THE YEAR IN REVIEW AND THE YEAR AHEAD

The list below of results achieved by WWF activists like you during the past year is particularly impressive. WWF thanks everyone who spoke out for our planet's wildlife and wild places in 2004.

Although there have been some disappointing setbacks, the coming year will present another chance to make a difference on many of these issues, so don't miss the preview of what's on tap for 2005.

Please forward this email to your friends and urge them to join the Conservation Action Network by visiting http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/join/

YOUR 2004 CAMPAIGN RESULTS

* Sea Turtle Law Enacted:  The U.S. Congress passed the Marine Turtle Conservation Act which will provide financial assistance for projects in foreign countries to protect nesting marine turtles and their habitat, prevent illegal trade in marine turtle parts and products, and support community outreach and education. Congress authorized $100,000 to begin implementing the act.

* Landmark Toxics Treaty Becomes Law:  The Stockholm Convention, a treaty that will eliminate or severely restrict the use and production of a whole range of man-made chemicals that are directly toxic to humans and wildlife, became binding international law. Unfortunately, the Bush administration has blocked legislation to fully implement the treaty in the United States.

* Ecuador Rethinks Agreement With Galapagos Fishermen:  The Ecuadorian government backed away from an agreement it had reached with protesting local fishermen that could have spelled big trouble down the road for the Galapagos Islands' fragile marine environment and the people who depend on it.

* Baltic Sea Gets Special Protection:  The International Maritime Organization designated the Baltic Sea as a "Particularly Sensitive Sea Area," which will shelter this extraordinary marine habitat from oil spills and other impacts of shipping.

* Tropical Rain Forest Law Reauthorized:  The U.S. Congress reauthorized the Tropical Forest Conservation Act for three years. Since its enactment in 1998, the act has protected millions of acres of tropical forests and countless rain forest species while simultaneously easing the foreign debt burden of developing nations.

* Trade Protections Approved for Asian Rain Forest Tree:   The member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) adopted trade protections for ramin, which is threatened by illegal logging and unsustainable trade. The new protections will also benefit endangered tigers, orangutans, and other species that live in the peat forest swamps where ramin grows.

* Massive Logging Project Scaled Back, but Still Unacceptable:  The Bush administration scaled back plans for massive logging in the ecologically outstanding Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon. Logging began in the fall to salvage timber burned during the 2002 Biscuit Fire -- one of our nation's biggest forest fires. A coalition of conservation organizations has filed suit to block the logging of old growth forests and roadless areas. The good news is that a plan to get Congress to preclude citizens from challenging the logging in court was not carried out.

* Ups and Downs for Conservation Funding:  The U.S. Congress appropriated a total of $9.7 million for special funds that support the conservation of rhinos, tigers, elephants, great apes, and neotropical migratory birds, which is a slight increase over the previous year and a significant achievement during this time of a very tight federal budget. Unfortunately, funding for a key international biodiversity conservation program took a beating. Because the Bush administration's initial request to Congress was so low, U.S. funding for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) plummeted by almost $32 million, to $107.5 million. GEF projects help developing countries address urgent environmental problems, such as preventing and controlling desertification, eliminating threats to endangered wildlife, supporting use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and preventing use of the world's most toxic pollutants.

* Huge Setback for National Forest Management:   The Bush administration announced a final rule that will dramatically change management of the 192 million acres of national forest land. The rule undermines wildlife protections and the role that the public can play in forest management decisions. National forests are home to some of our most beloved wildlife, including bald eagles, grizzly bears, gray wolves, elk, and salmon.

* U.S. House Bans New Logging Roads in Tongass, but Senate Fails to Follow Suite:  The U.S. House of Representatives voted to prohibit the Forest Service from subsidizing the timber industry's construction of new logging roads in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, one of the last great American forests. Unfortunately, the Senate did not vote on the issue before adjourning.

* Conservation Community Decries Bush Administration's Proposed Roadless Rule:  WWF activists contributed to a record-breaking 1.7 million comments submitted by advocates from a coalition of conservation groups objecting to the Bush administration's plan to toss out the Clinton-era roadless area conservation rule. The rule protects our nation's 58 million acres of national forest roadless areas. The administration is proposing that these areas be open for logging by default unless governors successfully petition the federal government to make the areas off limits. The end result would be an unprecedented give-away to the timber industry. No word on when the administration is likely to release its final rule.

* Plan for Drilling in Western Arctic Expected Soon:  The Bush administration is expected to announce soon its final plan for a 4.6 million acre section of the western Arctic. WWF activists objected to the administration's proposal to remove virtually all the limitations to drilling in the area. The area is part of the 23 million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), a natural treasure that was established in the 1920s as an emergency oil supply for defense purposes. Late in 2003, the administration handed over a 9 million-acre portion of the NPR-A to oil and gas companies.

* Wisconsin Power Plant Project on Hold:  While Wisconsin's governor did not oppose a huge coal-fired power plant expansion project, as WWF activists had hoped, construction of the project is on hold because a circuit judge ruled in November that state regulators broke the law in approving the project. WWF activists argued that our nation should be cutting heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, not dramatically increasing them as the proposed plant expansion would do. If appeals are filed and are successful, the project could get moving again.

* Germany Makes Some Progress on Global Warming:   Germany, unlike the United States, has set a mandatory cap on its emissions of heat-trapping gases.  But the target for reducing carbon emissions and the incentives to invest in clean energy are too weak.  While your actions helped strengthen the policy, Germany didn't go far enough.  WWF continues to urge Germany to take a stronger position at home and to recapture its role as an international climate leader. 

* Pro-Development Decisions Blocked in Florida Keys:  Legal challenges have blocked implementation of pro-development plans for the Florida Keys. Governor Jeb Bush and his cabinet had voted to increase development, eliminate a water quality initiative, and not include important natural areas in a temporary building moratorium on sensitive lands.

* New Pesticide Rule Threatens Endangered Species:  The Bush administration finalized a rule that cuts two key wildlife agencies -- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service -- out of the process of assessing the possible impacts of pesticides on endangered wildlife and plants. Now, EPA will conduct the reviews alone. Shutting out these agencies eliminates their invaluable expertise and independent perspective.

* Endangered Ferrets at Risk:  The U.S. Forest Service is expected to release a draft environmental impact statement early this year on its plan to allow the poisoning and shooting of prairie dogs in areas designated for the recovery of black-footed ferrets and provide an opportunity for public comment. WWF activists opposed the plan during an earlier comment period. Prairie dogs are ferrets' primary food source and ferrets can only survive in large prairie dog colonies.

* Senators Pass on Chance to Oppose Inadequate Air Pollution Rule:  U.S. Senators John Edwards (D-N.C.), Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and Lamar Alexander (D-Tenn.) chose not to join 27 of their colleagues in signing a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency objecting to an inadequate proposed rule to reduce air pollution within national parks. Activists in North Carolina and Tennessee had urged their senators to sign the letter because air pollution has plagued Great Smoky Mountains National Park for years.

* Damaging Hydropower Rule Still Pending:  There is no word yet on when to expect the final version of a Bush administration proposed rule that would endanger the health of America's rivers. The proposed rule would give private dam owners special status in determining how their dams are regulated to protect the environment and provide recreational uses on public rivers. It would also squelch public participation in these decisions.

WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN 2005

Below is a sampling of the major issues that are coming up this year. You can act now on many of these campaigns.

* Arctic Refuge at High Risk:  The U.S. Congress may include revenues from Arctic Refuge energy development in the federal budget bill, which would almost certainly lead to oil and gas drilling in the refuge. National energy legislation may also call for drilling in the Refuge. A national energy bill, with Arctic drilling provisions, never made it across the finish line last year, but is expected to be reintroduced this year. Tell your members of Congress to oppose drilling and to designate the refuge as wilderness.

* Fight Continues for Legislation to Curb Global Warming:  WWF activists turned up the heat last year on Congress to pass the Climate Stewardship Act, which would cut global warming pollution and help keep our planet cool. Although the bill did not come to a vote in 2004, its champions, Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), have vowed to keep bringing up the issue until lawmakers take a responsible approach to global warming. Urge your senators to cosponsor the Climate Stewardship Act.

* Huge Threats Remain to Endangered Species Act:   Two bills that would chip away at the very foundation of the Endangered Species Act, one of our nation's most important conservation laws, were approved by the House Resources Committee in 2004 and are likely to be reintroduced soon. Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), chairman of the committee, has set his sights on dismantling the law. Defend the Endangered Species Act.

* Important Ocean Treaty Still Stalled in U.S. Senate:   Opponents succeeded last year in keeping the Law of the Sea Convention from moving to the Senate floor. This international agreement would foster sustainable ocean use, protect navigation, and serve as a dynamic, living constitution for the world's oceans. Tell your senators that full implementation of the treaty is desperately needed.

* Funding for International Conservation Needs Champions:  The U.S. government has fallen far behind in its payments to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a collaborative funding agency supported by the World Bank and the United Nations agencies. Japan and several contributing countries in Europe have threatened to reduce their contributions if the U.S. doesn't pay its arrears. We'll be asking you to urge your members of Congress to appropriate $200 million for the GEF for fiscal year 2006. Although the federal budget is tight, empowering people to sustainably manage and utilize their natural resources will pay huge dividends.

* Monarch Butterflies May Get Some Help:  WWF is working with Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) to introduce a bill to establish a Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund, which would support habitat protection and other conservation measures throughout the monarch's range in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. One of nature's most spectacular phenomena, the annual migration across North America of monarch butterflies is threatened by illegal logging of their winter habitat in the mountain forests of central Mexico. We'll be asking for your help when the bill is introduced.

* Oregon and California Activists Can Push for Wilderness Protection:  Bills that would protect wildlands in Oregon and California were introduced last year and are expected to be reintroduced this year. Oregonians can urge Sen. Gordon Smith to endorse Sen. Ron Wyden's wilderness bill and to urge that it include particularly important areas.

Californians can ask Sen. Dianne Feinstein to support Sen. Barbara Boxer's California Wild Heritage Act, which would protect more than 2.7 million acres of wilderness, wilderness study areas, and over 400 miles of wild and scenic rivers, along with hundreds of plant and animal species.

Thank you and best wishes for the coming year!

Sincerely,

P.S. One of the best things you can do to help is to ask your friends to join the Conservation Action Network today. Please forward this email to your friends and ask them to join us by visiting http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/join/

» » Showdown on the Arctic Refuge

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