Deane’s posterous

Illinois: Only you can stop Shawnee NF's plan to start logging after being shut down by courts for 12 years

Shawnee National Forest is proposing to re-start commercial logging
operations after being enjoined by federal courts from commercial
logging since 1997. They have now rammed a new plan through which
relies on logging, burning, and the like for much of the forest.
Although these projects have been highly controversial in the past,
have lost millions of dollars for the Shawnee in timber subsidies, and
have resulted in serious environmental damage, the Shawnee is now
trying one more time to get the chain saws roaring.
 
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This is part of the Bush vision of managing national forests, not that
of the current administration. The FS is trying to push this, and many
other bad projects across the nation, through before the Obama
administration can get full control of the agency's agenda. Then, they
hope they can grandfather them in, and continue their wasteful,
environmentally damaging legacy of the agency over the past decades.
However, the time for change has come, and we have to slow down this
attempt to stuff the Forest Service pipeline with logging and other
damaging projects. Please send these comments in today and help us
stop the FS. The deadline is April 7! For more information:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/shawnee/projects/projects/ea/2007/harris-branch/
Please fill out all blanks in the form and then press the "send
comments" button at the bottom. If you have time, please modify this
letter to reflect your personal concerns. Thanks!
https://www.heartwood.org/action.html

USA: Army Corps of engineers sets itself up for a big fall regarding Mt. Top Removal

One day after the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to
reassert its powers to protect mountain streams from the ravages of
mountaintop coal mining, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the
broad expansion of such a project without EPA input. Many
environmentalists are scratching their heads over the seemingly
contradictory events. On the one hand, they are cheering the promise
of a newly empowered EPA under the Obama White House, while also
wondering when that vow will surface as policy.
 
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At stake are hundreds of miles of Appalachian streams that could be
buried with pollutant-laden debris if scores of pending mining permits
are approved as is. The episode presents tough choices for the young
administration, pressured to deliver the environmental protections
it’s promised while taking care not to hobble the powerful coal
industry — an important economic engine in the Appalachian states — in
the middle of a deepening recession. It also highlights the tensions
between environmentalists trying to wean the country from a reliance
on coal, which generates more than half the country’s electricity, and
industry defenders who hope to maintain its importance. The recent
saga began last Monday, when the EPA sent letters to the Army Corps of
Engineers in Huntington, W.Va., recommending that the Corps either
deny or alter proposed projects in West Virginia and Kentucky because
agency studies show that the two mountaintop mines would have serious
water-quality consequences. A day later, the EPA vowed to review
hundreds more backlogged permit requests to assess their effect on
streams. Environmental groups embraced the developments as a sharp
break from the hands-off EPA policies of the Bush administration,
which left mine-permit decisions almost exclusively to the discretion
of the Army Corps. “What EPA is doing is reasserting the primacy of
science,” said Jim Hecker, environmental enforcement director at
Public Justice, a public interest group. “The Corps has never cared
about science.” On Wednesday, however, the Corps’ Louisville district
approved a 1.5-square-mile expansion of a mountaintop mine in
Southeast Kentucky with no input from the EPA. The expansion of the
International Coal Group’s Thunder Ridge mine allows the company to
fill four valleys with debris, burying nearly two miles of streams
that drain into the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River. That river
supplies drinking water to more than 700,000 people — roughly
one-sixth of the state’s population. The permit approval, according to
many environmentalists, directly contradicts the EPA’s vow to play a
larger role in the permit process.

Canada: Native peoples may win back some logging rights, but will they log it?

First Nations could soon be granted access to Prince Albert timber
rights currently managed by Domtar, the owner of the area’s shuttered
pulp mill, the Saskatchewan Party government said Monday. Energy and
Resources Minister Bill Boyd said Domtar and Weyerhaeuser, which
previously operated the mill, have agreed to go through a formal
process to re-work the Prince Albert forest management agreement.
 
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The arrangement could see a group of forest product companies and
First Nations become the new manager of the agreement by summer,
giving them access to some of the wood supplies, Boyd said. But part
of the forest will still be set aside for the pulp mill for the next
three years in case business resumes at the site, he said. “There’s
been a set-aside for the mill should something in terms of development
happen there. We feel that this doesn’t preclude any kind of
development whatsoever at the mill site,” said Boyd. “This is just an
opportunity for other companies to have access to a portion of the
forest that they’ve been asking for some period of time.” The pulp
mill and associated facilities owned by Domtar have not operated since
April 2006. The province could have moved to reallocate the timber to
someone else after the rights were not used for two years.

Sumatra: As technology develops a tree falling in the forest will soon be heard by all

Despite many years of research in conservation biology, precise maps
of tropical deforestation that document the global spatial extent of
tropical forests destruction are generally not available outside of
the scientific community, says David Gaveau a researcher from Durrell
Institute of Conservation and Ecology. For nearly seven years, Gaveau
has been documenting forest destruction on the island of Sumatra since
early 1970s using satellite technology.
 
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In a move to support the Indonesian government in its mission to
inform the general public and decision makers about the true scale of
environmental destruction on the island of Sumatra, Gaveau created the
first world’s website (sumatranforest.org) that puts precise maps of
tropical deforestation freely at user's fingertips. Through a link on
the website, maps of tropical deforestation will unfold onto Google’s
digital Earth in full resolution (up to 1:150,000 scale). Internet
users will obtain a bird’s-eye view of Sumatran forest landscapes, and
the threats they are facing inside and outside protected areas. "Among
the most inspiring and challenging duties we face in the conservation
community, is to put the full range of tropical deforestation
worldwide for everyone to see to improve ecological transparency, a
key requirement of sound environmental governance," said Gaveau.
Gaveau is now working towards the development of a free online
cartographic database of the Earth’s tropical forests, and hopes to
find investors that are willing to fund this effort. "Our duty is to
put the full range of tropical deforestation worldwide for everyone to
see." Sumatra has lost roughly half of its forest cover since 1985,
mostly due to logging and conversion for agriculture. Environmental
group WWF says there has been an 84 percent decline in elephant
populations and a 70 percent in the number of Sumatran tigers on the
island since 1982.

Nepal: Farmers are slash-burning last forests around National Park forests

Nasa's satellite imagery showed most of the big fires were in and
around the national parks along the country's northern areas bordering
Tibet. Active fires were recorded in renowned conservation success
stories like the Annapurna, Kanchanjunga, Langtang and Makalu Barun
national parks. The extent of the loss of flora and fauna is not yet
known.
 
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Forest fires in Nepal's jungles and protected areas are not uncommon
during the dry season between October and January. Most of the fires
come about as a consequence of the "slash and burn" practice that
farmers employ for better vegetation and agricultural yields. But this
time the fires remained out of control even in the national parks in
the Himalayan region where the slash and burn practice is
uncommon.Trans-Himalayan parks host rare species such as snow
leopards, red pandas and several endangered birds. More than the loss
of plants and animals, the carbon dioxide emitted by the fires was a
matter of concern, according to Ghanashyam Gurung, a director at WWF's
Nepal office. Some of the national parks in the plains bordering India
were also on fire, but those caused less concern among
conservationists and forest officials. "Fires in the protected areas
in the plain lands can be controlled easily because we have logistics
and manpower ready for that - and that is what we did this time," said
Laxmi Manandhar, spokesman for Nepal's Department of National Parks
and Wildlife Conservation. "But in the national parks in the Himalayan
region, we could hardly do anything because of the difficult
geography. Nor do we have facilities of pouring water using planes and
helicopters." In some of the protected areas, the fires flared up even
after locals and officials tried to put them out for several days.

USA: Gov tell judge they're withdrawing from Bush-era Spotted Owl extinction plan

Government attorneys filed notice late Tuesday in federal district
court in Washington D.C. asking to withdraw the owl recovery plan
finalized last year as well as the accompanying changes to critical
owl habitat areas. That could end up reversing a decision from last
year that trimmed by about a quarter the amount of federal forest in
the Northwest designated as critical habitat for the owl, which is in
long term decline. And it has other implications for how much federal
land will be readily available for logging in the future.
 
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"We applaud the government's decision to reexamine Bush administration
policies," said Todd True, an attorney for Earthjustice in Seattle.
"This is a victory for those who value sound government and scientific
integrity. "The government is being sued by conservation and industry
groups over its changes to critical habitat; the former say it set
aside too little, the latter argue it protects too much. Logging
projects in critical habitat areas are subject to strict review by
government scientists. In their filing, federal attorneys say they
want 30 days to work with opponents to rework the plan. "The
government has concluded its review and has decided that it is
appropriate to seek a remand of the recovery plan and revised critical
habitat designation," the filing said. The new Obama administration is
reviewing several endangered species policy changes instituted during
the Bush years, with particular attention to those influenced by Julie
MacDonald, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife
and Parks. A Department of the Interior inspector general's report
found that MacDonald and others unduly influenced 13 endangered
species decisions. Also this week, the Obama administration said it
would not defend Bush cuts to bull trout habitat.
 
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Washington: Interpretation of new all-terrain vehicle ban on Okanogan-Wenatchee NF

On Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest it is official policy that any
non-wilderness section of the forest can be freely used by motorized
vehicles unless it is specifically closed to them. If, for example,
you are riding an all-terrain vehicle on a road or trail not off
limits, you can turn left or right, ride over mountains and through
valleys, wherever the topography allows, as long as the land is not
posted as closed. The new policy, when it takes effect, will be the
opposite. The forest will be presumed off-limits to motorized vehicles
— snowmobiles not affected — unless the road, trail or region is
specifically designated as open. Setting out overland, on your own, in
areas not marked for motorized travel, will be illegal.
 
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For sustainability, to conserve natural resources and ensure a forest
with diverse recreation, this is suppose to be an important change.
Erosion, scarring, destruction of wildlife habitat, are on the
increase along with the popularity and capability of motorized
recreation. People blaze their own trails. Others follow in their
tracks. Open land can be crisscrossed with what the Forest Service
calls "user-built trails." But it is not the intent to exclude
motorized vehicles from the roads, trails and all areas where they are
habitually used. The Forest Service is devising a plan to designate
the vehicular status of roads and trails and set the places where
travel by motorized vehicle will be allowed. A full-time staff is
compiling the plan for the Okanogan-Wenatchee and has produced what
the legalese calls a "Proposed Action." It is not a decision. It is
not any more than a starting point for conversation. On nearly all
roads and trails now used by vehicles, the proposal shows them still
allowed. Some roads open only to highway-legal vehicles will be opened
to off-road vehicles as well. Some roads in sensitive or fire-damaged
terrain are shown closed, but few.

Kentucky: How Artists get involved in saving hemlock trees

The Save Kentucky Hemlock occasion began with a group art show, with
original paintings, reduction prints, wood block prints, stained
glass, sculptures, from a diverse group of artists. Some of the
artists are attempting to incorporate hemlock wood into their art
pieces. Many Moons Design of Lexington donated hemlock siding from
salvaged old barns Forester Merill Flanary takes hemlock seriously.
Flanary is co-founder of Save Kentucky's Hemlocks, a grassroots
partnership of citizens, non-profits and government agencies working
together to save eastern hemlocks in an effort to combat the newly
established non-native insect, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, which is
expected to kill ninety percent of Kentucky’s eastern hemlocks, also
known as Tsuga, in the next few years.
 
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The Tsuga is a beautiful fir tree called "hemlock" due to the
similarity in its smell to the leaves of the historical and infamously
poisonous plant. Flanary is eager to spread the word that these
magnificent conifers are a much more integral part of Kentucky’s
eco-system than one might think. In the spirit of community awareness
and in celebration of eastern hemlocks, she and fellow forester Greg
Abernathy organized the Tsuga Art & Music Event last December,
sponsored by Save Kentucky’s Hemlocks. Flanary explains, "Kentucky’s
hemlocks are healthy, unlike vast stands of dead hemlocks in
neighboring states. She advises that if we act now, Kentucky can
preserve a significant portion of its hemlocks from mortality. "Not
only are they a significant part of our ecosystem, eastern hemlocks
are a favorite tree among so many because of their majestic beauty and
cultural importance. The loss of the eastern hemlock will be felt for
generations, much like the loss of the American Chestnut in the early
1900s."
 
For more information about the eastern hemlock and its impact on our
ecosystem , contact:
Merril Flanary
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
Forest Steward
859-948-0031
http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=mflanary@knlt.org
P.O. Box 506
Harlan, KY 40831
 
Website: http://kyhemlocks.org/
http://kimmyville.blogspot.com/2009/03/save-kentuckys-hemlocks.html

Vietnam: Forests fall to yet another gold rush in northern province of Thai Nguyen

Devastated forest areas and destroyed mountains are not an uncommon
sight these days in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. They are
evidence of the gold rush that has plagued the province for several
years now, of the loss of natural resources and biodiversity, and of
severe pollution of water sources.
 
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In 2006, 218 hectares of forest had been destroyed in Thai Nguyen and
200 hectares in Nghe An because of mining activities. “We usually show
pity and rush to send relief aid every time there’s a destructive
flood, but no one ever asks why the flood comes,” Xuan said. “We’ve
never carried out an investigation to find that out. We’ve never
wondered why a village can be wiped away in one night or thought about
preventing natural disasters.” Duong Van Ni, a lecturer at Mekong
Delta’s Can Tho University, said, “Forests these days are no longer an
ecological system with little human intervention but merely areas
where logging and hunting are banned. “(Mangrove) Forests can no
longer confront waves and winds, or conserve biological diversity.
“Forests are now only for officials to measure for producing annual
statistics.”
 
From the nearest residences to the gold mining sites in the northern
province, xe om driver Khoa charges VND350,000 (US$20). The way is not
far but Khoa says “it’s really tough,” with hills, passes and
makeshift bridges crossing streams.Khoa says gold miners from all over
the country rushed to Vo Nhai District’s Than Sa Commune several years
ago, digging the place up day and night. Site owners spend millions of
dong to build shacks, buy machines, and hire workers. Hung says he and
11 co-workers take turns to work six hours a day each. Site owners
sometimes get 10 kilograms of gold at a time, Khoa says. And every
time the story of the windfall gets around, the number of people
rushing to the area increases. Arguments and fights ensue, and
stabbings happen. On a mountain side at Na Village, shacks are put up
in front of the caves that lead 40-50 meters deep into the mountain.
Duong Van Khanh, director of Thai Nguyen Province Department of
Natural Resources and Environment, said illegal mining in the area was
first targeted in 1998. In 2004 officials had to take up the fight
again after another gold rush heated up the area in 2002 and 2003. The
province People’s Committee recently blacklisted commune and district
officials who granted work permits to many illegal gold mining sites
in the province. Earlier this month the committee listed 42 communes
in 13 districts as areas accommodating illegal gold mining.

United Nations to use social networking to defend indigenous peoples from extractive industries

United Nations is looking to set up a global network by which
indigenous peoples (IPs) can help each other respond to violations of
their rights, mainly by extractive industries. Eighty-five IP
representatives from Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe and Russia,
Arctic, Latin and North America, as well as experts, have gathered in
Manila for the International Conference on Indigenous Peoples and
Extractive Industries. "This conference is really to tackle the
indigenous peoples’ rights, which are violated by extractive
industries," Victoria Tauli-Corpuzm chair of the UN Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues said
 
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There is a need to develop a global network because there is no one
existing body of IPs, there is no existing global network. "By raising
the issues and cases to national and even international courts, the
voices of the indigenous peoples will be heard. Now, with this global
network, hopefully their voices can be heard. Media also [have] a
crucial role in delivering the situations, the issues, these people
encounter so everyone will know about what is really happening. And
lastly, the dialogue with the investors and these corporations will
really help. It is in fact the most important thing," Corpuz said.
Corpus also said it was sound corporate thinking to respect IPs’
rights. "It is in the self-interest of these corporations to respect
the rights of the indigenous peoples because, if not, there will be
more conflict, and more conflict means more expenses for them. Then
they [corporations] will be seen in a bad light. If they don't
mutually agree to terms or negotiate, it's like they are robbing these
people of their own things in their own home," she said