November 3, 2011

	Featured Story: Lewis and Clark travel management decision upheld (MT) A recent 9th Circuit court of appeals decision affirmed the Forest Service’s ability to manage lands protected by the Montana Wilderness Study Act in a manner that was more restrictive of motorized use than when the Act was passed in 1977.
	News: Biologist tells Glacier employees that 1.3 million acres of roadless lands vulnerable (MT) Despite a legacy of conservation in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, a biologist told Glacier NP employees that 1.3 million acres of roadless public lands remain vulnerable, and with them a suite of fish and wildlife species.
	News: Condit Dam breached to help local fish (WA) The more than 12-story Condit Dam on the White Salmon River is the second-tallest dam in U.S. history to be breached for fish passage, according to the advocacy group American Rivers. Check out the National Geographic time-lapse video of the event!
	News: Is winter recreation hurting mountain goats? (ID) Though mountain goat populations appear stable at the moment, scientists and conservationists have started to worry about the growing rate of backcountry recreationists impinging on the goats' territory.
	News: Federal appeals court upholds roadless rule protecting nearly 50 million acres of forest (CO) A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law prohibiting roads on nearly 50 million acres of land in national forests across the United States, a ruling hailed by environmentalists as one of the most significant in decades.
	News: National forest branches out (WA) “If you think about it, we put so much money into the Treasury” in the heyday of logging, Clayton said. “We were all clear about what the mission was. I don’t think we fully appreciated the cost to the land.”
	News: Environmentalists sue to derail fed's Big Cypress off-roader plan (FL) The trails would carve up habitat for the endangered Florida panther and harm wetlands in part of the preserve known as the Addition Lands along Interstate 75 in eastern Collier County, the groups say.
	News: When it comes to ATVs, everyone’s making noise (UT) “The worst mistake the Forest Service and BLM ever made was to accept motorized vehicles as a legitimate backcountry use,” he said. “Our public lands – wildlife habitat, watersheds, a place for quiet human retreat – are not a motorized playground. In a sane world, this desecration would be unthinkable.”
	Opinion: Roadkill: A warning to drive less and go slow At the rate Americans are building roads, sprawl housing, new gas stations and new streets named after the trees that were bulldozed in the process, it won't be long before every one of us lives less than one mile from the nearest convenience store and strip mall (with acres of parking lot).
	Resource: The Faces of Road Reclamation & Repair - See the People & Job Numbers "Forest Road Reclamation & Repair Creates High Skill, High Wage Jobs" is the title of our latest fact sheet highlighting operators who benefit from road reclamation and maintenance projects, putting faces with work.