a whole cornucopia of bad news...

[Guest guest]

not in this story, but i just heard also, the sonoran pronghorn is on the verge

of extinction....less then 500 left, in fragamanted habitats surrounded by

cattle....oh yea...

*sigh*

i really need to start looking for good news a little harder..

 

 

1. WAR ON WOLVES: Killings threaten lobos in Rocky Mountains

A spate of killings is threatening the comeback of endangered gray wolves in

the northern Rocky Mountains. This spring, federal agents under pressure from

politicians and ranchers have killed 16 wolves suspected of preying on

livestock. That's even though livestock losses are rare, and when predation does

happen, Defenders of Wildlife compensates ranchers. The latest killings of

wolves come as some Western states are pushing hard to strip legal protections

from these magnificent animals. Idaho's legislature passed a law this year

giving ranchers the right to kill any wolf the moment it steps onto private

property.

 

To help protect wolves, go to www.savewolves.org, and spread the word about the

threat to wolves by sharing this edition of DENlines with friends.

 

2. IN THE OIL PATCH: Condor chick is covered with crude

 

Just when it was beginning to flap its stubby wings and become less vulnerable

to ravens and crows, the first California condor brooded and hatched in the wild

in 18 years faces a man-made threat to its survival. The chick?s father stuck

his head into a pool of crude near a newly drilled oil well in California's Los

Padres National Forest, apparently thinking it was water. When the father flew

back to his nest, the oil got on the chick. Wildlife biologists are closely

monitoring the chick because oil on a bird's feathers can cause death by

hypothermia. In Washington, Interior Secretary Gale Norton is said to be very

concerned. At the same time, the administration is pushing for more drilling in

the Los Padres forest, site of the release of many condors. Learn more about

condors: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/birds/calcondor.html

 

3. THERE THEY GO AGAIN: Norton's Interior tries to stop critical report

 

Secretary Norton's top deputy -- J. Steven Griles, a former energy industry

lobbyist ? tried to quash a report from the Environmental Protection Agency that

criticized plans to drill for gas in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, home to

eagles, falcons, pronghorn antelope, and the last herds of plains elk. The EPA

gave the project the worst rating possible, saying it ignored increases in air

pollution and groundwater salinity that would result from drilling. According to

the Washington Post, Griles responded by saying, " Those comments can't go out. "

 

To help protect the Powder River Basin, go to www.denaction.org and click on

Alert #148.

 

4. ABOVE THE LAW? Pentagon pushing for exemptions from environmental laws

 

The Pentagon is pushing to exempt itself from some of our nation?s most

important laws protecting the environment and imperiled species, migratory

birds, whales and dolphins.

 

The exemptions aren't necessary to protect national security. The president

already has the power to waive environmental rules for national security. But

when national security is not at stake, no government agency should be above the

law. A new Zogby poll, in fact, finds that an overwhelming majority of

registered voters ? 85 percent ? do not want any government agency to be placed

above the law. To speak out on this issue, go to www.denaction.org and respond

to Alert # 155.

 

5.BUSINESS AS USUAL: Congress crafts flawed energy and farm bills

 

The energy bill that finally emerged from the Senate last week could lead to an

environmentally damaging compromise with the House, which passed its version of

the legislation last summer. " Senate energy legislation began as a promising

vehicle for meeting our nation's energy needs, but has been commandeered by

special interests and severely weakened by amendments, " Defenders of Wildlife

President Rodger Schlickeisen said.

www.defenders.org/releases/pr2002/pr042602.html to read more. "

 

Also on Capitol Hill, congressional negotiators have produced a major rewrite of

federal farm policy that shortchanges family farmers and wildlife. To read

Schlickeisen's statement on the farm bill,

http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2002/pr042602b.html