100 Years of Conservation, 100 Days of Public Lands Assault  (04/21/2004)
America has been a global leader in the protection of wild places since the time of Theodore Roosevelt. Today, our 100-year legacy is at risk, with some of America’s most wild places threatened by overzealous oil and gas development and harmful logging. These are a few of the national treasures that have been under attack in the past 100 days.
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14 Reasons for Congress to Invest in the National Landscape Conservation System (03/17/2004)
Conservation and historic preservation groups have identified almost $7 million in unfunded resource protection priorities in the spectacular National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). These needs will go unmet unless Congress appropriates additional funds for the NLCS in FY2005.
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A Month of Drilling and Spilling (04/06/2005)
In March 2005 alone, numerous incidents of oil industry pollution, accidents and cover ups were reported in Alaska and around the world.
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About Arctic Action (07/21/2005)
Arctic Refuge Action is a coalition of conservation, religious and Native American groups representing millions of Americans who believe the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should remain wild, unspoiled, and free of oil rigs.
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Abuse of Trust -- A Brief History of the Bush Administration's Disastrous Oil and Gas Development Policies in the Rocky Mountain West (05/26/2004)
Although Federal law requires that the public lands be managed to protect a host of environmental values, as well as to provide opportunities for commercial exploitation of commodity resources, a series of administrative decisions beginning within the first months of the Bush Administration have made oil and gas development the dominant use of the public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
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Administration Report Shows Most Federal Oil & Gas Already Available For Development in the Rocky Mountain West (09/24/2003)
Factsheet: Despite industry and Bush Administration claims that too much federal land in the Rocky Mountain West is unavailable for energy development, a report issued by the Bush Administration in January 2003 indicates that, in fact, most of the federal oil and gas resources in this region are currently available for leasing and development.
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Administration's Record on Public Lands at Earth Day 2004 (04/21/2004)
Bush Administration policies are a significant and often radical departure from past approaches to stewardship. The move is away from balance and conservation for future generations and toward a short-term orientation that puts industrial development ahead of long-term conservation. Key examples of these changes are set out below.
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All Units Impacted by SW NIETC (By State) (06/15/2007)
All units impacted by the Southwest National Interest Electricity Transmission Corridors by state.
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Analysis - Time Sensitive Plan (TSP) Oil and Gas Development (01/12/2006)
An area by area breakdown of TSP oil and gas development statistics.
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Analysis of Baucus/Wyden County Payments Funding Proposal: S 2485 (04/19/2006)
On March 30, 2006, Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced S. 2485, the “Secure Rural Schools and Communities Funding Act of 2006.” The bill would provide a dedicated funding source for continuation of the guaranteed county payments program established by Congress in 2000.
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Analysis of Biscuit Fire Recovery Project Final EIS (06/10/2004)
A brief analysis of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project, which the Forest Service announced on June 1, 2004. The Forest Service's new preferred alternative, while somewhat smaller than the draft plan, is still an extreme logging plan that would have devastating impacts on roadless areas and old-growth forest reserves. It would also set a dangerous precedent for wholesale violations of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule and the Northwest Forest Plan.
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Analysis of BLM Instruction Memorandum 2005-247 (10/07/2005)
Review of BLM’s Instruction Memorandum 2005-247 that provides guidance on NEPA compliance in oil, gas and geothermal exploration and operations resulting from the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
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Analysis of Categorical Exclusions for Fuel Reduction Projects (12/20/2002)
A brief analysis of the Forest Service proposal to exempt "hazardous fuels reduction projects" from the documentation requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. This would allow thinning or other fuel reduction activities without preparation of an environmental imapact statement or environmental assessment. Prepared by Mike Anderson, The Wilderness Society.
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Analysis of Current Federal Actions Authorizing Drilling of New Wells (October 2007) (10/06/2006)
In October 2006, The Wilderness Society’s BLM Action Center conducted a preliminary analysis of land use plans and large-scale projects approved or in the process of approval in the states of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in order to estimate the number of new oil and gas wells likely to be approved for drilling over the next 15 to 20 years.
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Analysis of Forest Service Appeals Process Amendments (12/12/2002)
Analysis of proposed regulatory amendments to the Forest Service appeals process. Initially announced as part of the Bush Administration's "Healthy Forests Initiative, the proposal would make it much more difficult for citizens to effectively exercise their rights under the Appeals Reform Act (ARA) of 1992 to administratively appeal Forest Service timber sales and other land management decisions. Prepared by Mike Anderson, The Wilderness Society.
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Analysis of Forest Service NFMA Interpretative Rule (Oct. 2004) (10/04/2004)
Analysis of the interpretative rule on national forest planning that the Forest Service issued on September 29, 2004. The rule formalizes the Forest Service’s view that, with one exception, it is currently not required to comply with regulations implementing the National Forest Management Act (NFMA).
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Analysis of new Appeals Reform Act regulations (06/04/2003)
New regulations make appeals of Forest Service decisions more difficult.
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Analysis of new Categorical Exclusion regulations (06/05/2003)
New regulations will allow very large logging operations with virtually no consideration of environmental impacts.
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Analysis of new Roadless Rule changes (06/11/2003)
Bush Administration announces changes that will completely eliminate the Roadless Rule's protection for roadless areas in the Alaska and severely weaken the Rule everywhere else in the National Forest System.
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Analysis of New Rule on Roadless Areas and State Petitions (05/05/2005)
Analysis of the Bush Administration's decision to replace the Roadless Area Conservation Rule with a State petition process. The Bush rule entirely eliminates the Protections provided by the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Without the Roadless Rule's restrictions, management of roadless areas will revert to the management direction contained in local forest management plans. The Bush rule establishes an optional two-step State petition and rulemaking process for roadless area management. The state petition process is stacked against roadless area protection in several respects.
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Analysis of Otero Mesa Record of Decision (ROD) and Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment (01/27/2005)
A lack of true commitment to protecting the region’s natural resources.
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Analysis of Proposed Regulations on Roadless Areas and State Petitions (07/13/2004)
Brief analysis of the Bush Administration's proposed regulations to replace the Roadless Area Conservation Rule with a State petition process, which USDA Secretary Veneman announced on July 12, 2004. The draft rule would entirely eliminate the protections provided by the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Without the Roadless Rule's restrictions, management of roadless areas would revert to the management direction contained in local forest management plans. Thus, most roadless areas will become vulnerable to new road construction for logging, energy development, and other commodity uses.
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Analysis of Recent BLM Oil and Gas 'Instruction Memoranda' (08/18/2003)
Analysis of BLM's directive to state managers to expedite review of lands for oil and gas development, making energy production - not protection - the agency's highest priority.
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Analysis of Senate Energy Committee's FY06 Budget Reconciliation Recommendations (10/27/2005)
Analysis of Senate Energy Committee's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling Provisions in their FY2006 Budget Reconciliation Recommendations (analysis courtesy Trustees for Alaska).
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Analysis of the Administration Roll-Back of Forest Service Forest Planning Regulations (05/24/2001)
Summary and analysis of the Bush Administration's impending roll-back of the Forest Service's revised forest planning regulations, which were adopted in November 2000. Author: Mike Anderson, TWS.
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Analysis of Wyoming Court Decision Blocking Roadless Rule (07/15/2003)
Wyoming District Court Judge Brimmer blocks implementation of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, but decision likely to be overturned because of misinterpretation of Wilderness Act and contradiction with recent ruling from appeals court.
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Analysis: Committee of Scientists Report on National Forest Planning (06/11/1999)
An analysis of the Committee of Scientists Report on National Forest Planning, Michael Anderson, Ecology & Economics Research Department, The Wilderness Society -- Seattle, Washington, May 1999.
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Anaysis - Time Sensitive Plan (TSP) Oil and Gas Summary Methodology (01/12/2006)
Due to the ever changing boundaries of BLM Field Offices and Resource Management Areas, any comparison between old plans and new plans is problematic. As such, TWS provides this document to explain the methodology used to collect information and perform calculations as part of the Time Sensitive Plan (TSP) Oil and Gas Summary.
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Approved Drilling Applications: 1989-2001 (04/05/2000)
Chart showing approved applications for permits to drill in the lower 48 states: 1989-2001.
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Arctic Myths vs. Facts (10/04/2001)
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Myths vs. Facts
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Arctic Oil vs. Imports (04/05/2002)
Arctic Refuge oil won't make a dent in oil imports!
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Arctic Reality Check -- Drilling Into The Legislation (10/07/2005)
A close look at proposed Arctic Refuge drilling legislation shoots massive holes into drilling proponents' claims that oil development could and would be done in the "right way" or in an "environmentally sensitive way." If drilling could really be done without harming wildlife or the ecology of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, then why is the proposed legislation full of clauses that grant exemptions, weaken standards, cut out the regular checks and balances, and then dress it all up to look far more protective than it really is?
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Arctic Refuge "2,000-acre" Myth Map (03/09/2005)
Map of what 2,000-acres of oil development would look like by drilling proponents' math
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Arctic Refuge Oil Would Not Significantly Affect Oil Prices (03/09/2005)
Fact Sheet
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Arizona Strip Resources (03/07/2006)
Factsheet on Arizona Strip resources -- landscape, values, human history.
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Background on President Bush's FY05 Budget (02/04/2004)
Summary of President's budget illustrates some of the most significant environmental cuts proposed in the Bush budget by agency.
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Big Game Impacts from Energy Development in Wyoming's Upper Green River Valley (factsheet) (09/05/2003)
Factsheet summarizing key points from report on big game and expanding energy development in Wyoming's Upper Green River Valley.
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BLM Actions and Terminology (08/06/2007)
Informal guide to common BLM acronyms, terminology, and agency actions.
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BLM Oil and Gas Leasing Factsheet (06/04/2004)
A one-page fact sheet about the Bureau of Land Management's oil and gas leasing policy in the Rocky Mountains.
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BLM Prepares to Leave Land Unprotected (09/19/2000)
The BLM is proposing to amend its planning policies to dilute and likely contradict its legal obligation to specifically designate and identify ORV routes during resource management planning.
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Budget Overview: Why A New Direction for Wildfire Management is Necessary (05/15/2007)
The cost of putting out all fires has skyrocketed in recent years. In four of the last seven years, suppression costs have exceeded $1 billion. These escalating costs threaten to consume the majority of the Forest Service's discretionary budget, leaving them very little money to do anything else. Climate predictions, changing demographics and budget realities require a new way of thinking.
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Bush Administration Record on America's National Forests (04/15/2004)
The Bush Administration is rewriting the laws and regulations that protect our National Forests. This chronology follows the Bush Administration's actions on forest issues and details the actual impact of each proposal.
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Bush Administration's Anti-Wilderness Assault Is Unprecedented (07/07/2003)
On April 11, 2003, Interior Secrtary Gale Norton entered into a settlement agreement with the State of Utah, prohibiting the BLM from ever again designating wilderness study areas on the tens of millions of acres of public lands it manages throughout the western states under Sections 201 and 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. This breathtakingly fallacious and unprecedented interpretation of the Interior Department's legal responsibilities to protect wilderness values on the public lands is at odds with all previous Republican and Democratic Administrations.
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Bush Budget Theatens America's Environmental Security (02/18/2005)
Joint Environmental Backgrounder: Securing environmental protection in America is critical to our nation’s well-being. While the administration proposes reducing domestic discretionary spending for all federal programs (excluding defense and homeland security) by less than one percent, environmental funding is targeted for a punishing 10.4 percent cut.
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Bush Rhetoric vs His Record (08/08/2003)
Bush Rhetoric vs His Record
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Bush Visits Central Oregon: Site of Metolius Basin Forest Management Plan (08/21/2003)
President Bush is visiting central Oregon on August 21, 2003 to discuss wildfire policy. The area's Metolius Basin Forest Management Plan is a good example of partnership to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
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Bush Wildfire Bill Fails to Protect Communities (08/08/2003)
Bush legislation concentrates funding on logging in backcountry, not fire prevention near communities.
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Bush Wildfire Bill Fails To Protect Communities At Risk From Wildfire (05/19/2003)
At a time when we urgently need to focus on protecting communities from wildfires, it is wrong to entertain proposals that would weaken environmental protections and encourage logging in the backcountry, far from threatened homes.
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Bush's Forest Plan: Salvage Rider Resurrected (09/10/2002)
Bush's Forest Plan: Salvage Rider Resurrected. Facts on the 1995 Salvage Rider.
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Carbon Cycling Fact Sheet (02/15/2008)
This report highlights the adverse effects elevated CO2 levels have on forests ecosystems. Because forests have evolved at slow rates, today's warming climate and elevated CO2 levels are changing the way forests grow and store carbon.
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Cascade Crest Booklet (10/15/2001)
Nature's Services in Cascade Crest Forests: 6-page color booklet
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Climate Change Implications for Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge (03/01/2008)
Alaska is experiencing visible signs of climate change, including melting permafrost, drying wetlands, and increased fire activity. To better understand what changes are taking place, and how land managers might deal with these changes on public lands, Dr. Wendy Loya, an ecologist with The Wilderness Society (TWS), initiated a project to apply climate change scenarios to Alaska’s federal wildlands. Together with TWS GIS analyst Anna Springsteen, and in partnership with the University of Alaska’s SNAP (Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning) program, Dr. Loya used temperature and precipitation data from five down-scaled global climate models to estimate how growing season length, climate variability, and water availability might change.
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Colorado County Economic Profiles (09/06/2000)
Analysis shows wildlands protection is good for Colorado's economy.
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Colorado Fire Reduction Recommendations (07/09/2002)
Joint factsheet from several Colorado conservation organizations
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Comments on Douglas-Fir Beetle Project DEIS (06/11/1999)
Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Douglas-Fir Beetle Project (National Forests in Idaho and Washington), Pete Morton, The Wilderness Society, March 1999.
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Community Fire Assistance Budget Continues to Decline in FY 2008 (03/26/2007)
Comprehensive fire management inherently transcends land ownership boundaries, just as wildland fire does not solely impact federal lands. Programs have been designed to help states and localities promote fire-adapted communities in fire-resilient landscapes. While funding for these programs increased slightly between FY 2003 and 2004, funding for these programs has trended downward since FY 2001. A significant decrease in funds, almost 30%, has occurred since FY 2004. Unfortunately, that trend continues in fiscal year 2008 with a proposed 17% reduction from the FY07 enacted levels
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Comparison of BLM's Arizona Strip Draft Plan and Conservation Community Proposal (03/07/2006)
Factsheet: Protection or Destruction: A Comparison of the Conservation Community Proposal for the Arizona Strip with the BLM's "Preferred Alternative."
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Comparison of Miller and McInnis Wildfire Legislation (05/19/2003)
Analysis shows Miller bill provides significantly greater protection for homes and communities.
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Comparison of Roadless Area Inventories in the Wenatchee, Okanogan, and Colville National Forests (07/08/2005)
Comparison of Roadless Area Inventories in the Wenatchee, Okanogan, and Colville National Forests
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County Economic Profiles (10/09/2003)
County economic profiles have been created as tools for citizens and activists to better understand economic trends in areas of interest.
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County Payments (01/21/2000)
Federal land payments to counties
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Department of Interior's Wilderness Assault (06/30/2003)
In early April, 2003, The Department of the Interior (DOI) launched a devastating three-pronged attack on unprotected wilderness-quality lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). These interconnected decisions - all made during the week of April 7 through 11 - open the door for a broad wilderness assault that is intended to lead to more drilling, mining, and road construction on much of America's remaining wild but unprotected western public lands.
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Desolation Canyon, UT, Removed from Wilderness Consideration (10/30/2003)
BLM has removed Desolation Canyon in Utah from consideration for Wilderness designation in order to allow oil and gas development.
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Directional Drilling Background and Recommendations Factsheet (02/12/2008)
A fact sheet describing the limitations and advantages of directional drilling and outlining The Wilderness Society's recommendations for use.
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DOE Drilling and Imports (03/18/2002)
Department of Energy Report Shows that Oil Drilling in Arctic Refuge Would Have Negligible Effect on Oil Imports
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Doug Fir Beetle Project Analysis (09/16/1999)
Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Douglas-Fir Beetle Project on National Forests in Washington & Idaho, Pete Morton, Resource Economist, The Wilderness Society
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Drilling in the Rocky Mountains? Not so Fast! An Assessment of Surplus Drilling Permits & Leases on Federal Public Lands. (04/15/2004)
Fact sheet on upcoming report that examines permits and leases for drilling on public land in the Rocky Mountains. Many leases and drilling permits have gone unused at considerable taxpayer expense and calling into question the need to lease additional acres of public land, especially proposed wilderness, or to accelerate the application process for drilling permits.
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Drilling Not the Solution to U.S. Energy Challenges (06/03/2004)
A compendium of links to reports that demonstrate the flaws in the Administration's "drill first" policies.
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Drought Underscores Need to Protect Communities from Wildfire (04/20/2004)
As drought continues, and more people settle in or near fire-prone areas, the threat to communities increases. Thus protecting lives and communities must be our top priority now, and in the future.
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Economically Recoverable Oil and Gas in BLM National Monuments - Chart (04/29/2002)
Chart: Economically Recoverable Oil & Gas In the New Bureau Of Land Management (BLM) National Monuments
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Energy - Oil Gas Access - BLM Lands (02/23/2001)
The oil and gas industry has ready access to BLM lands.
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EPCA Fact Sheet (06/04/2004)
Fact sheet about the government's 2003 "EPCA" study, showing that most federal oil and gas is available for development in the Rocky Mountain West.
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Fact Sheet - Carrizo Plain World Heritage Site Nomination (02/09/2007)
The Wilderness Society is working with local partners to nominate Carrizo Plain National Monument as a World Heritage Site.
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Fact Sheet: 2006 Fire Season to Date (11/17/2006)
We take a look at how much has burned as well as the type of landscapes involved and their location.
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Fact Sheet: Data Quality Act and BLM Planning (08/06/2007)
Fact sheet developed by the BLM Action Center to outline BLM's requirements to adhere to the Data Quality Act.
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Fact Sheet: Disposal of BLM Lands (11/16/2006)
This fact sheet summarizes the legal processes by which the BLM can dispose of lands under its management.
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Fact Sheet: Economically Recoverable Oil and Gas Volumes for the Roan Plateau (10/26/2004)
This fact sheet summarizes the findings of an economic analysis The Wilderness Society conducted to quantify potential oil and gas volumes for the Roan Plateau in the BLM's Glenwood Springs Field Office.
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Fact Sheet: Governor's Consistency Review and BLM Planning (08/06/2007)
Fact sheet developed by the BLM Action Center outlining BLM's responsibility to offer governor's an opportunity to review BLM Resource Management Plans for review of conformance with state laws prior to publishing a Record of Decision (ROD).
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Fact Sheet: HR 6298 - The "Wrong" Rights-of-Way Act (10/23/2006)
Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM), Chairman of the House Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, recently introduced a bill (H.R. 6298) that, if passed, could have devastating consequences to all federal lands due to its re-interpretation of an obscure 19th Century law known as “R.S. 2477.”
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Fact Sheet: Legislative History of R.S. 2477 (01/06/2003)
Fact sheet outlining the legislative history of Revised Statute 2477 which some counties are using to claim highway rights of way across federal public land.
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Fact Sheet: USFS Travel Management Rule and the Travel Planning Process (03/05/2007)
Fact sheet developed by the Recreation Planning Program outlining the USFS’s Travel Management Rule of 2005, the FS’s responsibility under the rule, and questions to ask to better understand how your local national forest is implementing travel planning.
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Fact Sheet: FACA Chartered Committees and BLM Planning (08/06/2007)
Fact sheet developed by the BLM Action Center outlining participation and requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
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Fact Sheet: Otero Mesa Moratorium Request (04/04/2007)
Fact sheet developed by the BLM Action Center outlining current and past oil and gas development in and around Otero Mesa and calling for a moratorium on new leasing for the duration of the salt basin aquifer water study.
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Fact vs. Fiction: Correcting the Interior Department's Fallacious Oil and Gas Claims (08/26/2004)
The Department of the Interior (DOI) has received tremendous criticism about its rapacious oil and gas leasing program, which continues to target the West's most fragile lands even though far more permits have been issued than the industry can possibly drill. In response to that criticism, DOI in August 2004 produced a fact sheet, Producing Energy and Protecting Wildlife for America, that unfortunately contains a number of misstatements, which are rebutted in this factsheet.
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Fact vs. Fiction: The BLM’s Otero Mesa Record of Decision (ROD) (01/28/2005)
On January 24, 2005, the Bureau of Land Management released its Record of Decision on the fate of New Mexico's Otero Mesa region. Although BLM was quick to call its plan "environmentally sensitive," the agency’s rhetoric does not equate to real on-the-ground protections for this unique and threatened grassland.
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Facts About FY 2007 Wildfire Appropriations (03/17/2006)
Over the last five years, over $14.24 billion have been appropriated to the National Fire Plan (NFP). At a time of large federal deficits and increasing pressure to re-examine federal budget priorities, the question must be asked whether these taxpayer dollars have promoted safer communities and more resilient ecosystems.
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Facts About FY 2008 Wildfire Appropriations (03/26/2007)
Over the last five years, over $14 billion has been appropriated to the National Fire Plan (NFP). During this time of large federal deficits and increasing pressure to re-examine federal budget priorities, the question must be asked whether these taxpayer dollars have promoted safer communities and more resilient ecosystems.
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Facts about the BLM's Proposed Land Sale (02/27/2006)
The Bush Administration has proposed that Federal Land Transaction and Facilitation Act (FLTFA) be amended to allocate 70% of BLM land sale receipts for “deficit reduction” rather than for the purchase of private lands for incorporation into National Parks, National Forests, and BLM lands. The Bush Administration has proposed that the BLM raise $351 million over the next ten years from land sales authorized under FLTFA to “reduce the federal deficit,” rather than to acquire inholdings within National Parks, National Monuments, national forests, and BLM conservation areas as present law provides.
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Facts: Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act (04/28/2006)
The Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act, HR 4935/S 1510, introduced by Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) and Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), will designate the gorgeous backcountry terrain in Rocky Mountain National Park as wilderness. The legislation will provide permanent protection for 249,339 acres of backcountry and wilderness-quality lands, and affirm land management policies within the park.
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Factsheet About The Wilderness Society (01/24/2000)
Factsheet about The Wilderness Society
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Factsheet on BLM's Abandonment of Wilderness Protection (08/12/2004)
The Administration's 'No More Wilderness' settlement with the State of Utah is leading to the destruction of America's wild places. BLM has renounced its responsibility to inventory for and protect wilderness values. After disavowing its right to designate Wilderness Study Areas, the Administration promised to protect wilderness values in other ways, but has not done so and instead has continued to jeopardize the public's wild lands.
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Factsheet on Yellowstone National Park and Snowcoaches (09/16/2004)
After 14 years of study, the National Park Service three separate times has determined that phasing out snowmobile use inside Yellowstone and transitioning to snowcoaches is required to protect the Park and its visitors. The snowcoach solution will continue full, motorized access to the Park, provide needed certainty for gateway communities, and protect Yellowstone for future generations. The transition to snowcoaches also is overwhelmingly supported by the American public. Further study of this issue only serves to slow the needed transition, to delay needed public health protections, and to waste tax dollars.
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Factsheet: "Healthy Forests" Law (12/06/2004)
On December 3, 2003, President Bush signed the “Healthy Forests Restoration Act” (HFRA). The Bush administration and its allies in Congress claimed that passage of the HFRA would protect communities and national forests from destructive wildfires. The HFRA falls far short of what should be the primary goal of any wildfire legislation – protecting communities and keeping people safe from the risks of wildfire.
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Factsheet: Alpine No Environmental Showpiece (02/09/2005)
Proponents of opening the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development profess a commitment to strict environmental regulation, and they assert that new technologies – particularly ice roads and directional drilling – will make drilling in the Arctic Refuge environmentally benign. But the sprawling, piecemeal development at Alpine has far exceeded the oil companies' initial disclosures, and its environmental and other impacts keep increasing.
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Factsheet: America's Treasured Wildlife Refuges on the Brink (03/28/2007)
Several years of stagnant or declining budgets have exacerbated the more than $2.5 billion operations and maintenance backlog at refuges, and have forced a dramatic 20 percent reduction in staff nationwide. This factsheet details effects at refuges across the country.
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Factsheet: Antiquities Act (12/06/2004)
Since its passage by Congress in 1906, the Antiquities Act has been a critically important tool for the preservation of our public lands – lands that belong to all Americans. Serving as a vital “insurance policy” for our nation’s natural treasures, the Antiquities Act gives the president the power to grant national monument status to areas possessing significant historical and/or scientific values. This bipartisan presidential tool has been used to create a diverse array of national monuments, ranging from the small (one acre) and historic Fort Matanzas in Florida to the large (1.7 million acres) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.
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Factsheet: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (01/13/2005)
There is no greater place in America to experience wild nature, hike, fish, hunt, raft, camp, or simply lose oneself to the natural rhythms of the land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has called the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain "the center for wildlife activity" for the entire refuge. But the oil industry and its allies in the White House and Congress are lobbying hard to open this part of the refuge to oil drilling.
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Factsheet: Arctic Refuge Drilling and Gas Prices: Drilling Nets About a Penny per Gallon, 20 Years From Now (08/07/2006)
Proponents of drilling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge point to rising gasoline prices as a reason to drill one of America’s last wild places. But in reality, Arctic Refuge oil would amount to a drop in the bucket of the oil market. The U.S. Department of Energy’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that even twenty years down the road, when Arctic Refuge oil is at or near peak production, gas prices would be affected by about a penny per gallon.
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Factsheet: BLM Disregards USFWS in Leasing South Shale Ridge for Drilling (10/26/2005)
The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office is disregarding comments submitted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in moving to lease South Shale Ridge for oil and gas drilling. The Service’s letter questions BLM’s decision to open proposed wilderness lands at South Shale Ridge to this industrial activity due to its likely impact to sensitive species known to inhabit the area.
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Factsheet: BLM Oil & Gas Leasing Program (02/03/2005)
Pertinent facts on BLM's Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
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Factsheet: BLM Oil and Gas Leasing Program in the Rockies (12/06/2004)
Over 42,000,000 acres of BLM lands are currently under lease for oil and gas and most oil and gas resources on public lands in five Rocky Mountain States are available for leasing and development.
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Factsheet: BLM White River Field Office Amendment Process Flawed (06/26/2006)
BLM agrees to let oil and gas industry hire a contractor to prepare a critical document that seeks
to justify more oil and gas development without considering the other values of these public
lands. With valuable resources at stake, the public deserves a process it can trust.
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Factsheet: BLM's Competitive Oil and Gas Leasing & Drilling Process (03/28/2006)
Fact sheet summarizing the process by which the Bureau of Land Management issues oil and gas leases and then permits drilling of those leases. The major steps in this process are set out with, for each step, an overview of how the lease terms are affected and the opportunities for public participation and influence of oil and gas operations. (A one-page overview of the fact sheet is on the last page of this document.)
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Factsheet: Browns Canyon Wilderness Act (04/28/2006)
The Browns Canyon Wilderness Act, HR 4235/S 1971, introduced by Congressman Joel Hefley (R-CO) and Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO), will protect 20,000 acres of pristine Colorado canyon country, and the dramatic scenery of the Arkansas Valley, as wilderness.
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Factsheet: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands (12/06/2004)
The wildlands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - more than 261 million acres - are home to some of America's most diverse, spectacular, but often unprotected places. They include the National Landscape Conservation System, a 26-million-acre network of the BLM's crown jewels. The BLM manages more acreage than any other agency, yet BLM lands contain the smallest amount of designated wilderness of any agency: less than seven million acres.
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Factsheet: Community Wildfire Protection Funding in Final FY06 Budget (07/29/2005)
Summary of funding for state and local wildfire assistance programs in final FY06 Interior Appropriations bill.
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Factsheet: Critique of Forest Service Report Finds Timber Demand Analysis Inadequate (04/03/2007)
In July 2006 the Forest Service released “Timber Products Output and Timber Harvests in Alaska: Projections for 2005-25,” a revised demand analysis for timber from the Tongass National Forest, and the first step in a court-ordered process to amend the 1997 Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP). A critique prepared for The Wilderness Society by resource economist Lisa Crone, PhD, identifies at least three major flaws in the Forest Service timber demand analysis:
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Factsheet: Current and Pending Attacks to Weaken NEPA in the Public Lands Context (04/11/2006)
The National Environmental Policy Act is facing threats along many fronts, including Congressional and White House task forces, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, using wildfire fears to weaken National Forest protections, grazing programs, and national security/border issues.
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Factsheet: Dry Conditions Persist Throughout West and Southeast (05/15/2007)
Wildfire season is upon us. Experts are predicting severe conditions from Pennsylvania to Florida to California, and over 60,000 acres have already burned in Georgia. According to the US Drought Monitor, the majority of Western states and much of the Southeast are once again experiencing very dry conditions.
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Factsheet: Eastern Forests (02/01/2005)
The forests of the eastern United States once stretched almost unbroken from Maine to Mississippi and Florida, covering most of what are now 22 states and the District of Columbia. These forests fed and sheltered early Americans and helped shape our nation’s character. Today, these beautiful and rich forests, although much changed, continue to bless the region’s communities with a myriad of environmental and economic benefits.
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Factsheet: Expanding Wildland Fire Use (05/21/2007)
Wildland Fire Use (WFU) is the practice of actively managing naturally-ignited fires in designated sections of forests to accomplish resource management goals. WFU is widely accepted by scientists, policymakers and land
managers as an important tool not only to help mitigate the escalating costs of fire suppression, but also to help restore forests and make them more resilient.
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Factsheet: Fact & Fiction About the Mining Subtitle in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (11/28/2005)
Facts about the mining provision in the FY06 budget reconciliation bill.
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Factsheet: Federal Onshore and Offshore Oil & Gas Leasing and Development (07/07/2006)
More than 75 million acres of federal onshore lands and lands within the Outer Continental Shelf are currently under lease for oil and gas development. Moreover, most identified federal oil and gas resources are located within areas that are currently available for leasing and development.
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Factsheet: Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Resources (03/07/2006)
Background on Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (AZ).
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Factsheet: Harmful Public Land Provisions in the FY06 House Reconciliation Bill (12/06/2005)
A list and description of provisions in the House version of the FY2006 Budget Reconciliation bill that harm public lands.
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Factsheet: How September 20, 2006, Roadless Rule Decision Affects the Tongass National Forest (09/20/2006)
This factsheet discusses the impact of this ruling on the Tongass National Forest.
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Factsheet: HR 2337, The “Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007” (05/30/2007)
An analysis of HR 2337, which contains various reforms to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
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Factsheet: Hunting & Fishing (01/04/2005)
Hunters and anglers share a deep and abiding connection to the land. For more than 100 years they have been a leading part of the movement to conserve wildlife and wildlands. Aldo Leopold, the author of "A Sand County Almanac," America's first full-time professor of wildlife management, and a founder of The Wilderness Society, came to see the value of protecting wilderness through his experiences as a hunter. Leopold recognized that good hunting depended on preserving large tracts of wilderness. Today we use the Wilderness Act of 1964 to protect some of America’s best remaining wildlife habitat and fishing streams.
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Factsheet: Idaho's Roadless National Forests (06/23/2005)
Overview of the state of roadless areas on National Forests in Idaho.
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Factsheet: Land and Water Conservation Fund (03/07/2006)
An overview of the Land & Water Conservation Fund -- its origins and history, how it has been underfunded, and what can be done to restore it.
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Factsheet: Mining Claims in National Park System Units (11/18/2005)
State-by-state listing of mining claims, including acreage, in national park system units across the West.
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