Spring 2005 Newsletter

Spring 2005 Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 2

William H. Meadows

April 22 will be the 35th anniversary of the original Earth Day, created by Gaylord Nelson, the former U.S. senator from Wisconsin who has been The Wilderness Society’s counselor since 1981. It is the one day every year when you can be sure that there will be some public focus on environmental protection. In fact, it is a big year for anniversaries. Read More...

Arctic Refuge Showdown Approaches in Congress

The 18-year fight over the biological heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is becoming more intense by the day, with critical votes expected this spring. Read More...

Conservation Needs Are Shortchanged in Budget for Next Year

In 1965 Congress created a way to finance acquisition of the best of sensitive natural areas at risk so that they would not be developed. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) takes in $900 million a year in royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling to do so. Unfortunately, President Bush’s proposed budgets have gone from $800 million the first year to just $130 million in the blueprint he issued in February. Read More...

Horticultural History Is in This Member’s Blood

Profile of Jane Sale Henley, a long-time Wilderness Society member in Charlottesville, Virginia. Read More...

National Forests in Jeopardy

Wolverines depend on vast expanses of wilderness in northern Montana’s Kootenai National Forest. Under new rules adopted by the U.S. Forest Service, those wolverines may be in trouble. No longer will the federal agency have to study the likely impact on a forest’s fish and wildlife when considering whether to allow commercial logging, snowmobiling, oil drilling, or mining. Read More...

Western Treasures Are at Risk

A number of units in the 26-million-acre National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), which celebrates its fifth birthday in June, are threatened by energy development, off-road vehicles, and more. Read More...

A Chance to Save California Wilderness

Legislation to protect 300,000 acres of Wilderness in northern California has been introduced in Congress by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA). The proposal includes the Cache Creek area and the King Range, which features the longest undeveloped ocean coastline in the Lower 48 states. The legislation would not only create 15 wilderness areas but would add 21 miles to the Wild and Scenic River System. Read More...