Current Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Erin Allweiss, NRDC Action Fund, 202/513-6254 (office) or 202/446-8265 (mobile)
Bold Action by Department of Interior Halts Leasing of Utah Wilderness
Robert Redford and Environmental Groups Support Critical Step in Land Protection
Washington, DC (February 4, 2009) – More than 100,000 acres of Utah wilderness will be protected from oil and gas drilling after the Department of Interior announced today that it will cancel 77 leases issued under the Bush administration. This is among the first actions taken by the Obama administration to protect America’s wild lands. Since December, a coalition of environmental groups – led by the NRDC Action Fund's partner organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Earthjustice, and the Wilderness Society – have been working to protect these public lands. In December, the coalition filed suit to stop the leasing, and, in January, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court granted a temporary restraining order preventing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from moving forward with these leases.
"I see this announcement as a sign that after eight long years of rapacious greed and backdoor dealings, our government is returning a sense of balance to the way it manages our lands," said Robert Redford, an NRDC trustee. "American citizens once again have a say in the fate of their public lands, which in this case happen to be some of the last pristine places on earth."
"This bold action by Secretary Salazar reaffirms the priceless value of America's wilderness and signals a new day for Washington," said Sharon Buccino, senior attorney for NRDC. "The Department of Interior's swift work will protect 100,000 acres of Utah’s wild lands, which are part of America's great natural heritage. The development of these lands would not have had any real impact on our energy security and we don't need to sacrifice the West's last wild places at the hands of the oil industry."
"Secretary Salazar isn't just sparing some remarkable Western lands from destruction – he's bringing common sense back into wilderness management," said Robin Cooley, an Earthjustice attorney who represented the conservation groups with NRDC and SUWA. "At best these lands will produce only 1.5 hours of the oil we use in a whole year. The oil industry will profit, not America."
"This is a critical first step to bringing balance back to public lands management in Utah's remarkable redrock country,” said Stephen Bloch, conservation director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "This decision rescues the stunning landscapes of Desolation Canyon and the White River from the ravages of oil and gas development."
"The Secretary's action is very gratifying," said Nada Culver of The Wilderness Society. "However, the underlying deficiencies of the land use plans still must be addressed, or we could continue to see more bad leasing decisions when the BLM has its next Utah lease sale in March."
"We're pleased that Secretary Salazar recognizes the value of national treasures like Arches National Park and Nine Mile Canyon." said Sierra Club representative Myke Bybee. "We hope this decision marks a change of course at the Interior Department. We are looking forward to working with Secretary Salazar and the Obama administration to invest in efficiency and the kind of clean energy that will bring economic benefits to local communities, while protecting America's wilderness legacy."
"Secretary Salazar's decision sends a strong message about the Obama administration's approach to preserving America’s public lands," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Today's action ensures that the damage being inflicted on cultural resources near Utah's Nine Mile Canyon -- often called the 'world's longest art gallery' because of the density of ancient rock art panels there -- will not be exacerbated by additional oil and gas leases. This is a great decision, and indicates that Secretary Salazar and President Obama take very seriously their responsibility as stewards of our public lands."
The leases cancelled by the Department of Interior were for areas near Arches and Canyonlands national parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon, which include lands that contain the nation’s greatest density of ancient rock art and other cultural resources.
Even with today’s action by the Department of Interior, the coalition will move forward with legal action to address the larger issue of the Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that remain in place in Utah. Cancelling the leases is a critical first step, but the problem will come up again unless problems in the RMPs are fixed. These problems include failure to address air pollution and climate change, failure to protect cultural resources, and failure to limit damage from off road vehicle use. The six RMPs were authored during the last days of the Bush administration and have serious ramifications for 7 million acres of public lands.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Erin Allweiss, NRDC Action Fund, 202/513-6254 (office) or 202/446-8265 (mobile)
Court Orders Government to Stop Land Leasing in Utah
Finds in Favor of Environmental Groups to Protect Wilderness
Washington, DC (January 18, 2009) – More than 110,000 acres of Utah wilderness will be protected from oil and gas companies as a result of a ruling last night by Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court. Judge Urbina granted a temporary restraining order that prevents the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from moving forward with these leases. A coalition of environmental groups -- led by the Action Fund's partner organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Wilderness Society, and Earthjustice -- filed a lawsuit on December 17, 2008 to prevent the leasing of public lands.
"This ruling is a huge victory in protecting our nation's pristine wilderness from destruction due to oil and gas drilling," said Sharon Buccino, senior attorney for NRDC. "We do not need to sacrifice our wild lands to achieve a secure energy future."
In his ruling, Judge Urbina found that the conservation groups "have shown a likelihood of success on the merits" and that the " 'development of domestic energy resources'...is far outweighed by the public interest in avoiding irreparable damage to public lands and the environment." The merits of the case will be heard later in 2009. Until that time, BLM is prohibited from cashing the checks issued for the contested acres of Utah wilderness.
"We're thrilled with this decision," said Stephen Bloch, Conservation Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "BLM's attempt to sell these leases just before the Bush administration left office has been showcased for what it really is -- a parting gift to the oil and gas industry. Judge Urbina's decision firmly puts the brakes on these plans."
The contested areas near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon include lands that contain the nation's greatest density of ancient rock art and other cultural resources. These lands were recently made available to industry through hastily approved resource management plans that have serious ramifications for 3 million acres of public lands.
"Under the Bush administration, the Bureau of Land Management pushed through Resource Management Plans that treated some of America's most sensitive and spectacular public lands as the private playgrounds of the oil and gas companies," said Bill Hedden, Executive Director of Grand Canyon Trust. "Today's heartening court decision gives these unique places a last second pardon from forever sacrificing their archaeological treasures, pristine air and remote wildness in order to sate only an hour or two of our national addiction to oil and gas."
"When we begin to allow oil drilling in the backdrop of an icon like Arches National Park, we know something needs to change," said Sierra Club representative Myke Bybee. "It's time to stop handing over our natural treasures just so the oil industry can make more money. Instead, we could be investing in efficiency and the kind of clean energy that will benefit all of us and leave our best wild places intact."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Josh Mogerman, NRDC Action Fund, 312/780-7424 (office) or 773/531-5359 (mobile)
Whale of a Win: Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Population Listed As Endangered
NRDC Action Fund and Conservation Groups Applaud Decision
Washington, DC (October 17, 2008) – Today the National Marine Fisheries Service announced its long-awaited decision to list the Cook Inlet beluga whale population as "endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act. NRDC Action Fund activists submitted 118,000 comments to help win protections for the whales.
The Cook Inlet beluga whale is a genetically distinct and geographically isolated population with numbers that have plummeted by more than 50 percent in the past decade. Their status has become so perilous that in 2006 the scientific experts at the World Conservation Union (IUCN) placed the Cook Inlet beluga on its Red List for critically threatened species. The U.S. Marine Mammal Commission repeatedly requested that the Fisheries Service list the species under the Endangered Species Act.
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Action Fund’s partner organization, was part of a consortium of conservation groups that have sued to put an end to delays by the Bush administration in making this designation. Recent surveys show that the Cook Inlet beluga whale population now hovers around 375 animals, down from the Fisheries Service's estimated population of approximately 1,300 whales in the early 1990s.
"This was no fluke. The science is crystal clear in this case," said Andrew Wetzler, director of NRDC's Endangered Species Program. "In the end, the science was so strong that the Bush administration had to make this announcement. We are glad to finally see it become a reality so that protections can be put in place before it is too late."
Cook Inlet is the most populated and fastest-growing watershed in Alaska. Oil and gas dumping, sewage discharges, contaminated runoff, regular shipping and pipeline spills, and rising pollution levels threaten the beluga whale and their habitat. Furthermore, several massive infrastructure projects, including the proposed Knik Arm Bridge, the Port of Anchorage expansion, the Chuitna coal strip mine, and the Port MacKenzie expansion, will directly impact some of the whale's most important habitat. The listing will ensure that developers and scientists work together to avoid further population declines.
Cook Inlet is a unique setting that supports the southernmost of Alaska's five beluga populations. The area offers a true estuary environment that is very different from the beluga habitats to the north. According to the Fisheries Service, no similar habitats exist in Alaska or anywhere else in the United States.
The groups petitioning for the Endangered Species Act listing are: Cook Inletkeeper, Alaska Center for the Environment, National Audubon Society - Alaska State Office, North Gulf Oceanic Society, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Kachemak Bay Conservation Society, Friends of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, and Sylvia Brunner, PhD. Petitioners are represented by the nonprofit law firm Trustees for Alaska.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, cnoble@nrdc.org, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
Josh Mogerman, NRDC Action Fund, 312/780-7424 (office) or 773/531-5359 (mobile)
Wolves Win: Bush Administration Backs Down, For Now
Feds Drop Efforts Against Wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming
Livingston, MT (September 17, 2008) – News reports today announced a big win is imminent for the NRDC Action Fund and other wolf supporters.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will withdraw its decision to remove endangered species protections from the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies, according to press reports. Federal protections of wolves will continue for wolves in Yellowstone, Central Idaho and Glacier ecosystems. This comes on the heels of a federal judge's decision on a suit brought by our partner group, NRDC, and 11 other conservation groups that blocked the delisting decision. Recently the Department of Interior has been roundly criticized over proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act.
"More than 100 wolves were needlessly killed as a result of the government's ill-fated delisting effort -- and hundreds more would have been shot this fall if federal protections had not been restored," said Louisa Willcox, NRDC Action Fund Wildlife Campaign Director. "One of the Endangered Species Act's greatest success stories would quickly be undone if the killing had continued."
With the initial delisting in February, temporary control of wolves moved to state management plans in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Wolf hunts began immediately in Wyoming's "predator zone", where wolves were allowed to be shot on sight. All three states had authorized wolf hunts which were slated to begin this fall, but will be canceled as a result of this decision.
Conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in late April, arguing that the government's decision to delist the wolves was illegal, and that the population was too small and vulnerable to be healthy in the long-term. They also argued that to maintain genetic diversity, wolves needed to be able to move between breeding groups among the Yellowstone, Central Idaho and Glacier populations. The groups successfully requested the federal court to reinstate Endangered Species Act protections, while considering arguments that delisting the wolf was unlawful.
"This is just a temporary victory," said Willcox. "We expect the states to be back in court eventually -- but this decision shows that they will have to respect our scientific arguments, and that is great for wolves!"
As part of its "Call Off the Guns" campaign, the NRDC Action Fund has generated more than 200,000 comments and emails to the Bush administration. Wolf activists everywhere urged the administration to keep strong protections for the wolves under the Endangered Species Act. The Action Fund also ran a national advertising campaign mobilizing the public to oppose the killing.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Daniel Hinerfeld, NRDC Action Fund, 310/434-2303 (office) or 917/749-9155 (mobile)
Erin Allweiss, NRDC Action Fund, 202/513-6254 (office) or 202/446-8265 (mobile)
New Poll Shows that Americans Prefer Clean Energy
New York (August 11, 2008) – A new national energy poll reveals that Americans favor investment in clean, renewable energy over increased oil drilling when presented with the full spectrum of energy options. The report was released today by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund.
"This poll shows that when given a choice, Americans prefer the path to a clean energy future instead of the dead-end road of dirty fuels," said NRDC Action Fund president Frances Beinecke.
Unlike some previous polls that neglected to ask participants to compare clean energy solutions with increased fossil fuel extraction, this survey put every option on the table.
"These results prove that Americans want real solutions that will help families at the pump, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and invest in clean, alternative energy," LCV President Gene Karpinski said. "We must invest in clean energy sources like wind and solar and build more fuel efficient cars to reduce our demand for oil."
Some of the poll's top findings indicate that 83 percent of Americans support a plan to end America's addiction to oil through investment in wind, solar, and next generation biofuel technology, 20 percent more than supported increased offshore drilling. 80 percent believe that America should put a stop to billions of dollars in oil subsidies and use the money to invest in renewable sources.
"Americans just want solutions that work. When they hear the facts, people understand clean energy works," Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said. "Big Oil and their allies in Congress need to stop holding up the clean energy solutions that can move us forward now."
In addition to support for renewable energy sources, an overwhelming majority of 81 percent believe that increased production and affordability of hybrid vehicles will have an impact on America's energy problems. A large majority of 79 percent of respondents support increased efficiency for appliances.
Only 48 percent of respondents favored the phony "gas tax holiday" proposed earlier this year.
The poll was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research from July 24-29, 2008. The survey polled 1004 likely voters and has a margin of error of 3.2 percent.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, cnoble@nrdc.org, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
Josh Mogerman, NRDC Action Fund, 312/780-7424 (office) or 773/531-5359 (mobile)
Wolves Get Reprieve from Slaughter in Northern Rockies
NRDC Action Fund Heralds Judge's Order Reinstating Endangered Species Act Protections
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS – Broadcast quality b-roll of wolves in the wild in Yellowstone National Park and still photographs of a dead wolf that was recently poached in Idaho are available for preview and download on NRDC's new digital newsroom.
LIVINGSTON, MT (July 19, 2008) – Wolf supporters are cheering everywhere on hearing the news that the killing must stop. A federal judge in Montana has issued a preliminary injunction reinstating Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
"This ruling was desperately needed," said Louisa Willcox, NRDC Action Fund Wildlife Campaign Director, "The Northern Rockies had become a killing field with more than 100 wolves slaughtered since the government stripped their protections back in March. That's about one wolf per day, and it's simply unacceptable."
The Action Fund's partner organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and 11 other groups sued the government, arguing that the wolves haven't recovered enough to ensure their long-term survival.
"This year's bloody spring and summer is a sure sign that wolves still need legal protections," said Willcox. "If we're going to keep this noble species from going extinct, then we need to do more to recover them. Allowing the extermination of a recovering species is clearly crazy."
"The fight to save the wolves is hardly over," continued Willcox, "but this ruling means the indiscriminate killing has to stop while the court considers the legal challenge to the government's delisting decision."
Thousands of gray wolves once wandered throughout the Northern Rockies before being exterminated from most of the United States by the early 20th century. They were first protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, and the first wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and parts of Idaho in the mid-1990s.
As part of its "Call Off the Guns" campaign, the NRDC Action Fund has generated more than 200,000 comments and emails to the Bush administration. Wolf activists everywhere urged the administration to keep strong protections for the wolves under the Endangered Species Act. The Action Fund also ran a national advertising campaign mobilizing the public to oppose the killing.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, cnoble@nrdc.org, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
Josh Mogerman, NRDC Action Fund, 312/780-7424 (office) or 773/531-5359 (mobile)
Conservation Groups Challenge Wolf Delisting in Federal Court
Wolf Recovery Area Turns Into "Killing Field," Says NRDC Action Fund
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS – Broadcast quality b-roll of wolves in the wild in Yellowstone National Park and still photographs of a dead wolf that was recently poached in Idaho are available for preview and download on NRDC's new digital newsroom.
LIVINGSTON, MT (April 28, 2008) – Citing the recent rash of wolf killings in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, conservation groups asked a federal court today to reinstate Endangered Species Act protections, while considering arguments that delisting the wolf was unlawful. The request for a court order to stop the killing was filed with a lawsuit challenging the federal government's wolf delisting decision.
At least 28 wolves have been killed in the three states since the delisting took effect on March 28. The death toll could be even higher since kills are not required to be reported immediately, and 'shoot and bury' tactics mean that some kills might not be reported at all.
"Until now the reintroduction of gray wolves to the Northern Rockies was one of our greatest endangered species success stories," said Louisa Willcox, NRDC Action Fund Wildlife Campaign Director. "Now the region has become a killing field for wolves, just as we predicted."
"Dozens of wolves have been killed already, and more are certain to die under state laws that in many cases allow unregulated wolf killing anywhere, anytime, for any reason," Willcox said.
In their request for a preliminary injunction reinstating Endangered Species Act protections, the Action Fund’s partner organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and 11 other groups argued that "the killing of wolves that have been removed unlawfully from the endangered species list is sufficient to demonstrate irreparable harm."
"The killing must stop while the court considers the government's illegal decision to revoke protections in the first place," Willcox said. "The gray wolf simply hasn't recovered yet. Every animal that falls victim to bait or bullet increases the odds that wolves will slide back toward extinction."
Some of the first wolves to be killed since the delisting took effect include:
• Wolf 253M – This eight-year-old celebrity wolf's fans called him "Hoppy" because of his limp (caused by an injury from a fight with another wolf pack). He was shot the day after delisting on an elk feeding ground in Wyoming. This black wolf was one of the most recognizable members of Yellowstone's famous Druid Peak pack. People snapped his photograph and shot video as he and his pack mates played, hunted and snoozed. Later, he became the first wolf to step foot into Utah in over 75 years and established his own pack in Grand Teton National Park.
• The Ashton wolves – These two males were killed on April 1 near Ashton, Idaho. The first was shot within view of the shooter's home near some horses. The second was pursued by the landowner for over a mile on snowmobile. Authorities declined to press charges against the shooter due to "reasonable doubt" as to whether the wolves were "molesting" livestock.
• Wolf B160 – This collared wolf was found shot on April 3 near Clayton, Idaho. His body was still warm when a woman found him about 70 yards from Highway 75. He had been shot through the femur and stomach. (Photos of Wolf B160's carcass are available on NRDC's digital newsroom).
In their challenge to wolf delisting, the groups alleged multiple violations of the Endangered Species Act. They said the death toll confirms arguments that the delisting decision threatens wolf survival. They also said the delisting decision was based on outdated science.
"We understand wolf biology, behavior and genetics much better than when the original wolf recovery goal was developed more than 20 years ago," said Dr. Sylvia Fallon, an NRDC Action Fund scientist. "You and your doctor wouldn't make important health decisions based on outdated research, yet that's exactly what the federal government has done with wolves."
The lawsuit says scientists have determined wolf populations are still too fragmented and a minimum population of 2,000 to 5,000 animals is needed to ensure enough genetic diversity for the animals' long-term survival. At the time of delisting there were about 1,500 wolves in the region. All but 300 could be allowed to be killed under the government's current minimum recovery standard.
The Action Fund's partner group, NRDC, filed a petition in February requesting that the Fish and Wildlife Service establish legitimate targets for recovery of wolves throughout the lower 48 states. In its petition, NRDC demonstrates that the service failed to recover wolves on much of the available public lands where wolves formerly lived, and ignored decades of scientific analysis. Without explanation or any scientific basis, the service set widely different recovery goals in the Midwest, Northern Rockies and Southwest regions.
The reintroduction of wolves by the federal government 12 years ago has been widely hailed as a major success story. It has measurably improved the natural balance in the Northern Rockies and benefited bird, antelope and elk populations, according to the Action Fund. Many thousands of visitors flock to Yellowstone National Park each year to see and hear wolves in the wild, contributing at least $35 million to the local economy each year, the group said.
Thousands of gray wolves roamed the Rocky Mountains before being slaughtered and eliminated from 95 percent of the lower 48 states by the 1930s. The gray wolf was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Reintroduction efforts placed 66 wolves in Yellowstone National Park and part of Idaho in 1995-96.
The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of NRDC, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, The Humane Society of the United States, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands Project, Western Watersheds Project, and Wildlands Project.
As part of its "Call Off the Guns" campaign, the NRDC Action Fund has generated more than 150,000 comments and emails to the Bush administration, urging it to maintain strong protections for the wolves under the Endangered Species Act. The campaign also ran national TV and print ads in an effort to mobilize the public against the government's wolf killing plan.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, cnoble@nrdc.org, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
Bush Decision Jeopardizes Wolves, Thwarts Will of Americans
Legal action means fight not over to protect iconic animal, says NRDC Action Fund
New York (February 21, 2008) – The Bush administration has turned a deaf ear to sound science and the will of millions of Americans once again with a misguided decision announced today to revoke endangered species protection for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, according to the NRDC Action Fund.
"Hunting, trapping, poisoning, even killing wolf pups in their dens could all be allowed again if the wolf killing machine is put back into action," said Louisa Willcox of the NRDC Action Fund. "Wolf extermination was the name of the game before the Endangered Species Act, and this delisting plan could put the species right back to the brink of extinction."
NRDC Action Fund supporters sent more than 150,000 comments and emails to the Bush administration, urging it to maintain strong protections for the wolves under the Endangered Species Act. But today's action shows that the administration is unresponsive to the will of Americans and the expertise of independent scientists.
The Action Fund's partner organization, the Natural Resources Defense Council, is expected to file a lawsuit challenging the delisting decision on the grounds that it is too soon to remove protections because the wolves have not fully recovered.
About 1,500 wolves currently live in the Northern Rockies. All but 300 could be the killed, and the government would still consider them officially recovered. Independent scientists say there should be at least 2,500 to 5,000 wolves to ensure the species' long term health and survival.
Conservationists say delisting wolves and allowing their slaughter will reverse more than a decade of wolf recovery progress, which began in 1995 when the federal government reintroduced wolves in the wild in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Since then, the wolves have thrived, grown in numbers and spread outside the park, restoring a natural balance that had been altered after their extermination during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, cnoble@nrdc.org, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
NRDC Action Fund Takes Aim at Government Plan to Kill Yellowstone Wolves
New York Times Ad Urges Americans to Tell Congress to Stop Wolf Killing Plan
New York (February 1, 2008) – Americans should urge their representatives in Congress to stop a Bush administration plan to kill hundreds of threatened wolves, according to a full page advertisement in today’s New York Times. The ad by NRDC Action Fund says the Bush administration rule allows the federal government and the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to hunt, trap and gun down entire packs of wolves in the Northern Rockies.
The ad depicts a lone gray wolf and asks Americans whether their tax dollars should be used “to shoot animals on the endangered species list.” Readers are directed to the campaign web site (www.CallOffTheGuns.org) where they may view the ad and take action. Visitors can use the web site to submit letters to their representatives, urging them to oppose the rule.
The new “10(j)” rule widens a loophole in the Endangered Species Act that permits the killing of hundreds of wolves even though the animals are considered at risk of extinction. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service published the rule in the Federal Register on January 28, allowing states to kill wolves that they believe are adversely affecting elk. But elk numbers in the region are at an all-time high. Despite this fact, the states of Wyoming and Idaho have made it clear that they intend to manage wolves at the minimum allowable level, leaving alive as few as 600 of the 1,500 wolves now living in the region. According to the rule, aerial gunning and shooting from the ground will be used to kill wolves.
The rule precedes an expected decision to remove wolves from the endangered species list next month. After that happens, wolf numbers could be reduced to as few as 300.
Conservationists say the wolf killing plan will reverse more than a decade of wolf recovery progress, which began in 1995 when the federal government reintroduced wolves in the wild in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Since then, the wolves have thrived, grown in numbers and spread outside the park, restoring a natural balance that had been altered after their extermination during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
“It makes common sense not to kill an animal that we’ve worked so hard to restore,” said Louisa Willcox of the NRDC Action Fund. “But instead the Bush administration wants to treat wolves like vermin instead of an endangered species. It’s trying to reverse one of the most successful wildlife recovery programs in U.S. history.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rob Perks, NRDC Action Fund, rperks@nrdc.org, 202/289-6868
Presidential Candidates Agree to Appear at Forum on Global Warming and America's Energy Future
Clinton and Edwards Commit to Appear at Forum Sponsored by Grist in Los Angeles on November 17
Washington, DC (November 7, 2007) – For the first time in history, candidates for President have committed to appear at a forum focused on the issues of global warming and America’s energy future.
On November 17, Senators Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are confirmed to attend the forum sponsored by Grist. The candidates will present their plans to address global warming and energy issues in a series of interviews with journalists and experts in the field. The Grist forum will be presented in partnership with the NRDC Action Fund, the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, California League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Center for American Progress Action Fund, and the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy. All candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have been invited.
The forum will be held at the Wadsworth Theatre in West Los Angeles on Saturday, November 17. The estimated start time will be 1:30pm PST.
The 2008 Presidential campaign provides the American people with an important opportunity to choose the direction for our Nation for the next four years and beyond. Our nation's energy policy has implications that stretch well beyond the price of gasoline. The American people are eager to hear the candidates address this multifaceted issue in a substantive and meaningful way. Addressing global warming, renewable energy and the urgent steps that need to be taken by the next President to reduce significantly the U.S. contribution to greenhouse gases and our consumption of oil is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, so little has been discussed about these topics in the presidential forums to date.
In poll after poll, the American people have indicated that global warming and America's energy future rank among the top-tier issues they want to see addressed by the next President. And they are looking for a substantive discussion of these issues in this campaign. This forum will ensure these issues are discussed at length.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
Time Running Out to Stop Government Plan to Kill Yellowstone Wolves
NRDC Action Fund Launches National TV Advertising Campaign
NEW YORK (September 27, 2007) – The NRDC Action Fund will begin airing a national TV ad next week to mobilize the public against a government plan to kill endangered wolves in the Northern Rockies.
The 30-second ad shows wolf pups frolicking in a meadow while an unseen aircraft ominously approaches. The sound of rotor blades signals the aircraft getting closer and closer as the pups begin to notice that something is wrong. Gunshots ring out, and the video cuts to black, followed by onscreen text, “Censored for your protection. Then again, you’re not the one who needs protecting.”
Another gunshot echoes, and the ad cuts to video of a lone mother wolf. An off-screen announcer says, “If the Bush administration gets its way, nearly 600 wolves could be gunned down in the Northern Rockies starting as early as this winter. You can help stop the massacre.”
Viewers are then directed to a website (www.CallOffTheGuns.org) where anyone can view the ad and take action. Website visitors will be urged to submit a citizen comment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, opposing its plan to allow the killing of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – including wolves that wander outside Yellowstone National Park – and Central Idaho’s wild country. The government will close its public comment period on October 11.
The U.S. plan would allow the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to start killing wolves even though they are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Soon after, the government wants to remove the wolves’ endangered species protection altogether. But in the interim, Idaho and Wyoming officials have stated their intentions to immediately kill nearly 600 wolves. Wyoming’s post-delisting plan classifies wolves as “predatory animals” in three-fourths of the state, allowing them to be killed by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Wyoming and Idaho plan to use aerial gunning, and all three states will allow public hunting and trapping of wolves.
Conservationists say the wolf killing plan will reverse more than a decade of wolf recovery progress, which began in 1995 when the federal government reintroduced wolves in the wild in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Since then, the wolves have thrived, grown in numbers and spread outside the park, restoring a natural balance that had been altered after their extermination during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
“It makes common sense not to kill an animal that we’ve worked so hard to restore,” said Louisa Willcox of the NRDC Action Fund. “But instead the Bush administration wants to treat wolves like vermin instead of an endangered species. It’s trying to reverse one of the most successful wildlife recovery programs in U.S. history.”
The government can kill wolves because of a special exception to the Endangered Species Act known as the “10(j) rule.” Reintroduced species like the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf are managed differently than other endangered species. They are considered “experimental populations,” and government agencies are allowed more leeway in managing them, including using lethal control.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it needs to make killing wolves easier to protect big game from wolf predation. However, current rules already allow wolves to be killed if the states can show that they are the “primary” cause of elk or deer depletion. The new plan loosens that rule, allowing wolves to be killed anywhere big game herds are considered below desired management levels, even though studies show that elk populations are at all time highs and damaging habitat by overgrazing in many areas. There are about 300,000 elk in the region and only about 1,300 wolves.
Under the new rule, the killing could start as soon as this winter. The government’s plan to revoke endangered species protection altogether is expected next year.
Thousands of gray wolves once roamed the Rocky Mountains before being slaughtered and eliminated in most of the West by the 1930s. The gray wolf was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Reintroduction efforts placed 66 wolves in Yellowstone National Park and part of Idaho in 1995-96. About 1,300 wolves now live in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Noble, NRDC Action Fund, 415/875-6100 (office) or 415/601-8235 (mobile)
Whales Draw Strong Public Support for Endangered Species Listing
More than 100,000 Americans Urge Feds to Protect Belugas Against Oil and Gas Development
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 3, 2007) – In just two months, more than 100,000 Americans have urged federal officials to list the Cook Inlet beluga whale as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Only 300 of the genetically-unique white whales survive in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, where they face mounting threats from oil and gas development, global warming, and pollution. The large volume of comments was the result of an Internet-driven campaign by the NRDC Action Fund, a conservation group affiliated with the Natural Resources Defense Council that mobilizes Americans to protect the environment.
The whales’ population has plummeted by 77 percent since the early 1980s, when about 1,300 of them thrived in the 180-mile-long estuary southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed protecting them from extinction in April after lengthy urging by a coalition of local and national conservation organizations.
“Cook Inlet beluga whales are found nowhere else,” said Andrew Wetzler, director of the Endangered Species Project at the NRDC Action Fund. “Yet they live right in the middle of one of our nation’s busiest zones for oil and gas development. If we don’t take immediate steps to protect them, then they will likely go extinct.”
Today marks the end of the required 60-day public comment period for the endangered species listing petition. The government has until April 2008 to decide whether to go forward with the plan.
If the whale is listed, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service must designate critical habitat and prepare a beluga whale recovery plan. In addition, all federal agencies would be prohibited from taking any action – including issuing permits – that would be likely to jeopardize the whale’s continued existence or result in adverse changes to its designated critical habitat.
Among the many threats facing Cook Inlet belugas are expanded oil and gas production, ocean noise pollution, and the local sewage treatment plant. The exploration for oil and gas, as well as increased ship traffic and other development in the inlet, generates intense sounds that can disturb, injure and even kill whales. Cook Inlet belugas are also threatened by a waiver for Anchorage’s sewage treatment plant, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, which allows the plant to discharge millions of gallons of partially-treated sewage into the inlet ever day. Finally, the specter of global warming threatens the whales, because it is expected to drastically change the Cook Inlet’s natural systems in the coming decades.
The NRDC Action Fund is Mobilizing America for Our Environment. We are organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, which permits us to devote 100 percent of our resources to lobbying Congress and mobilizing the public. The NRDC Action Fund is an affiliate of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
