Forest Watch News and Events
December 22, 2005
http://www.forestwatch.org
In this issue:
--Give a Gift to Wild Nature
--Federal Government Will Not Appeal Wolf Rulings
--Support Lynx Habitat --Your Comments Needed
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GIVE A GIFT TO WILD NATURE
During this season of giving, let's remember how much wild Nature gives to all of us, every day: Beautiful forests and mountains, clean water, the fellowship of wild creatures, a place to recreate and reconnect, the foundation of a healthy environment for our families and communities.
You can complete the circle of giving. Please make a generous donation to support Forest Watch's work to protect and restore wild Nature in Vermont and northern New England.
If you go online, it's quick and easy to do. Go to: http://www.forestwatch.org/join.php.
Or send your donation today to:
Forest Watch, PO Box 188, Richmond, VT 05477.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL NOT APPEAL WOLF RULINGS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced late last week that it will not appeal two U.S. District Court decisions issued earlier this year on endangered gray wolves. The USFWS' plan to "downlist" wolves from the stricter "endangered" status to the less protective "threatened" status was struck down after conservation groups filed two separate lawsuits, one in Oregon and the other in Vermont. Among other unlawful actions, the Fish and Wildlife agency had dismissed the Northeast U.S. as a separate geographical region requiring specific consideration for wolf recovery.
The federal government's decision to not pursue appeals to the wolf lawsuits revives the possibility that in future, a federal recovery plan for Northeast wolves will be produced. An administration friendlier to endangered species will be a likely prerequisite, however.
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SUPPORT LYNX HABITAT--YOUR COMMENTS NEEDED
Maine has the only breeding population of Canada lynx in the eastern United States. The lynx was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2000. Compelled by numerous lawsuits filed by conservationists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is finally proposing designation of critical habitat for the lynx in Maine. Nearly 11,000 square miles in the northern portion of the state would be so designated. The proposed rule is not expected to have any impact on logging.
The USFWS is now taking public comment on the proposal. Please write in support of critical habitat designation for lynx in Maine. You can learn more at http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/mammals/lynx.
Send comments by February 7, 2006 to:
Montana Field Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
100 N. Park Avenue, Suite 32
Helena, MT 59601
email: FW6_lynx@fws.gov
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"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need, if only we had the eyes to see ... No, wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, as vital to our lives as water and good bread."
- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
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