Restoration
Interior appropriations finally moving forward
By Bethanie Walder - July 23, 2010
The House Interior and Environmental Appropriations subcommittee approved legislation yesterday to provide Forest Service and other agnecy and environmental funding for fiscal year 2011. While there are many steps yet to go, we are very happy to report that the subcommittee included $90 million for the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative. For more information, read the news directly from Congressman Norm Dicks' office.
Forest Service outlines “Climate Change Roadmap”
By Bethanie Walder - July 22, 2010 On July 20, the Forest Service released their new Climate Change Roadmap, along with a new “scorecard” that will enable the national office to annually rate how each individual national forest is adapting to and mitigating for climate change.
Cover Story - Legacy Roads & Trails: A Two-Year Evaluation
June 30, 2010 - Bethanie Walder By now, nearly everyone involved in federal land management – from conservation activists to agency staff - embraces the notion that ensuring clean water and healthy populations of fish and wildlife will require proactive action on our part. Even Congress recognized this two years ago when it set out to accomplish these ends by investing in fixing the watershed problems caused by Forest Service roads (e.g. repairing and/or reclaiming roads and fixing fish culverts) – by creating the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative. So is it working?
Program Updates, Summer 2010
June 30, 2010 - Restoration ProgramOur Restoration Program staff have been kickin’ ass (hey, if Obama can say it, can’t we?), with some exciting results.
Legacy RoadsOur Restoration Campaign Director, Sue Gunn, continues to put her magic money spell on the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative (Legacy Roads and Trails), which has, to date, resulted in $180 million for Forest Service road reclamation, culvert upgrades and critical maintenance to protect and restore clean water.
New Resources, Summer 2010
June 30, 2010 - USDA releases 5-year plan On June 11, 2010, the US Department of Agriculture released its 2010-2015 strategic plan, including its overarching plans for the Forest Service. Forest Service management was addressed in the second of the plan’s four goals:
Ensure our national forest and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change, while enhancing our water resources.
A Review of the Impacts of Off-Road Vehicles on Special Ecosystems
June 30, 2010 - By Adam Switalski and Allison Jones Editor’s Note: This BiblioNote is an excerpt from Wildlands CPR and Wild Utah’s ORV BMPs published in 2008. To see a list of Best Management Practices for planning and management of ORV routes or to view the full report click here.
The Forest Service's Fatal Flaw
June 29, 2010 - Bethanie Walder
Oedipus Rex, Macbeth, Willy Loman, Tony Soprano, and … the Forest Service? A diverse group with a common theme – tragic or fatal flaws. From ancient literature to modern times, people have written about, read about and dissected the concept of the fatal flaw. High school and college classes abound with papers about tragic heroes, fatal flaws, and what can be learned from them.
Western States Identify Crucial Habitat and Connectivity
June 29, 2010 - Adam Rissien IntroductionBack in 2007, the Western Governors Association (WGA) adopted a resolution encouraging states to protect wildlife linkage zones and crucial wildlife habitat in the west. To assist in reaching this goal, the WGA Wildlife Corridors Initiative was created and subsequently issued a report titled, WGA Wildlife Corridors Initiative.