15 Most Endangered Wildlands

[Guest guest]

*************************** * WILD ALERT * Friday, April 20, 2001

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Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

To those of you who responded to our recent action alert on monuments,

thank you!

 

We know you're busy and that's why we try not to come to you more than

once a week, but we thought you would be interested in our new report on

the nation's "15 Most Endangered Wildlands". Our findings show that the

biggest threat to America's public lands is the development-oriented

policies of the Bush administration.

 

In the spirit of Earth Day (Sunday, April 22), please take a few moments

to review the report online at:

 

http://www.wilderness.org/newsroom/15most/2001/index.htm

 

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BACKGROUND

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This year, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge tops the list of the most

endangered wildlands. Although the Refuge is considered to be one of the

most spectacular and pristine wilderness areas in North America, it has

been singled out by the Bush administration for oil and gas drilling. Also on our list for 2001:

 

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (AK)

Copper River Delta, Chugach National Forest (AK)

Denali National Park and Preserve (AK)

Greater Grand Canyon Ecosystem (AZ)

San Joaquin Roadless Area, Inyo National Forest (CA)

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge (CA & OR)

White River National Forest (CO)

Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)

Badger Two Medicine/Rocky Mountain Front (MT)

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (MT)

Greater Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (MT, WY & ID)

Upper Bald River Roadless Area, Cherokee National Forest (TN)

Utah Wilderness (UT)

Kettle River Range Roadless Areas, Colville National Forest (WA)

Red Desert (WY)

 

The Wilderness Society compiled this year's list by reviewing dozens of

endangered wildlands and evaluating each one for:

 

* the immediacy of the environmental threat; * the gravity of the threat and the permanence of damage it causes the

wildlands;

* the special significance of the wildland compared with others across the

nation; and

* the negative precedent that would be set if the threat goes unchecked.

 

Of all the environmental hazards now facing America's national parks,

national forests, national monuments, and other public lands, the Bush

administration's anti-environmental proposals currently pose the greatest

threat.

 

"Sadly, America celebrates the 31st annual Earth Day facing the systematic

roll back of critical environmental protections by the Bush

administration," said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness

Society. "The first three months of the new administration has produced a

stunning litany of anti-environmental proposals that threaten our health,

our communities and our world-famous wild places."

 

The environmental rollbacks that directly threaten wildlands include:

* failing to support existing protections for national forest roadless

areas;

* signaling the intended withdrawal of new reclamation safeguards for

"hard rock" mining;

* undermining protections for national parks from damage caused by

snowmobiles, swamp buggies and other off-road vehicles; and

* proposing to drill for oil and gas on public lands protected for unique

beauty, wildlife and other natural resources.

 

You can review the "15 Most Endangered Wildlands" online at

http://www.wilderness.org/newsroom/15most/2001/index.htm