Philip Burton Wilderness Update:  Guardian readers will recall that Wilderness Watch and several local organizations have been working to defeat efforts to extend an oyster company's lease to operate an oyster farm in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The area is scheduled to become part of the Philip Burton Wilderness when the lease expires in 2012. A rider attached by Senator Dianne Feinstein to the recently passed Interior Appropriations bill grants the Secretary of the Interior the authority to extend the commercial oyster farm lease, rather than force the National Park Service to do so. While this is less onerous language, it remains a real threat, as Salazar is likely to face tremendous pressure by Senator Feinstein, who has been pushing this extension. Visit our website (scroll to "Interior Appropriations Bill") for more information on this bill and other bills affecting Wilderness in the 111^th Congress.
Photo by Bill Ingersoll
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Give to Wilderness Watch Through the Combined Federal Campaign:  Did you know that Wilderness Watch is part of the Combined Federal Campaign? We are a member of the Conservation and Preservation Charities of America, a federation of America's finest national organizations working to protect and restore the Earth's natural environment and historic treasures through workplace giving campaigns. Wilderness Watch has earned the Independent Charities of America's "Best in America" certification, meeting the highest standards of public accountability and program effectiveness. Fewer than 2,000 of the 1,000,000 charities in the US have achieved this distinction.

If you are a federal employee, postal employee, or member of the military, you can contribute online by visiting www.conservenow.org. Click on Search for a Charity, type in Wilderness Watch, and make your contribution. Our 2009 CFC Number is 24968.

You can watch our two-minute "video speakers' bureau" presentation on our website.

Questions? Contact Jeff Smith, our Membership and Development Director, at: jsmith@wildernesswatch.org or 406 542-2048, x1.
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Border Security Measures Conflict with Environmental Laws:  California and Arizona alone have 4.3 million acres of Wilderness within 100 miles of the Mexico border, a fact the Department of Homeland Security says impedes its border objectives, even as public lands managers work with the agency to locate towers in non-Wilderness areas and otherwise follow environmental laws. As the Washington Post writes, "The conflict between the environment and border security has raged for the past decade as better enforcement in urban areas has pushed the flow of illegal immigrants into Arizona and straight into some of the nation's most remote and fragile desert."
Photo by Garry Oye
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Like Arizona's "Stupid Motorist" Law:  Non-emergency wilderness rescues of unprepared and inexperienced hikers, who rely on technology as a safety net, should come with a cost, according to an Arizona Daily Sun editorial. The Sun
advocates citations and fines for risky and/or unnecessary rescues, arguing, "Anyone who ventures into the wilderness should be responsible for knowing the terrain and conditions, taking proper gear, leaving an itinerary and turning back if conditions change. Accidents and emergencies certainly do happen. But they happen a lot more often and unnecessarily to people who have not observed the rules above."
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First International Wilderness Agreement Signed: The US, Canada, and Mexico signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Wilderness Conservation this month at the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Mexico. According to a SustainableBusiness.com article, "The MOU provisions address ecosystems, migratory wildlife, and natural resources that cross geographical boundaries...encourages cooperative efforts to conduct and share scientific research...(and) recognizes the importance of wilderness conservation in climate change adaptation and mitigation and monitoring for climate change effects."
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Just for Fun: Oregon's Wolves on YouTube
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