US Fish & Wildlife Service In Lawsuit Over Wilderness Management

From the Courthouse News Service:

(CN) - Two rainwater collectors in an Arizona desert refuge built to help an ailing bighorn sheep population may have to be dismantled, the 9th Circuit ruled Tuesday. The federal appeals panel in San Francisco revived a lawsuit brought by several environmental groups against the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which in 2007 built the Yaqui and McPherson water structures in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness, a 600,000-acre desert refuge.

Wilderness Watch, the Arizona Wilderness Coalition and three other groups say the 13,000-gallon tanks violate the federal Wilderness Act, which prohibits, with a few exceptions, the building of structures in a designated wilderness area. The groups claimed in a lawsuit filed just after the collectors were built that the agency had failed to meet the requirements for an exception.

Congress designated most of the Kofa Wildlife Refuge as a wilderness area in 1990, while only 18 percent of the land is a wildlife refuge subject to the "arguably less restrictive" federal Wildlife Act, the ruling states.

The area is in a sparsely populated, isolated and extremely rugged corner of the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona, and it has been a recognized haven for bighorn sheep since at least 1939.

The sheep population in the area remained fairly stable at around 700 sheep since the early 1990s, but there was a marked decline in the estimated population in 2003. Three years later, a survey estimated that there were only about 390 sheep in the area - a population loss of 30 percent to 50 percent in about 20 years.

Fish and Wildlife found that the water scarcity, mountain-lion predation, translocation, hunting and disturbances by hikers could have all contributed to the population drop.

Ultimately, it decided to build the two water catchments to more evenly distribute the scant 7 inches of rainfall that falls in the area annually, and to avoid moving Kofa sheep to other areas.

Read full article here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/12/21/32787.htm

Glacier Bay National Park - A Wilderness Quandary

NPS File Photo

Managers in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska are trying to gather key information on salmon populations in one of the park's popular rivers, the Bartlett River. The river has seen a two-fold increase in fishing pressure in the past decade, and park managers are concerned about the potential impact on the fishery. The National Park Service has been studying fish populations in the river for many years but the traditional method of having a person stationed at a remote location and counting fish isn't a very efficient or in some cases, an effective, option. Therefore the NPS is considering the use of SONAR to get more accurate data, and to be more efficient with data collection in times of turbid water and low light conditions. Sounds like a great solution, right?

Not so fast. The location where the NPS would like to use SONAR is in federally designated wilderness, and it's possible that this kind of technology isn't compatible with the park's management plans.

From a recent article in National Parks Traveler Magazine:

The park is proposing a four year study (2011-2014); the equipment would be put in place from June through October and removed the rest of the year. The sonar device would be installed about two miles upstream from the locations where most angling activity occurs, so few visitors would be aware of the equipment's presence.

This seems to be a pretty straightforward idea, but the site for the proposed study is located in designated wilderness. As a result, the park will complete an Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing potential effects of the installation, and the staff is currently inviting public comments.

A park spokesperson noted, "Potential issues to be discussed include wilderness quality and character, impacts to Coho and sockeye salmon, impacts to visitor use and quality of experience, concerns over equipment maintenance and operation, and protection from wildlife." The EA will also analyze other alternatives to use of the sonar equipment.

To read the full article, visit: http://tinyurl.com/3yrarnc

To read the NPS proposal, visit: http://www.nps.gov/glba/parknews/bartlett-river-sonar-proposal.htm

Wilderness Volunteers - Giving Something Back

A recent article in the Marin Independent Journal recounted a volunteer experience facilitated through the non-profit organization, Wilderness Volunteers. Without volunteer stewards, many of the critical projects undertaken on public lands, and in wilderness in particular, would never get accomplished. Motivation for spending your time doing volunteer work in the woods runs the gamut from "I love wilderness", to "I just want to give back", to "working on the land is good for my soul." Without volunteers public lands would suffer. It's a simple fact.

From the article:

Not everyone can wrap his or her head around the appeal of spending a week in the Utah wilderness ripping out invasive Russian olive trees and paying for the privilege. Fortunately there are enough people who are eager to do that and similar service projects to make Wilderness Volunteers -- a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 and dedicated to organizing volunteer service to America's wild lands -- a success story.

Read the full article here: http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_16859096

Mules - The Wilderness Supply Train

BUFFALO FORK GUARD STATION, Mont. -- The rain is pouring down hard enough to soak through "waterproof" boots. Snow and low clouds shroud the surrounding mountaintops. Across this vast and uninviting landscape of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness north of the Wyoming border, Bob Hoverson and Mark Pengelly lead their string of pack mules up the Buffalo Fork trail, the mules' hooves making sucking sounds in the deep mud.

It's just another, wetter day at the office for the members of the Ninemile pack train.

Read the full article here: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_be7f682b-9afd-55c2-a1e8-60a2e1c910bc.html

The Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute - Resources for Wilderness Stewards

The Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute is the only Federal research group in the United States dedicated to the development and dissemination of knowledge needed to improve management of wilderness, parks, and similarly protected areas. Located on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, the Leopold Institute was formally established in 1993 by the U.S. Forest Service and is administered by the Rocky Mountain Research Station. The Institute operates under a Memorandum of Understanding among the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. Managers and scientists from these agencies play an active role in developing Leopold Institute programs and priorities. The Institute provides a national center for scientists from different disciplines and backgrounds to address the wilderness research needs of land management agencies and organizations.

See what's new at the Leopold Institute: http://leopold.wilderness.net/whatsnew.htm

Resolution Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Weeks Act Approved by the U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON – On Nov. 29, 2010, a resolution authored by U.S. Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Weeks Act (S. Res. 679) was approved by the U.S. Senate. In addition to celebrating the law’s centennial anniversary, the bipartisan resolution provides deserving recognition to the law’s author, John Weeks, a Massachusetts Congressman born in Lancaster, New Hampshire. It also recognizes that the acquisition of the first 7,000 acres of White Mountain National Forest was made possible using the authorities provided by the Weeks Act. Lastly, the resolution acknowledges the work and cooperation of local conservation groups, businesses, industrialists, and the tourism industry to ensure passage of the original law, and encourages further collaboration and continued support for the White Mountain National Forest.

Read more here: http://gregg.senate.gov/news/press/release/?id=DE652846-4B68-41C0-86D9-7DF89C818482

For information on wilderness areas on the White Mountain National Forest, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/wilderness/

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 50th Anniversary

Pine Beetle Wars

The Black Hills of South Dakota, the Black Elk Wilderness in particular, is just one of any number of areas in the western US that has a significant pine beetle infestation. The issue of how to manage damage from beetle kill is no small task, especially when federally designated wilderness is brought into the discussion. Land managers across the western US are wrestling with the pine beetle and what do about it, in addition to other threats to wilderness.

The mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice. Mountain pine beetles inhabit ponderosa, lodgepole, Scotch and limber pine trees. During early stages of an outbreak, attacks are limited largely to trees under stress from injury, poor site conditions, fire damage, overcrowding, root disease, or old age. As beetle populations increase, the beetles attack the largest trees in the outbreak area.

A recent article in the South Dakota Rapid City Journal explores the issues surrounding the pine beetle both inside and outside of wilderness.

From the Rapid City Journal:

The fight is over in the Black Elk Wilderness. The beetles won.

And they’re winning all through the Norbeck Wildlife Preserve, a 35,000-acre tract of relative isolation that includes the 13,000-acre Black Elk and the state’s highest point at Harney Peak.

That ravaged piece of high-country landscape is the epicenter of a plague of mountain pine beetles that is eating its way across the Black Hills. It is a biological version of a wildfire that could for generations change the face of this island of forest rising up from the surrounding plains.

The patches of rusty-brown pine trees that mark the destructive path of the beetles are appearing everywhere. Once limited to a few patches of dead or dying trees in the high country, they are now apparent from the highway near Crazy Horse, along the road to Rochford and on the ridges of Spearfish Mountain.

“Just about anywhere you go in the forest these days you can throw a rock and hit a beetle tree sooner or later,” said Kurt Allen, an entomologist for the U.S. Forest Service in Rapid City. “In my travels around the Hills, I’ve seen it just about everywhere.”

Read the full article here: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_aeb883cc-0034-11e0-a6a5-001cc4c03286.html

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship to play key role in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

As many of you are already aware, history was made on September 3, 1964 - when President LB Johnson signed the Wilderness Act, thus establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System. The 50th anniversary of this important legislative triumph is approaching quickly in 2014, and as a result, a planning team of wilderness-affiliated non-governmental organizations and the four wilderness-managing federal agencies is currently being assembled to plan the activities for this once-in-a-lifetime wilderness anniversary celebration.

The initial goals for the 50th Anniversary Planning Team are to bring the wilderness community together to celebrate and steward wilderness, and to help the general public become more aware of the many benefits and values of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Society for Wilderness Stewardship's Program Committee Chair has been asked to serve as the 50th Anniversary Planning Team's Co-Chairperson and has willingly accepted this position. The planning team meets monthly via teleconference and working committees, that will accomplish the bulk of the on-the-ground work for the 2014 celebration, which is currently being formulated.

The American people have supported wilderness since its inception, as the NWPS has grown from its original 9.1 million acres to over 100 million total acres in less than fifty years. Let's all take the unique opportunity of the 50th to come together as wilderness advocates, to do whatever is needed to make the 50th Anniversary Celebration an experience for the ages, and to use this distinctive event to propel us into a new time of shared stewardship and sincere collaborative wildlands management.

For more information on becoming involved with one of the 50th Anniversary working committees please contact the planning team Co-Chair

redroadone@aol.com

Wilderness in the news

The Thanksgiving weekend was a busy one for wilderness in the news. From Maine to Nevada, wilderness management, legislation and designation were all hot topics. It's amazing to see how much press wilderness gets on a daily basis in the media but just as amazing are the number of people who just aren't aware of wilderness. Couple that with a National Wilderness Preservation System that is under a variety of threats and you begin to get a sense of the challenges we wilderness stewards face on a daily basis. That said, the more wilderness stays on the front burner, the better!

To see what's affecting wilderness areas (existing or proposed), check out these links from the past few days:

From the Naples, Florida Naples News: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/nov/24/wilderness-area-big-cypress-shrink-off-road-atv/

From the Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces Sun News: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_16713762

From the Crestview, Florida Crestview Bulletin News: http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/managing-12265-northwest-wilderness.html

From the Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks Herald: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/184863/

From the Petroleum News: http://www.petroleumnews.com/pntruncate/67082282.shtml

From the Waterville, Maine Morning Sentinel: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/opinion/letters/Wilderness-protection-bills-deserve-support-.html

National Forest Foundation - Grants for Wilderness Stewardship

Wilderness Stewardship Challenge

In 1964, Congress established the National Wilderness Preservation System, under the Wilderness Act. The legislation allows certain federal lands to be set aside as Wilderness Areas - lands generally 5,000 acres or larger that exist mainly in their "natural" state. The Wilderness Act describes these areas as places "...where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." The U.S. Forest Service is one of four federal agencies charged with management of the National Wilderness Preservation System, with responsibility for 35 million acres of wilderness areas, or 33% of the overall Wilderness system and 20% of Forest Service land.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the U.S. Forest Service issued a Stewardship Challenge, calling for all Wilderness areas in the National Forest System to meet baseline management standards by 2014. To meet this standard, Wilderness Areas are measured on 10 stewardship elements and must achieve 60% of the total available points. As of the end of Fiscal Year 2008, only a small fraction of Wilderness Areas met this standard. The National Forest Foundation (NFF), as the official nonprofit partner of the Forest Service, has increased the resources available to meet this challenge since its inception, providing matching grants of up to $50,000 to nonprofit partners for the implementation of on-the-ground conservation projects that directly benefit National Forest Wilderness Areas.

For 2011, two types of federal grants will be available: (a) requiring a 1:1 nonfederal cash match, or (b) requiring a reduced match of 50% in nonfederal in-kind contributions. Only organizations with an operating budget under $150,000 are eligible to apply for a reduced-match grant. Within this category, priority will be given to smaller organizations, provided the same quality of work.

The NFF encourages organizations to conduct the highest priority work to help meet the Challenge. The NFF will provide weighted advantage for (a) work in Wilderness Area(s) that do not meet the minimum stewardship level and for (b) work that advances or helps meet any individual stewardship element(s) that are not managed to the baseline standard.

For more information or to apply, please visit: http://nationalforests.org/conserve/grantprograms/ontheground/wilderness/application

Why we need wilderness

For the past several months wilderness has been a hot topic in Colorado. Discussion about new wilderness designations and of those involved has reached a fever pitch. Amidst all the discussion, the fundamental idea of wilderness often gets lost in the shuffle.

A recent article in the Sky-Hi Daily News zeroed in on the need for wilderness, and specifically focused on the benefits and values of federally designated wilderness. From the article:

“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.” - Wallace Stegner's Wilderness Letter, December 3, 1960

Why Wilderness Matters

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” (The Wilderness Act).

There are 78,986 acres of congressionally designated “wilderness” on the National Forest Service lands in Grand County, and 92,888 acres of wilderness within Rocky Mountain National Park, offering hikers and backpackers the solitude they might not find on other public land.

In addition to the beauty of being surrounded by wilderness, there are long-term economic benefits.

Last August, The Wilderness Society reported the role wilderness plays in local economies: “Federally designated wilderness areas provide incredibly valuable services — like increasing local income and employment, boosting recreation and tourism and naturally filtering our air and drinking water. Economic studies show that wilderness can boost residential property values by almost 19 percent. Wilderness is also often a motivation for people to move to and stay in places, which leads to economic development.”

Read the full article here: http://www.tinyurl.com/23sm56r

Property Acquisition Helps Secure Washington's Wild Sky Wilderness

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash., Nov. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Wilderness Land Trust and The United States Forest Service announce the protection of a 113-acre property in the Wild Sky Wilderness in Snohomish County, Wash., with the transfer of the property from The Wilderness Land Trust to the United States for inclusion in the 106,000-acre Wild Sky Wilderness.

The property is located in the Bitter Creek drainage a few miles upstream of the North Fork Skykomish River. The Skykomish drains a vast watershed on the edge of the Cascades just outside of Seattle. The property contains a thick canopy of Douglas fir, silver fir, cedar, and mountain hemlock and expansive views of the surrounding mountain peaks.

The transfer completes a process that started in August of 2006 when The Wilderness Land Trust purchased the property from a private seller. The Trust's acquisition of the property helped the Wild Sky designation move forward to a successful completion in 2008. The purchase also allowed the Forest Service to terminate an existing road right of way that had been used in the mid 1900s for timber harvests. The old road can now be used for a trail into the wilderness.

"This acquisition would not have been possible without the strong partnership of the Wilderness Land Trust and the support of the many within the environmental community. This is a wonderful legacy for the Wild Sky Wilderness," said Rob Iwamoto, Forest Supervisor for the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

"The Wilderness Land Trust is pleased to assist the Forest Service with this transaction. With the private property now becoming part of the wilderness and the road going away, the quick-growing Cascade forest will soon return the Wild Sky to its natural condition," said David Kirk, Senior Lands Specialist for the Trust. "These transactions take a while, but the long-term result of secured wilderness makes it all worthwhile. I highly recommend a hike up into this area."

The Wilderness Land Trust acquires unprotected private land within wilderness, returning it to public ownership to guarantee that future generations can enjoy the enduring resources of wilderness. The Trust is a small, highly specialized non-profit organization established to buy and protect wilderness land. Since it was founded in 1992, the organization has preserved more than 344 parcels comprising more than 31,000 acres of wilderness inholdings in 76 designated and proposed wilderness areas. Read more at http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org

Wilderness and politics

It's a fact that wilderness, wilderness stewardship, wilderness management, wilderness designation and even support for wilderness is at times directly linked to politics. Even something as pure as wilderness isn't immune to political swings and changes over time. An article recently published in Seattle PI Local looks at how a changing Natural Resources Committee Chair could have impacts on wilderness in the coming years.

From the article:

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Congressman Doc Hastings, a soft-spoken conservative who toes the Republican party line on most issues, generally doesn't garner much public attention outside his sweeping U.S. House district in central Washington. That's likely to change with GOP control of the chamber come January.

Hastings is set to take over the Natural Resources Committee, a panel that has jurisdiction over most federal land and water policy, covering national parks, wilderness areas and American Indian reservations.

Issues in those areas resonate across large swaths of the American West, not just in Hastings' 4th District, which stretches from north-central Washington to the Oregon border.

In a telephone interview this week, Hastings noted that he has yet to be named chairman, but said he's pleased his colleagues named him ranking member beginning in 2009. Hastings, 69, first won his seat in 1994 and has won re-election, often handily, in each election since.

Read the full article here: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_hastings_congress.html

Industrial air pollution - external threats to wilderness mount

Some of the biggest threats to federally designated wilderness come from outside the wilderness boundary. There are times when those who steward wilderness can adequately address these threats and times when the specific threat is linked to a much bigger environmental issue. A recent op/ed piece in the Duluth News Tribune discusses how industrial air pollution is impacting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, what the causes are and some potential solutions. As wilderness stewards, we have to be aware of both internal and external threats in order to effectively manage and protect the life sustaining benefits and values of wilderness.

From the Duluth News Tribune:

Haze generally is thought of as a city problem. Unfortunately, haze and industrial air pollution also invade our national parks and wilderness areas. One in three national parks across the country suffers from air pollution levels that exceed health standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In Minnesota, haze hangs over the splendor of Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, not only spoiling pristine views but also making the air unhealthy for visitors, plants and wildlife.

Full article here: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/183307/group/Opinion/

Society signs national Memorandum of Understanding with US Forest Service

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the USDA Forest Service. This national level MOU is designed to foster "cooperation between the Society and the Forest Service to identify and collaboratively resolve issues related to stewardship of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS)." The MOU was signed by Society Board Chair, Don Hunger and Deputy Chief of the US Forest Service, Joel Holtrop.

"It's great to have the USDA Forest Service support the Society for Wilderness Stewardship. This MOU acknowledges our commitment to a professional society supporting the environmental, economic and educational benefits of America's National Wilderness Preservation System. We look forward to a strong partnership with the Forest Service," said Chair Don Hunger.

The Society is pursuing MOU's with other federal land management agencies that manage wilderness, including the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the US Fish & Wildlife Service to achieve a shared vision of proper stewardship for lands managed under the NWPS.

30 years of Wilderness: Designation has helped define Kenai Peninsula

In an interesting retrospective article, managers from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge – 1.35 million acres of which are federally designated wilderness – look at the history of the refuge, the significance of the wilderness designation and the future of the lands protected under the Wilderness Act that compromise the refuge. Specific management topics such as invasive species, fire and traditional use of wilderness are discussed.

From the Peninsula Clarion:

Rick Johnston spoke to a small audience inside a cabin on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Images of moose, bears and past managers hiking through the forest were cast onto the back wall by a projector while the longtime Fish and Wildlife Service employee spoke about the genesis of the refuge. When Johnston first came to work there, it was called the Kenai Moose Range. The title changed 30 years ago when the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act turned the game sanctuary into federally designated Wilderness.

Wilderness comprises more than two-thirds of the 1.95 million-acre refuge. By the Wilderness Act's definition, the 1.35 million acres on the refuge are "untrammeled by man" and have no established signs of civilization. The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964, but the refuge didn't become the refuge until 1980 passage of ANILCA.

No permanent structures can exist in the Wilderness; historic cabins, however, and related structures can be protected under the National Register of Historic Places. The act allows hiking and camping, but bans generators, chainsaws and any kind of motor-powered or mechanical device. Anyone who stays within the lands is bound to practice "leave no trace" camping.
The spike in the Peninsula's population and changes in the planet's climate could drastically alter the refuge's untouched lands, but Supervisory Biologist John Morton said that they're still deliberating on solutions for the unmanaged expanses.

Read the full article here: http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/101110/new_718960679.shtml

Wilderness is a necessity...

"Wilderness is a necessity ... They will see what I meant in time. There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls. Food and drink is not all. There is the spiritual. In some it is only a germ, of course, but the germ will grow."

- John Muir, conservationist and founder, The Sierra Club

Very large protected areas preserve wilderness but ignore rare species

Study finds that the areas are most important for a limited range of land cover types

Protected areas are generally seen as a triumph for the preservation of nature, yet the reality on the ground is more complex.

The world's largest protected areas encompass vast amounts of wilderness but do not extensively overlap the highest priority areas for conservation or include unusually large numbers of birds, amphibians, or mammals, according to an analysis published in the November issue of BioScience. The study, by Lisette Cantú-Salazar and Kevin J. Gaston of the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, nonetheless describes anecdotal evidence that some very large protected areas play an important conservation role, by preserving natural species assemblages and populations of regional concern.

Cantú-Salazar and Gaston examined in detail the 63 protected areas that each extend over 25,000 square kilometers or more (about the area of Vermont). These huge areas are found in all continents except Antarctica, and are preferentially found in areas where there are few people. The findings thus seem to support the idea that such areas are created in places where they will least inconvenience people, rather than where they would do the most for conservation.

Yet very large protected areas are also likely to include particular land-cover types, such as snow and ice, bare areas, and areas with sparse vegetation. Examination of individual cases reveals that several ecoregions of high conservation priority are partly included in very large protected areas, including the Guianan Highlands Moist Forests, the Tibetan Plateau Steppe, and the Eastern Himalayan Alpine Meadows. Their preservation is therefore important. And many of the largest protected areas are vulnerable, Cantú-Salazar and Gaston conclude. Some have inadequate management. Others are threatened by incursions for logging, fishing, grazing, and mining, and the effects of climate change and political instability.

###

By noon EST on 1 November 2010 and until early December, the full text of the article will be available for free download through the copy of this press release available atwww.aibs.org/bioscience-press-releases/.

Contact: Timothy M. Beardsley
tbeardsley@aibs.org
202-628-1500 x226
American Institute of Biological Sciences

Colorado: Wilderness proposal still in limbo

There has been significant press about proposed wilderness in Colorado. While the issue can be polarizing, it does keep wilderness and wilderness issues on the forefront in many areas, which can be a good thing.

From the Summit Daily News:

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis' newly introduced and pared-down Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act has received mixed criticism from Summit County citizens. It's been labeled a controversial bill, with some standing firm against it and others saying it's a commendable effort at mediation and compromise. “The Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act seeks to add new designated wilderness areas in the White River National Forest within Summit and Eagle Counties to the National Wilderness Preservation System,” Polis' website said. “Designated areas would hold the highest level of land protection, with public access and usage still available, but certain types of development and activities prohibited.” The goal of the legislation is to preserve Colorado's wild areas by designating some as wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964 and designating others as special management or companion use areas. The bill was introduced on Sept. 29, just before Congress voted to adjourn for the fall campaign. It's on hold until the House reconvenes, which could be with an entirely different makeup of Democrats and Republicans. Polis' constituents include Summit County, which is in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. It's unknown when action will take place, as nothing can be done while the House is in recess.

The basics

Nearly 88,000 acres in Eagle and Summit counties would be designated as wilderness while another 78,000 would be deemed “special management areas” under the Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act. Special management areas have greater protection than most public lands but aren't as strict as rules for wilderness. Several high-profile areas were taken out of the original proposal, such as Elliot Ridge in Summit County, which has been a contentious area in discussions. The goal, Polis' website says, is to create consensus, bringing users together to establish ways to protect Colorado's gems while allowing various types of recreation where appropriate and bolster the Colorado economy without unintended conflicts. By bringing different users together, from snowmobilers to hikers, several areas have been removed from the original Hidden Gems proposal. Several environmental groups suggested the congressman carry a bill that created 244,000 wilderness acres — not including additional land in Pitkin and Gunnison counties. Areas not included in wilderness designation include 12,150 acres on Basalt Mountain as well as an extension of wilderness on Elliot Ridge. Areas of Hoosier Ridge didn't get the high level of protection, either.

The response

Mountain biking isn't allowed in wilderness areas, according to the language of the Wilderness Act. So, when several popular trails were included in the original Hidden Gems proposal, the Summit Fat Tire Society pushed back. According to a statement on the Summit Fat Tire Society website, for two years, they worked with Hidden Gems proponents to find common ground and balance areas where they didn't agree. What came out of the discussion was the idea of “companion designations,” which is a relatively new way to protect land while still allowing certain uses. “We believe companion designations offer the opportunity to protect lands around Wilderness but also create areas where bikes are allowed,” the Summit Fat Tire Society website says. Still, members of the Summit Fat Tire Society are working to fine-tune the boundaries and alignments of various designations “where we don't see eye-to-eye,” their statement says. “Where needed, we will work hard to continue to push for more protection and access to mountain biking. Until then, we're proud of the ultimate agreement to bring companion designation to fruition, which is really the definition of progress for any group,” the statement continues. Tom Jones, owner of Wilderness Sports and a resident of Evergreen who recreates in Summit County, also voiced support for the mountain biking compromises. “I support protecting as much pristine land as possible from motorized use,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Once it has been degraded by motorized access, it will never go back to the way it once was. Pristine land is absolutely a finite, limited resource.” Currie Craven, chair of the Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness, commended efforts to include all users in the federal proposal as it evolved from a citizen proposal. “It's a unique approach,” he said. As an advocate of encouraging stewardship of the forest above all else, Craven hopes bringing stakeholders together at the same table may dispel myths that different users “have horns and tails” and are people who enjoy recreation, too. “If people are working together and helping maintain the resources, ... people find out it breaks down barriers between user groups that may be somewhat arbitrary,” he said. Craven pointed to several areas where compromises were made, such as the companion designations for mountain bikers, “over the snow” motorized travel designations in some areas and not adjusting the motorized travel boundary at Elliot Ridge. Areas such as that around Hoosier Ridge have biological reasons for being established as wilderness, Craven added. Rare plant species there aren't found anywhere else on the planet, he said, which would mean it's probably not appropriate for snowmobile traffic. He felt that was honored in the proposal. Yet he personally wishes for more wilderness designations, such as the area above the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels. “Maybe the definition of a compromise is that no one is happy,” Craven said, but he added that everyone had a say. “We're all Americans and this is all public land,” he said. “We have to consider what the generations in the womb of time will get.”

Consensus — and disagreement

Rick Warren, the president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club, said he vocally supported Polis' proposal at a meeting months ago in Breckenridge. Now, he's glad to see give-and-take to form a bill that's palatable for many of the affected parties. “Hidden Gems did a good job,” he said. “When it first came out, there was a lot of push back from mountain bikers and snowmobilers. ... But they worked it out and there were concessions.” Chuck Ginsberg, president of the Summit County Off-Road Riders, said the wilderness proposal doesn't much affect the single-track motorcycle riders. But he still doesn't support it. He and other SCORR members believe better protection for land can come from the U.S. Forest Service's travel management plan, which began several years ago and isn't complete. “More thought has gone into it,” Ginsberg said. “I support a well-thought-out plan. We would have to make sacrifices, with many areas we're used to riding that could be off-limits. But I'm OK making sacrifices for something that's thought out.”

‘The real work begins'

State Sen. Dan Gibbs commends the work done to find common ground in the wilderness proposal, but said “the real work begins once the bill is introduced.” “I applaud Polis and stakeholder groups for coming together to find common ground” among user groups, he said. “It means dramatically different things for different people.” But now, it's up to Polis to present the bill on the House floor and translate conversations had in Summit and Eagle counties to the language of Washington, D.C. “I'll be interested to see how it will unfold,” Gibbs said. The reporting of the Aspen Times' Scott Condon contributed to this story. SDN reporter Janice Kurbjun can be contacted at (970) 668-4630 or at jkurbjun@summitdaily.com.

U.S.-Mexico Border Wilderness Issues

A recently released report takes a look at interagency cooperation on US-Mexico Border Wilderness Issues.

The full report can be downloaded here: http://kirk_emerson.home.mindspring.com/Interagency_Border_Cooperation.pdf

Executive Summary

This report documents interagency cooperation at work on the U.S.-Mexico border to improve both security at the border and the protection of adjacent wilderness areas. Despite the challenges and conflicts that can make such cooperation difficult, there are numerous examples of how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its agencies have been working together with the U.S Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and their land management agencies on our southern border.

This report summarizes the recent history of interagency cooperation with an emphasis on U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and federal land management agencies. It enumerates the different ways in which such cooperation occurs and illustrates this interagency cooperation through six case studies. The report is based on research conducted during the summer of 2010, including over 50 interviews with border security professionals, land management agencies, and border areas stakeholders.

Wilderness, Wild and Scenic River Stewards Receive Forest Service Awards

WASHINGTON, October 18, 2010 -- The USDA Forest Service recently recognized the outstanding contributions and accomplishments of six individuals and four groups regarding their stewardship of National Forest System wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.

"The exceptional efforts and leadership of these dedicated employees and colleagues will allow us to continue our legacy of quality wilderness management and the protection of wild and scenic rivers," said Tom Tidwell, the Chief of the Forest Service. "Their work will help ensure an enduring wilderness resource for future generations."

The 2010 National Wilderness Awards recognize accomplishments in the fields of education, research and leadership to keep Forest Service wilderness areas in their natural, wild state. Recipients include:

• Stephen Hendricks - Aldo Leopold Award for Overall Wilderness Stewardship Program. Hendricks, of Asheville, N.C., recently retired as the forest planner for the National Forests in North Carolina.
• The Wilderness Institute, University of Montana -Aldo Leopold Group Award for Overall Wilderness Stewardship for Wilderness Stewardship Challenge accomplishments in Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.
• Clem Pope - Bob Marshall Award for Individual Champion of Wilderness Stewardship. Pope, of McCall, Idaho, is the Wilderness Manager for the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Payette National Forest, Idaho.
• Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka, Alaska - Bob Marshall Award for Group Champion of Wilderness Stewardship.
• Laurie Matthews - Wilderness Education Leadership Award. Matthews, of Challis, Idaho, is the Wilderness Program Manager on the Middle Fork Ranger District, Salmon-Challis National Forest, Idaho.
• Rusty Thompson - Traditional Skills and Minimum Tool Leadership. Thompson, of Entiat, Wash., is the Trail Program Manager for the Wenatchie Ranger District, Okanongan Wenatchee National Forests.
• White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire) Wilderness Team - Traditional Skills and Minimum Tool Leadership group award for basic principles of wilderness stewardship. The minimum tool concept involves the use of traditional or primitive tools to keep wilderness areas in their natural, wild state.

The National 2010 Wild and Scenic River awards recognize stewardship accomplishments to promote and protect the Forest Service's Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, which currently manages 119 wild and scenic rivers. These rivers provide outstanding scenery, critical habitat for fish and wildlife, offer recreational opportunities, and sustain water resources for a growing population. Recipients include:

• The Huron-Manistee National Forests (Mich. - Outstanding Stewardship of River Resources.
• Mollie Chaudet - Outstanding River Manger. Chaudet, of Bend, Ore., is the wild and scenic river coordinator and NEPA litigation coordinator for the Deschutes National Forest, Ore.
• Amy Unthank - Line Officer/Staff Wild and Scenic River Leadership Award. The award recognizes her work as Regional Fisheries Program Leader in the Southwestern Region based in Albuquerque. Unthank is now the National Fisheries Program Leader in Washington, D.C.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented to Jackie Diedrich, the agency's National Wild and Scenic River Program Manager. Diedrich, from Portland, Ore., is recognized as an international leader for wild and scenic rivers and currently serves as the Council Chair for the federal Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council. The award recognizes her 33 years with the agency as a wild and scenic river steward of great insight and a champion of partner collaborations to benefit and preserve wild and scenic rivers.

The Forest Service wilderness program is a major component of the National Wilderness Preservation System which encompasses all federal land management agencies that manage wilderness areas. This system includes 756 wilderness units with more than 109 million acres. For more information, please visit www.wilderness.net. For more information about The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, visit www.rivers.gov.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to State and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.

Contact:

Press Office
(202) 205-1134

Court ruling upheld on forest management outside Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

From the Duluth News Tribune

The Eighth District U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court decision saying the Superior National Forest management plan for forests around the perimeter of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness were properly developed.

The lawsuit, brought by the Sierra Club, had claimed that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act in revising the forest plan for the Superior National Forest. The group claimed the Forest Service failed to properly consider impacts of activities outside the BWCAW on the wilderness.

The case was dismissed in January 2009 by District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz. In its ruling filed Monday, the appeals court said the Forest Service “took the ‘hard look’ required of it” under the environmental policy act and that the “Forest Service did not act arbitrarily or capriciously” in developing a management plan for the area around the BWCAW.

Wayne Brandt, executive vice president of the Minnesota Timber Producers Association and Minnesota Forest Industries, said in a statement that the courts have made the correct decisions in upholding Forest Service policy for management of the BWCAW and surrounding lands that are open to logging.

Society for Wilderness Stewardship Brings on New Board Member - Sue Gunn

The Society for Wilderness Stewardship recently added new board member Sue Gunn! Sue, current Restoration Campaign Director for Wildlands CPR, brings years of wilderness experience to the Society and is an excellent addition to the board. "Sue is just the kind of board member that the Society needs to help the organization achieve its goal of professionalizing the discipline of wilderness stewardship," said Ben Lawhon, Vice Chair of the Society's board.

Sue has a PhD in isotope geochemistry and conducted research in igneous petrology for the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA for over a decade. Her doctorate fieldwork was conducted on the Cretaceous granites of southwestern Montana and the research for her MS was in a remote area of Baja, CA. Her undergraduate degree is in Political Science with an emphasis on constitutional law.

Sue has an extensive policy background and worked for a decade in Washington DC as the director of Budget and Appropriations and later the director of the the National Parks Program for The Wilderness Society. She moved to Olympia, WA in 2006 to get closer to big wilderness and has worked on water and environmental issues. Sue is currently the Restoration Campaign Director for Wildlands CPR and the campaign coordinator for the Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative.

Mountain climbing group backs Polis, Salazar wilderness bills

The Access Fund, a national climbing advocacy group, recently announced its support for a pair of proposed bills that would designate more than 121,000 acres of federal lands in Colorado as wilderness and another 99,000 acres as special management areas.

The Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, who represents Eagle and Summit counties in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, would create more than 88,000 acres of new wilderness.

The San Juans Mountains Wilderness Act, sponsored in the House by Democratic Congressman John Salazar, who represents the 3rd Congressional District, and in the U.S. Senate by Democrats Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, would create more 33,000 acres of new wilderness in Southwest Colorado.


The Access Fund, which lobbies to “keep climbing areas open and conserve the climbing environment,” represents more than 2.3 million rock climbers, ice climbers, mountaineers and bouldering enthusiasts around the country.

“The Access Fund is happy to join with recreation and conservation groups across the state to support these public land conservation initiatives that preserve backcountry climbing and recreation opportunities,” Access Fund Executive Director Brady Robinson said on the group’s website.

“We support all types of climbing experiences, from the remote wilderness peaks to urban crags and bouldering areas. The opportunity to climb in protected wilderness areas is a key value that many climbers cherish. We hope our Colorado membership will contact their federal legislators in support of these proposals.”

New wilderness area proposed for North Fork Mountain, West Virginia

From the Charleston Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., has introduced legislation that would create a new 6,042 acre wilderness area encompassing a stretch of North Fork Mountain in Grant County.

The proposed North Fork Mountain Wilderness is a scaled-down version of a wilderness proposal for the Grant County peak that was deleted from last year's Wild Monongahela Wilderness Act. The 2009 wilderness package created three new wilderness areas and added wild land to three existing areas, bringing wilderness status to an additional 38,000 acres of the Monongahela National Forest.

The earlier version of the proposed North Fork Mountain Wilderness included 9,200 acres.

"A third of the initial area was dropped to make the area more appealing to certain user groups," said Mike Costello of the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition.

Costello said the new wilderness proposal would leave Redman Run Trail and most of the North Fork Mountain Trail open to mountain biking. It also would ensure that the Division of Natural Resources' trout-stocking program in the adjacent, angler-popular North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River would be unaffected.

The views from atop North Fork Mountain have been described as "the best scenery in the East" by Outside magazine, and the North Fork Mountain Trail was labeled "the most scenic trail in West Virginia" by Backpacker magazine.

The sheer sandstone cliffs atop the mountain provide nesting sites for peregrine falcons and habitat for the Allegheny woodrat, a species of concern due to plummeting populations in the region. Several caves that penetrate the mountain shelter hibernating bats, including several threatened or endangered species.

"A lot of the local businesses that cater to tourism have gotten behind a wilderness designation for the area," said Costello.

When North Fork Mountain was initially proposed as a wilderness area in 2004, U.S. Forest Service planners gave it their highest rating for "natural integrity."

Mollohan, who lost his re-election bid in May after 14 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, "has been a champion of public lands during his tenure," said Costello. "This is something he wanted to do before he left Congress."

Mollohan's Monongahela Conservation Legacy Act has been referred to the House Natural Resources Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.