Forest Watch News and Events
August 19, 2005
http://www.forestwatch.org
In this issue:
--LATE BREAKING: Victory in Courts for Northeast Wolves!
--ACTION NEEDED BY AUG. 29: Keep Somerset Wild
--Forest Watch Urges Postponement of Deerfield Wind Decision
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LATE BREAKING: VICTORY IN COURTS FOR NORTHEAST WOLVES!
After being silenced for 100 years, the howl of the wolf has been
given a chance to return to the Northern Forests, due to a U.S.
District court decision today. Judge Garvin Murtha in Brattleboro,
VT, ruled that the Bush administration violated the Endangered
Species Act when it reduced protection for gray wolves across the 48
states in 2003.
Charging that the Bush administration's decision to abandon wolf
recovery efforts in the Northeast violated the Endangered Species
Act, a coalition of five conservation groups filed a lawsuit in 2003
in federal district court in Vermont.
Forest Watch was co-plaintiff in a separate but related wolf case;
that lawsuit was won in an Oregon court earlier this year. The
federal government is still deciding whether to appeal.
In recent years, there have been several reports of wolves from
Canada crossing the frozen St. Lawrence Seaway into Maine, and just
north of New Hampshire. By terminating the federal recovery program
in the Northeast, conservationists asserted that the administration
would have reduced the likelihood that wolves migrating southward
from Canada would be able to establish a viable population in the
sparsely populated regions of the forests of New England, despite
suitable habitat and availability of prey.
Forest Watch celebrates this recent victory with plaintiffs on the
Vermont case, including National Wildlife Federation, Vermont Natural
Resources Council, Maine Wolf Coalition, and Maine Audubon.
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ACTION NEEDED: KEEP SOMERSET WILD
Speak out for quiet waters! Comments are needed by AUGUST 29 on the
proposal to limit motorboats on Somerset Reservoir in the southern
Green Mountains.
Somerset Reservoir is the wildest large water body in the state of
Vermont. For many years it has been a special destination for
canoeists, kayakers and fishermen who seek a quiet, wild place to be
on the water.
Currently there is no waterskiing or jet skiing on the lake, and a
10mph speed limit is in place. Unfortunately, the 10mph speed limit
is not working. An increasing number of power boats are out on
Somerset, and many routinely travel at high speeds.
The larger Harriman Reservoir nearby on Route 9 in Wilmington already
sees steady traffic in high speed water sports. Somerset is still
predominantly used by paddlers. There is still an opportunity to make
sure the peaceful, wild Somerset is saved for future generations.
Written comments are urgently needed to persuade the Vermont Water
Resource Panel to increase protection for Somerset. All written
comments must show the case name "Somerset Reservoir" and the case
number "UPW-05-04" in the subject line. Please tell the Panel that
you support further limits on the use of motorboats on Somerset.
You may want to include the following points:
1- The lands around the Somerset are completely undeveloped and
provide for a wilderness setting. Noisy, fast-moving motor boats are
taking away from the peace, quiet and solitude that this area has
traditionally offered.
2- The Somerset is predominantly used by paddlers, who want
quiet waters on which to travel and not be worried about encounters
with high speed motor boats.
3- The larger Harriman reservoir, which is heavily motorized,
is only 9 miles away. There is no lack of opportunity in the area for
motorized water recreation.
4- Opportunities to paddle sizeable bodies of water in a
wilderness-type setting are extremely rare in Vermont. Somerset
offers real economic value to surrounding communities that may wish
to capitalize on this precious resource. Of course, protecting
Somerset also preserves something priceless--the chance for future
generations to paddle a wild lake basin.
All comments must be received by August 29th , 2005
Email comments to nrbcomments@state.vt.us.
Mail all hard copy comments to
The Vermont Natural Resource Board
National Life Records Center Drawer 20
Montpelier, VT 05620-3201
Attn : Karen Du Pont
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FOREST WATCH URGES POSTPONEMENT OF DEERFIELD WIND DECISION
Forest Watch recently submitted comments to the Forest Service on a
proposal to place an industrial wind energy development on two ridges
in the southern Green Mountain National Forest. A private company,
Deerfield Wind LLC, has applied to the Forest Service for a Special
Use Permit for the project.
If the permit is granted, this would be the first such wind energy
development on any national forest in the country. Forest Watch,
while recognizing the need for development of renewable energy in
general, has a number of concerns about the Deerfield Wind Project.
Forest Watch has urged the U.S. Forest Service to postpone its
decision on the Deerfield Wind Energy Project until it addresses
several important issues:
. The incompatibility of high visibility structures, such as the
proposed 370-foot tall, lighted wind turbines, with the Forest
Service's own management plan. A new Forest Plan now in the works
will not be completed until mid-2006 at the earliest.
. The Forest Service's flawed Roadless Area inventory that excluded
national forest lands surrounding the proposed Deerfield Wind
Project, including the Lamb Brook area, from the agency's wilderness
evaluation.
. The Deerfield Wind Project is proposed in areas known to be
critically important to black bears. In the absence of well-designed,
multi-year studies, no one really knows how the proposed project, or
others like it, will affect bears and other wildlife.
. Before approving industrial wind energy developments on our
precious public lands, we should first do a comprehensive, statewide
analysis of potential wind energy sites, and develop appropriate
sites on private lands, so that we might learn from them.
Forest Watch will keep you updated on this important matter as it unfolds.
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"This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and
it must be cared for. It's lonely. It's small. It's isolated, and
there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it."
--Scott Carpenter, astronaut
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Forest Watch News and Events
August 19, 2005
news@forestwatch.org
http://www.forestwatch.org
10 Langdon Street, Ste. 1
Montpelier, VT 05602
802-223-3216
If you'd like to send a contribution to Forest Watch today for the
future of wild forests and all our wildlife, please enclose a check
to to Forest Watch, 10 Langdon Street, Suite 1, Montpelier, VT 05602.
All contributions are tax-deductible. Thanks!
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