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 The Forest Service has released a management plan for grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem that would severely undermine the long-term recovery of these bears in the lower 48 states. The proposal, a grim precursor to the Bush administration's planned removal of the Yellowstone grizzly from the endangered species list, calls for limiting the region's population of roughly 500 bears to a recovery zone roughly two-thirds the size of their current habitat. As industrial development, sprawl and other human activity continue to chip away at the grizzly's remaining wild ranges, NRDC is working to ensure the survival of the bear by protecting and linking habitat areas in the lower 48 states and Canada. In contrast with these efforts, the Forest Service plan puts Yellowstone's last grizzlies at even greater risk by isolating them from food sources and healthy breeding populations in adjacent ecosystems. » Tell the Forest Service to adopt a management plan that will help sustain this majestic species. |
 SPEAK OUT TO PROTECT PERU'S OLD-GROWTH MAHOGANY In violation of an international agreement to protect endangered species, Peru has failed to halt the export of illegally logged mahogany -- 80 percent of which is bound for the United States. Two years after the international community established rules to protect mahogany, Peruvian authorities still have not developed a reliable system for verifying that mahogany leaving the country was logged legally and sustainably. Nonetheless, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to allow this cargo into the United States, fueling demand for the soaring old-growth trees of Peru's lush Tahuamanú rainforest. » Urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to block all imports of Peruvian mahogany until Peru meets its obligations. 
ROCKY MOUNTAIN VICTORY
Due in large part to overwhelming public opposition, the Bureau of Land Management has halted the permitting process for drilling natural gas wells in the Blackleaf area of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. During a recent comment period, 99 percent of the responses -- including more than 21,000 messages from BioGems Defenders -- criticized the proposal, which would have caused lasting damage to outstanding habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife. The agency may still study this area for energy development in the future, so NRDC will continue to monitor it until permanent protections are in place. BRIDGER-TETON LEASE PLAN ON HOLD Good news for some of the last roadless areas of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem: the Forest Service has suspended its plan to offer leases for oil and gas drilling in more than 125,000 acres in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The decision followed a vigorous outcry from activists including BioGems Defenders, as well as formal objections from NRDC and other groups. We'll keep you posted on any further developments. BIOGEMS DEFENDERS FIGHT YELLOWSTONE SNOWMOBILING Many thanks to those BioGems Defenders who together sent nearly 70,000 messages opposing a Bush administration plan to more than double the number of snowmobiles allowed in Yellowstone National Park from last winter's total. The proposed rule, designed to remain in effect for three years, would dramatically boost noise and pollution levels in the park, threatening the health of staff and visitors, as well as wildlife. A final version of the plan is expected before the start of Yellowstone's winter season in December. Meanwhile, NRDC continues to fight in federal court to ban snowmobiling in the park. |
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Encompassing most of Alaska's southeastern panhandle, the Tongass National Forest is more than three times the size
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