Wildlife

June 15, 2009 -- PARK CITY, UTAH -- Western Governors and three Cabinet Secretaries agreed today to partner in enhancing state wildlife data systems that would greatly improve the decision-making process as renewable and fossil energy resources are planned and transmission lines and highways are considered. The data systems would also provide valuable information related to the impact of climate change on wildlife.    » read more »

Casey Introduces Legislation to Protect Fish Habitats, Improve Health of Waterways

June 10, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the Congressional Sportsmen Caucus, introduced the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, legislation which will significantly advance ongoing efforts to restore and protect fish habitats, improve the health of America’s waterways and ensure that the United States has robust fish populations far into the future.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing examining the role of oceans in our economic future, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today extolled the present and future contributions of oceans to our national economy, from renewable energy to the fishing industry. Currently, the world’s oceans face numerous threats to their productivity and viability, including the looming threat of climate change.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today announced the introduction of the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, legislation which will significantly advance ongoing efforts to restore and protect fish habitats, improve the health of America's waterways and ensure that the United States has robust fish populations far into the future.

"The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act will go a long way toward ensuring the viability of our fish and their habitats for generations to come," said Senator Lieberman. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this important legislation and reverse the decline of our ailing waterways and fisheries."    » read more »

Interior Secretary and key Committee Chair express support for a revised plan

June 3, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) called on the U.S. Interior Secretary for help finding a common-sense solution to the issue of elk management at Theodore Roosevelt National Park – and secured support for a common-sense solution not only from the Interior Secretary, but also from the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Interior Department.    » read more »

NRDC Joins Legal Action to Challenge the Department of Interior's Decision to Remove Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves From Endangered Species List

LIVINGSTON, Mont. (June 2, 2009) – Another chapter in the legal battle over wolves was opened today when the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and a coalition of concerned conservation groups challenged the recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to remove protections for packs in Montana and Idaho.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced today that Michigan has been awarded more than $7,386,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding through the U.S. Forest Service. The funding will be used to improve water quality and fish habitats, maintain Forest Service roads and for other enhancements.

“This Forest Service funding will help numerous communities in Michigan make necessary improvements during a tough economic stretch,” said Levin. “I am hopeful that these projects will create much-needed jobs in Michigan and help protect Michigan’s natural resources at the same time.”    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today signed five bills to help protect and conserve Colorado's water and land.

"Colorado's natural resources -- our water, land and wildlife -- are a key part what make's this state so special," Gov. Ritter said. "It is a great privilege and a great responsibility to manage these resources for future generations. Conservation also is about more than just protecting our natural resources; it's also about protecting economic resources, including the $3 billion and 34,000 jobs supported by hunting, fishing and wildlife activities in Colorado each year."

The bills signed today:    » read more »

Washington, DC - 06/01/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today commended the Mid-Atlantic Council on its initial step toward implementing new federal requirements designed to end overfishing and rebuild depleted fish populations through the application of annual catch limits and accountability measures.

The 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that fishery management councils develop plans that include new annual catch limits and accountability measures by 2011. By basing these regulations on best available science, the new law aims to eliminate the overfishing and depletion of natural fish populations that have suffered in the past from short-sighted political and economic decisions.    » read more »

$2,423,986 in grants for four Virginia projects

June 01, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today joined Congressman Bobby Scott, Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant and representatives from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency to announce federal grants awarded to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The grants, totaling $2,423,986, will fund four projects in the Commonwealth that focus on innovative techniques and technologies to address nonpoint source pollution and environmental education related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.    » read more »

May 28, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that for the next year all decisions regarding road building and tree cutting in the nation's inventoried roadless areas will be made by the Secretary of Agriculture. The USDA will use the year to develop a national long-term roadless policy.

"I believe that this is an important step toward protecting our nation's roadless areas," Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said. "The Obama Administration has repeatedly stated that it is committed to protecting our roadless areas and I applaud this important step toward providing that protection.    » read more »

New rule will protect more than 50 million acres, including the Tongass National Forest

San Francisco (May 28, 2009) – The Obama administration today announced it is issuing a one-year moratorium on road building and development on about 50 million acres of remote national forests, including the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a directive reinstating most of a Clinton-era ban against new road construction and development in national forests. The 2001 rule banned road building and logging in more than 50 million acres of remote national forests, mostly in the West.

Following is a statement by Niel Lawrence, senior attorney and forest project director for the Natural Resources Defense Council:    » read more »

May 28th, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- The Sierra Club issues the following statement in support of today's expected announcement by Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issuing a directive requiring Secretarial level approval of any U.S. Forest Service projects that might be inconsistent with the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Statement of Athan Manuel, Director of Sierra Club Public Lands Protection Program

We applaud Secretary Vilsack and the Obama administration for this announcement. Secretary Vilsack's directive is a critical interim measure to ensure that we safeguard the diverse values of our national forests as the Obama administration considers more permanent protections.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 05/28/2009 - Jane Danowitz, director of the Pew Environment Group's U.S. public lands program, today issued the following statement on the Obama administration’s expected announcement of a “time out” on new activity in undeveloped national forests protected by the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, including Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

Currently, the policy’s legal status is uncertain due to legal challenges and efforts by the Bush administration to replace it with a discretionary state petition process.

“This action by the Obama administration recognizes the science on which the landmark roadless rule is based, the public who supported it in record numbers and future generations who will benefit from its protections.    » read more »

May 28,2009 -- Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) praised the United States Department of Agriculture and United States Forest Service for taking steps to protect roadless areas in our national forests by reversing years of Bush Administration policies.

In March 2009, Cantwell sent a letter with 24 other senators to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the Obama Administration to act quickly to ensure that national forest roadless acres weren’t harmed because of uncertainty surrounding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which was issued in January 2001.    » read more »