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ESPN’s Untruthful Screed Makes it to Snopes
Submitted by Ted Williams on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 14:12.Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh need to shut up about Obama fishing ban
Submitted by Ted Williams on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 14:07.The Corruption of Wildlife Science and Conservation
Submitted by Ted Williams on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 19:07.Herewith, an excellent Letter to Alaska Fish and Game Commissioner, Denby Lloyd from Mark Richards:
Dear Denby,
What you allowed to take place regarding the removal of Doug Larsen as the Director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation, and replacing him with Corey Rossi, was a clear violation of all common-sense ethics and the guidelines ADFG is supposed to follow regarding staff not being affiliated in voting positions with outside organizations.
Ralph Seekins, who is "president" of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife - Alaska chapter (SFW-AK), has publicly stated that he met with you as SFW-AK representative to ask that Doug Larsen be removed as Director. SFW-AK also conducted an email campaign asking members to advocate for Mr Larsen's removal. The rationale they asserted for wanting Mr. Larsen removed is irrelevant, the fact that they publicly pushed for this and it took place, however, and that Corey Rossi is to now take the Director's position, is what is important here.
While all this was going on, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife has kept Corey Rossi listed on their national website as an SFW-AK Board Member.
Here is the link: http://www.sfwsfh.org/index.cfm?pID=5 Scroll down and you'll find this listing for the Alaska section:
Note that Corey Rossi is still listed as an SFW Board member. Also his name is linked to an email address for people to ask him any questions relating to SFW. I have made you and ADFG leadership aware of this last year in 2009, as well as one of Mr Rossi's articles in an SFW newsletter that gave the appearance he was still affiliated with SFW, and was told later on that any mention of Mr Rossi on any SFW literature or website as still being a Board member or being affiliated with SFW in a voting capacity was a clerical mistake and that Corey Rossi was no longer formally affiliated with SFW, and that this "mistake" would be corrected.
But this is the 2010 copyright version (©2010 Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife) of the SFW website and Mr Rossi's name is still on there as an SFW Board Member, and considering that SFW-AK has publicly campaigned to remove Doug Larsen as Director of DWC, and Mr. Rossi's continued affiliation with SFW as listed on their website...this whole thing with the removal of Doug Larsen and replacing him with Corey Rossi stinks to high heaven in more ways than I can even express in this missive.
The fact that Corey Rossi is still allowed to even be employed by ADFG while he is still ostensibly serving as a Board Member for SFW-AK is totally contrary as well to ADFG policy.
This has been a smoke-and-mirrors thing going on ever since I first pointed it out. It was bad enough, Denby, that you allowed Mr Rossi to represent ADFG in his new leadership position in support of the SFW-AK bear snaring and helicopter transport proposals before the Board of Game in 2009 that as an SFW-AK Board member he helped craft and advocate for. That was an obvious conflict of interest and I pointed it out publicly at the time. I took it on good faith, though, that after pointing out that Mr Rossi was still listed as SFW Board Member that Mr Rossi or someone would correct all this with SFW if he were really not still on the Alaska chapter Board, and I can no longer believe that Mr Rossi's name on the national SFW website is just a "mistake" they have yet to correct. Neither if Mr Rossi's name is removed today would that absolve ADFG from any unethical wrongdoing in this matter.
The fact is, as of right now, March 12, 2010, Corey Rossi is listed on the national organization's website as a Board Member, and is to assume the position of the man this same organization publicly pushed to have removed!
Beyond all this, this same organization is essentially now bragging that they got Doug Larsen removed and got "their man" in instead. I can't express enough, as a representative of another hunting organization, just how wrong all this is, what SFW-AK has done to publicly try to have a sitting Director removed, the tactics they have used and continue to use to influence ADFG, and the fact that apparently you have allowed the Department to be so influenced by a private hunting organization.
Sincerely,
Mark Richards
co-chair Alaska Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
“UNITED WE FISH”, OR UNITED WE OVERFISH?
Submitted by Ted Williams on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 10:12.Burning wood as renewable power draws scrutiny in Oregon and nationwide
Submitted by Ted Williams on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 08:55.Oregon fishermen may get to catch more chinook salmon in 2010
Submitted by Ted Williams on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 08:53.Secretary Salazar Releases New “State of the Birds” Report Showing Climate Change Threatens Hundreds of Species
Submitted by Ted Williams on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 08:19.
AUSTIN, TX – Climate change threatens to further imperil hundreds of
species of migratory birds, already under stress from habitat loss,
invasive species and other environmental threats, a new report released
today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar concludes.
The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a
comprehensive report released a year ago showing that nearly a third of the
nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant
decline.
“For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as
commercial hunting, loss of forests, the use of DDT and other pesticides,
a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive
species and other impacts of human development,” Salazar said. “Now they
are facing a new threat – climate change – that could dramatically alter
their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction.”
The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
experts from the nation’s leading conservation organizations, shows that
climate changes will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species
in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest peril.
In releasing the report, Salazar cited the unprecedented efforts by the
Obama Administration and the Department of the Interior to address climate
change.
Last week in Anchorage, Alaska, for example, the Interior Department opened
the first of eight new climate regional Climate Science Centers that will
involve scientists from all of Interior’s Bureaus and partners to research
climate change impacts, work with land, natural, and cultural resource
managers to design adaptation strategies, and engage the public through
education initiatives.
The Climate Science Centers will help support a network of new “Landscape
Conservation Cooperatives” that will engage federal agencies, tribal,
state, and local governmental and non-governmental partners, and the public
in crafting practical, landscape-level strategies for managing climate
change impacts on land, natural, and cultural resources within the eight
regions.
“Just as they did in 1962 when Rachel Carson published ‘Silent Spring,’ our
migratory birds are sending us a message about the health of our planet,”
Salazar said. “That is why – for the first time ever – the Department of
the Interior has deployed a coordinated strategy to plan for and respond to
the impacts of climate change on the resources we manage.”
Key findings from the “State of the Birds” climate change report include:
All 67 oceanic bird species, including petrels and albatrosses, are
among the most vulnerable birds on Earth to climate change. These
birds don’t raise many young each year, depend on a rapidly changing
marine ecosystem and nest on islands that may be flooded as sea
levels rise.
Hawaiian birds such as the endangered Puaiohi and ’Akiapôlâ’au
already face multiple threats and are increasingly challenged by
mosquito-borne diseases and invasive species as climate change alters
their native habitats.
Birds in coastal, arctic/alpine, and grassland habitats, as well as
those on Caribbean and other Pacific Islands show intermediate levels
of vulnerability; most birds in arid lands, wetlands, and forests
show relatively low vulnerability to climate change.
For bird species that are already of conservation concern, such as
the golden-cheeked warbler, whooping crane and spectacled eider, the
added vulnerability to climate change may hasten declines or prevent
recovery.
The report identified common bird species such as the American
oystercatcher, common nighthawk, and northern pintail that are likely
to become species of conservation concern as a result of climate
change.
“Birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and
right now they are telling us an important story about climate change,”
said Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology. “Many species of conservation concern will face
heightened threats, giving us an increased sense of urgency to protect and
conserve vital bird habitat.”
“All of the effective bird conservation efforts already taking place to
protect rare species, conserve habitats, and remove threats need to be
continued.” said David Mehlman of The Nature Conservancy. “Additionally,
they need to be greatly expanded to meet the threat climate change poses to
bird populations.”
“The dangers to these birds reflect risks to everything we value: our
health, our finances, our quality of life and the stability of our natural
world,” said Audubon’s Glenn Olson. “But if we can help the birds weather
a changing climate, we can help ourselves.”
“While there is much to be concerned about in this report, we can reduce
the impact of climate change by taking immediate action to reduce carbon
emissions and find creative conservation solutions to help birds adapt to
the changes that are already in process.” said David Pashley, vice
president of the American Bird Conservancy
The report offers solutions that illustrate how, by working together,
organizations and individuals can have a demonstrable impact on birds in
the U. S. Specifically, the report indicates that the way lands are managed
can mitigate climate change and help birds adapt to changing conditions.
For example, conserving carbon-rich forests and wetlands and creating
incentives to avoid deforestation can reduce emissions and provide
invaluable wildlife habitat.
The report is the product of a collaborative effort through the U.S. North
American Bird Conservation Initiative among federal and state wildlife
agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the U.S. Geological Survey; scientific and conservation organizations
including partners from the American Bird Conservancy, the Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird
Observatory, National Audubon Society, the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation and The Nature Conservancy,.
For more information visit www.stateofthebirds.org.
Hugh Vickery (DOI), (202) 501-4633
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Joshua Winchell 703-358-2279,
joshua_winchell@fws.gov, Alicia King, 703-358-2522/571-214-3117,
American Bird Conservancy: Steve Holmer, 202-234-7181,
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Pat Leonard, Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
607-254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu
National Audubon Society: Nancy Severance, 212-979-3124,
The Nature Conservancy: Blythe Thomas, 703-841-8782, bthomas@tnc.org
Tom R. MacKenzie
Media Relations Specialist and Native American Liaison
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Southeast Region
1875 Century Blvd Ste 410
Atlanta, GA 30345-3319
404-679-7291 Fax:404-679-7286 Cell: 678-296-6400
http://www.fws.gov/southeast
tom_mackenzie@fws.govSecretary Salazar Releases New “State of the Birds” Report
Showing Climate Change Threatens Hundreds of Species
AUSTIN, TX – Climate change threatens to further imperil hundreds of
species of migratory birds, already under stress from habitat loss,
invasive species and other environmental threats, a new report released
today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar concludes.
The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a
comprehensive report released a year ago showing that nearly a third of the
nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant
decline.
“For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as
commercial hunting, loss of forests, the use of DDT and other pesticides,
a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive
species and other impacts of human development,” Salazar said. “Now they
are facing a new threat – climate change – that could dramatically alter
their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction.”
The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
experts from the nation’s leading conservation organizations, shows that
climate changes will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species
in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest peril.
In releasing the report, Salazar cited the unprecedented efforts by the
Obama Administration and the Department of the Interior to address climate
change.
Last week in Anchorage, Alaska, for example, the Interior Department opened
the first of eight new climate regional Climate Science Centers that will
involve scientists from all of Interior’s Bureaus and partners to research
climate change impacts, work with land, natural, and cultural resource
managers to design adaptation strategies, and engage the public through
education initiatives.
The Climate Science Centers will help support a network of new “Landscape
Conservation Cooperatives” that will engage federal agencies, tribal,
state, and local governmental and non-governmental partners, and the public
in crafting practical, landscape-level strategies for managing climate
change impacts on land, natural, and cultural resources within the eight
regions.
“Just as they did in 1962 when Rachel Carson published ‘Silent Spring,’ our
migratory birds are sending us a message about the health of our planet,”
Salazar said. “That is why – for the first time ever – the Department of
the Interior has deployed a coordinated strategy to plan for and respond to
the impacts of climate change on the resources we manage.”
Key findings from the “State of the Birds” climate change report include:
All 67 oceanic bird species, including petrels and albatrosses, are
among the most vulnerable birds on Earth to climate change. These
birds don’t raise many young each year, depend on a rapidly changing
marine ecosystem and nest on islands that may be flooded as sea
levels rise.
Hawaiian birds such as the endangered Puaiohi and ’Akiapôlâ’au
already face multiple threats and are increasingly challenged by
mosquito-borne diseases and invasive species as climate change alters
their native habitats.
Birds in coastal, arctic/alpine, and grassland habitats, as well as
those on Caribbean and other Pacific Islands show intermediate levels
of vulnerability; most birds in arid lands, wetlands, and forests
show relatively low vulnerability to climate change.
For bird species that are already of conservation concern, such as
the golden-cheeked warbler, whooping crane and spectacled eider, the
added vulnerability to climate change may hasten declines or prevent
recovery.
The report identified common bird species such as the American
oystercatcher, common nighthawk, and northern pintail that are likely
to become species of conservation concern as a result of climate
change.
“Birds are excellent indicators of the health of our environment, and
right now they are telling us an important story about climate change,”
said Dr. Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology. “Many species of conservation concern will face
heightened threats, giving us an increased sense of urgency to protect and
conserve vital bird habitat.”
“All of the effective bird conservation efforts already taking place to
protect rare species, conserve habitats, and remove threats need to be
continued.” said David Mehlman of The Nature Conservancy. “Additionally,
they need to be greatly expanded to meet the threat climate change poses to
bird populations.”
“The dangers to these birds reflect risks to everything we value: our
health, our finances, our quality of life and the stability of our natural
world,” said Audubon’s Glenn Olson. “But if we can help the birds weather
a changing climate, we can help ourselves.”
“While there is much to be concerned about in this report, we can reduce
the impact of climate change by taking immediate action to reduce carbon
emissions and find creative conservation solutions to help birds adapt to
the changes that are already in process.” said David Pashley, vice
president of the American Bird Conservancy
The report offers solutions that illustrate how, by working together,
organizations and individuals can have a demonstrable impact on birds in
the U. S. Specifically, the report indicates that the way lands are managed
can mitigate climate change and help birds adapt to changing conditions.
For example, conserving carbon-rich forests and wetlands and creating
incentives to avoid deforestation can reduce emissions and provide
invaluable wildlife habitat.
The report is the product of a collaborative effort through the U.S. North
American Bird Conservation Initiative among federal and state wildlife
agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the U.S. Geological Survey; scientific and conservation organizations
including partners from the American Bird Conservancy, the Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird
Observatory, National Audubon Society, the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation and The Nature Conservancy,.
For more information visit www.stateofthebirds.org.
Hugh Vickery (DOI), (202) 501-4633
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Joshua Winchell 703-358-2279,
joshua_winchell@fws.gov, Alicia King, 703-358-2522/571-214-3117,
American Bird Conservancy: Steve Holmer, 202-234-7181,
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Pat Leonard, Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
607-254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu
National Audubon Society: Nancy Severance, 212-979-3124,
The Nature Conservancy: Blythe Thomas, 703-841-8782, bthomas@tnc.org
Tom R. MacKenzie
Media Relations Specialist and Native American Liaison
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Southeast Region
1875 Century Blvd Ste 410
Atlanta, GA 30345-3319
404-679-7291 Fax:404-679-7286 Cell: 678-296-6400
http://www.fws.gov/southeast
tom_mackenzie@fws.gov
As Court Weighs Roadless Rule, TRCP Reasserts Value of Backcountry Lands
Submitted by Ted Williams on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 12:24.
Sportsmen continue push to conserve roadless areas to retain fish and wildlife habitat
and public-lands hunting and fishing values
WASHINGTON – As the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that could determine the future of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today reasserted the need for responsible backcountry management that conserves the areas’ high-quality fish and wildlife habitat, economic benefits, and hunting and fishing opportunities.
The so-called “roadless rule” is a national forest management regulation that was designed to limit road building and timber harvest on 58.5 million acres of undeveloped public lands across the country.
A poll of sportsmen shows that a majority of American hunters and anglers supports conservation of the nation’s roadless backcountry. Excessive road densities have been shown to negatively affect elk and deer behavior, reproduction and survival. Too many roads in the wrong places also contribute to increased sediment loads in waterways that are important to wild trout and salmon.
Hundreds of sportsmen-focused businesses and organizations from across the country recently sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasizing the economic value of roadless lands and requesting that the USDA “maintain the maximum acreages of roadless areas” to sustain the more than $190 billion annually contributed to the nation’s economy by hunting and fishing. The USDA has responded to this and other voices in support of backcountry conservation by working to defend the national roadless rule.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commitment to upholding the Roadless Area Conservation Rule testifies to the federal government’s support of our public-lands hunting and fishing heritage,” said Joel Webster, roadless initiative manager for the TRCP. “Sportsmen appreciate the USDA’s ongoing efforts on behalf of our backcountry fish and wildlife habitat and look forward to continuing to work with the agency to defend this irreplaceable outdoor legacy.”
As litigation surrounding the national roadless rule approaches resolution, the state of Colorado continues to deliberate recommendations for a state-based rule that would govern management of more than 4 million acres of backcountry lands in Colorado. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has called the proposed Colorado roadless rule an “insurance policy” in case the national roadless rule was overturned. Whether such a policy is necessary will become evident in the months to come as the 10th Circuit Court reaches a decision regarding the roadless rule’s fate.
“Hunters and anglers urge the state of Colorado to wait for a ruling from the 10th Circuit before moving forward with the Colorado roadless rule,” said Nick Payne, TRCP Colorado field representative. “Centennial State sportsmen currently benefit from a national roadless rule that safeguards Colorado’s world-famous elk, mule deer and trout populations and outdoor traditions. The national roadless rule upholds sportsmen’s values and is the strongest option for ensuring conservation of Colorado’s roadless areas in the long term.”
“Americans with a stake in the future of our iconic landscapes now look to the 10th Circuit Court to affirm what many hunters and anglers long have maintained,” concluded Webster, “namely, that our remaining federal backcountry lands must be sustained for their prime fish and wildlife habitat and the irreplaceable recreational opportunities they provide all of our citizens.”
Learn more about the TRCP’s work in support of roadless area conservation.
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations
and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.
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