Update: Victory for Los Angeles Community College District and for the Planet!

Thanks to all of you who took action and sent letters to
the Board of Trustees Los Angeles Community College District. On Wednesday June 19, 2002, the Board of Trustees for the Los Angles Community College District (LACCD), the largest network of community colleges in the U.S., unanimously voted in favor of strong renewable energy standards for the 40-50 new buildings being constructed with Proposition A funding. All of the new buildings will
use at least 15-25% clean renewable energy and a minimum of
10% of the energy will be generated on-site with solar photovoltaic panels.

Read all about it:
http://www.cleanenergynow.org/features/laccd_victory.html

-- Want to Study in a Clean Energy Environment? Start Your Own Campaign

Students working at their universities can make a huge
difference and help curb the impacts of global warming by
their university to utilize energy from clean, renewable
resources. In many cases, doing so will not only help to
protect the environment, but also save money that can be
better spent improving the quality of education.

It is up to us to show our government and the world that
people in the U.S. are concerned about global warming and
are doing something to stop it, with or without our
government. You can help lead the way.

Download our action kit by going to:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/climate/student_toolkit.htm

The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our web site,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org , will give you good news about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice, and renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy crisis.
 
The "Positive Energy" newsletter and our web site,
http://www.cleanenergynow.org , will give you good news
about ways to achieve clean air, climate justice, and
renewable energy solutions to our ongoing energy crisis.  
 
Want to do more?  Become a Greenpeace member today!
To give online, go to:
https://www.greenpeaceusa.org/join2/cen.htm

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