ACTION ALERT California Fish and Game Proposes to Poison Silver King Creek AGAIN! California Fish and Game is again proposing to poison Silver King Creek in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness in CA, in order to establish a population of Paiute cutthroat trout. The California Department of Fish and Game considers the Paiute cutthroat trout a highly desirable sport fish. Wilderness Watch and other organizations stopped the original poisoning plan in 2005.

This proposal to poison Wilderness makes no sense. Say NO to POISON in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. Comments on the plan are due by 5pm (PST) on May 4. Click here for more information on the issue and how to comment on the plan.
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U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Construction Bulldozes Wilderness: The Department of Homeland Security, using the Real ID Act which allows environmental and other laws to be waived in building border walls, has started border wall construction in the Otay Mountain Wilderness in California. The Otay Mountain Wilderness is 18,500 acres of rugged mountains east of San Diego along the US-Mexico line. Extensive blasting, rock removal, grading, leveling and road construction are occurring. A five-mile patrol road and about 1,300 feet of fence pierce the Wilderness. Border Patrol agents have noted that challenging terrain in the Otay Mountain Wilderness negates the need for the border wall.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior expressed concerns about Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act violations. Both laws were waived, along with the Wilderness Act and 33 other federal laws. Conservation groups have been waiting for President Obama to keep a campaign promise to review and change a Bush administration border wall policy that facilitated the Real ID Act and subsequent suspension of all laws impeding border wall construction. Arizona Congressman Grijalva introduced the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009 just days ago. The Act would "...correct existing policies and allow flexibility for a local approach...instead of mandating an unrealistic and harmful wall."
Photo by Roy Toft
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U.S. Postal Service to End Last Wilderness Air-Mail Service in Lower 48: Due to economic realities, the U.S. Postal Service will deliver mail by plane to 20 addresses in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness (FC-RONR) for the last time on 6/30/09. Wilderness Watch welcomes the end of this weekly motorized intrusion in the FC-RONR.

From NPR's Morning Edition, 4/6/09:
Doug Tims has always believed in the postal service creed.

"(It's) always been rain, snow, sleet and dark of night," Tims says. "Mail (still) goes through."

But there's nothing in the slogan about continuing high-cost deliveries in the face of a $6 billion deficit. So, the U.S. Postal Service is ending airstrip service to about 20 addresses scattered across hundreds of square miles of Idaho backcountry inside the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Read the rest here...
Photo by Doug Tims
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American Rivers 10 Most Endangered Report Includes Wild Beaver Creek: American Rivers 10 Most Endangered Rivers 2009 Report, released 4/7/09, includes Beaver Creek, a designated Wild River in Alaska. From AR's website:

An oil and gas development scheme on Wild and Scenic Beaver Creek, a Yukon River tributary, threatens clean water, wild salmon, recreation, Alaska Native culture, and one of the nation's last truly wild rivers. This threat landed Beaver Creek in the number eight spot in America's Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 edition. Read the rest here...
Photo courtesy of the US Fish & Wildlife Service
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Fish Stocking at North Cascades National Park Wilderness May End: The National Park Service is proposing to finally put an end to fish stocking in the Stephen Mather Wilderness in Washington. Park Service officials feel the practice of hauling in fish to be released in lakes which never had fish in the first place is counter to the NPS mission of preserving natural conditions. Unless Congress intervenes by 7/1/09, the Service will end fish stocking and remove fish from some lakes.   

Read this article: Fish stocking ban looms at Washington national park by the Associated Press
Photo by C. Gudgeon, courtesy of the National Park Service
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Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Proposed Mine Called "Poster Child for Why We Need Reform" of 1872 Mining Law: A proposed copper and silver mine adjacent to and under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana has been called "the poster child for why we need reform" of the 1872 mining law.

From a Greenwire article, "Numerous critics have lined up against the project, from local government leaders and community activists, to Tiffany & Co. They fear some of the tunnels could collapse and destroy alpine lakes and streams. They also worry the mining activity would drive away grizzly bears and that toxic metals from the waste rock could pollute the Clark Fork River that is home to the endangered bull trout.

Yet, the mine has received initial federal approval thanks to a 19th century mining law that the federal government has interpreted to trump almost all other environmental laws and that the mining industry has used to extract billions of dollars worth of gold, silver and other precious metals from public lands." Read the rest here...
Photo by George Wuerthner, courtesy of the wilderness.net
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Faced with Global Warming, Will We Allow Wilderness To Remain Natural? A new book by paleoecologist Anthony Barnosky describes the impact climate change is having on animal populations now-shifts in ranges, disruption of migration-and raises the management conflict we face-wilderness of tomorrow will not be the same as wilderness of today. In "Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming," Barnosky states that wilderness protection serves as "a barometer of how healthy the Earth actually is," but that biodiversity must also be protected, and assisted migration employed if necessary. Barnosky advocates for two types of preserves-one heavily managed to protect species, and one managed as wilderness and allowed to undergo species changes and extinctions. In Barnosky's view, both types are going to be necessary if we hope to save ‘nature' and the ‘wild' in a changing climate. Read more here...
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Yellowstone National Park Releases Cell Phone Tower Plan: Yellowstone National Park recently released its wireless communications plan, the first such plan for the National Park Service. The plan prohibits cell towers in recommended wilderness and along roads, and webcams in the backcountry except for research. It also aims to keep cell service limited to developed areas within the park.

Although the final plan removes the cell phone tower at Old Faithful along with other changes, conservation groups still have concerns.

Read this article: Yellowstone unveils wireless communication plan by the Billings Gazette
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Another Way to Support Wilderness Watch: You can help support our work by using GoodSearch when you need to do an online search. Just go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and under "Who do you GoodSearch for" type in "Wilderness Watch."

GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50% of its revenue to charities and schools designated by its users. It's powered by Yahoo! and used exactly as any other search engine. The money GoodSearch donates comes from its advertisers–it costs users and organizations nothing.
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HELP US KEEP WILDERNESS WILD! If you value our efforts to protect Wilderness and produce publications like this, please consider an online donation to support our work. Thank you!
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Just for Fun:  Live Bald Eagle WebCam
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