Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.64.0803211756380.22895@panix3.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: Cyb <cybermind@listserv.aol.com>, Wryting-L <WRYTING-L@listserv.wvu.edu>,
Cyberculture <cyberculture@zacha.org>
Subject: NRDC's BioGems News, March 2008 (fwd)
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:56:48 -0400 (EDT)
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:47:53 GMT From: BioGems News <biogemsnewsletter@savebiogems.org> Reply-To: notice-reply-wgx7d6i4hk8ijnb@nrdconline.org To: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com> Subject: NRDC's BioGems News, March 2008 ======================================== Saving Endangered Wild Places NRDC's BIOGEMS NEWS http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/S7A5O2M1_qR0/ March 2008 ======================================== HELP PROTECT THE PATH OF THE PRONGHORN Spring is here and the Grand Teton pronghorn herd is preparing for its annual migration across Wyoming from the Upper Green River Valley to Grand Teton National Park. The herd will make its way through dense forests, rivers and mountains, following the same winding path it has used for 6,000 years. Tens of thousands of mule deer, elk, moose, and big-horned sheep also rely on this migration route, but none travel as far as the pronghorn -- some 300 miles roundtrip. Without this critical pathway, the Grand Teton pronghorn herd would not survive. Over the past decade, a dramatic surge in oil and gas drilling activities, along with mounting real estate sprawl and fencing, has rendered the route increasingly narrow and treacherous. But the U.S. Forest Service is now proposing to protect the vital stretch of the corridor under its management. With the Bush administration poised to approve a plan to put thousands more natural gas wells in the region, this Forest Service proposal is an important first step to safeguarding the entire migration route. Please speak out now and show your support for this urgently needed action. PROTECT PRONGHORN MIGRATION ROUTES: Tell the Forest Service to designate a pronghorn migration corridor within the Bridger-Teton National Forest and to permanently protect the Path of the Pronghorn. http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/LpA5O2M1_qRY/ PATH OF THE PRONGHORN: Visit our new Path of the Pronghorn feature for little-known facts about pronghorns and a map of the Upper Green River Valley migration route. http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/L7A5O2M1_qRR/ NRDC FIGHTS TO KEEP DRILL RIGS OUT OF REDROCK WILDERNESS NRDC has returned to court once again with our partner, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, to block oil and gas leasing on wilderness-quality lands in Utah's redrock canyon country. BioGems Defenders sent more than 48,000 messages last July protesting the Bush administration's plan to allow drilling in the spectacular White River wilderness, an important habitat for pronghorn, elk, golden eagles, prairie falcons and cougars. But despite overwhelming opposition, the Bush administration has approved a scheme to transform these pristine lands into an industrial maze of drill rigs, roads, pipelines and power lines. We'll keep you updated on this courtroom battle for our redrock heritage! BIOGEMS DEFENDERS SPUR GROUNDBREAKING ENERGY STUDY IN CHILE Our multi-faceted campaign to protect the majestic rivers, wildlife and local communities of Chile's unspoiled Patagonia region from a massive hydro-electric scheme -- involving five dams and the world's longest transmission line -- has reached an exciting new milestone. Last fall, BioGems Defenders sent nearly 50,000 messages urging Chilean officials to support an unprecedented independent study of environmentally sound alternatives -- including renewable energy and energy efficiency -- for meeting that nation's electricity demand. Since then, representatives of the country's top energy agencies have joined the study's oversight committee, which also includes representatives from the private sector and our environmental partner groups. The study is due to be completed this Spring. NRDC ESCALATES CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT GREAT NORTH WOODS NRDC BioGems experts traveled to the backcountry of New York State's Adirondack Park recently to appear at hearings and give testimony opposing the development of a massive, year-round luxury resort in the heart of this historic park. The resort scheme calls for carving up some 6,400 forested acres of wildlife habitat to make way for 700 second-home residential units, ranging from multi-million-dollar "great camps" to condominiums and townhouses. Also planned are an equestrian center, a large ski lodge, a private marina and a members-only boathouse club. The resulting soil erosion, stormwater runoff and questionable sewage treatment plans could jeopardize the water quality of the region's renowned lakes, rivers, marshes and streams. Last year, more than 6,000 New York BioGems Defenders spoke out against this scheme. We'll be calling on activists in the region again soon to make their voices heard. DEFENDING THE HOMEPLACE For years, BioGems Defenders like you have fought successfully to protect the famed forests of the southern Appalachians -- including the Cumberland Plateau BioGem -- from destructive logging and development. Please take a moment to explore the most recent edition of our "Firsthand" series: an evocative personal memoir of the southern Appalachians by writer Patricia Adams. Read it here: http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/z7A5O2M1_qRk/ -------------- BioGems Update -------------- A big thank you to BioGems Defenders who sent more than 47,000 messages protesting destructive oil and gas drilling beneath Colorado's Baca National Wildlife Refuge. BioGems Defenders: 442,269 Action Messages Sent: 10,509,486 See the timeline of victories we've won at http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/L1A5O2M1_qRP/ ------------------ Do Even More . . . ------------------ You can support NRDC's BioGems campaign to save these and other threatened wild places. To donate, visit http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/_1A5O2M1_qRT/ . . . BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/S1A5O2M1_qRo/ We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other NRDC BioGems Defenders. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will NEVER sell, exchange or rent your email address. If you would prefer not to receive action alerts and updates, you can click here to remove yourself from this list: http://www.nrdconline.org/biogemscenter/remove-domain-direct.tcl?ctx=subscription&nkey=wgx7d6i4hk8ijnb& To update your information, including your email or mailing address, or to view all your subscriptions click here. http://www.nrdconline.org/biogemscenter/smp.tcl?nkey=wgx7d6i4hk8ijnb& ** You are receiving a text-only version of NRDC's BioGems News because you have asked to receive text rather than html messages or because NRDC's email system is not able to deliver html email to your system. You can also read the newsletter online at http://www.nrdconline.org/ct/S7A5O2M1_qR0/