Read about the issues that The Wilderness Society's regional offices are working on, including securing protection for new Wilderness in California's Riverside County, restoration work on Montana's national forests, and continued work to help protect New Jersey's Highlands.

Click on a region to read more:
Alaska
California/Nevada
Central Rockies
Idaho
Mid-Atlantic
Northeast
Northern Rockies
Southwest

ALASKA
One-sixth of the world’s polar bears live along, and depend on, the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. A recent federal report warns that two-thirds of these bears—and all of them in Alaska—could be killed off by 2050 because of thinning sea ice caused by global warming. Polar bears, as well as bowhead whales and native communities that rely on them for sustenance, would be put at even greater risk if the Bush administration implements its proposal to allow drilling across 60 million acres in the Chukchi and Beaufort, which lie offshore north and west of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The government admits that oil spills would be “likely” in both seas, which could seriously damage marine and coastal habitats. We are urging postponement of lease sales to allow more research on the impacts of seismic exploration and drilling on marine mammals. We also recommend that oil companies be required to develop the technology to clean up their spills before being allowed to lease this area.

Eleanor Huffines
907-272-9453
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CALIFORNIA/NEVADA
Legislation introduced in September would protect nearly 200,000 acres of wilderness in southern California’s Riverside County, home to winding canyons, Joshua tree forests, rugged desert landscapes, steep mountains, and free-flowing rivers. The proposal calls for creating four new wilderness areas, expanding six existing areas, protecting four wild and scenic rivers, and adding 8,000 acres to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. These public lands are vital to Peninsular bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, mule deer, mountain quail, and bald eagles. The areas also contain a number of biologically important watersheds. We are working with local businesses, the California Wilderness Coalition, Friends of the River, the National Hispanic Environmental Council, and others to build support for this legislation, authored by U.S. Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Please urge your representatives in Congress to cosponsor S. 2109 and H.R. 3682. For more information, go to www.desertmountainwild.org/index.html.

Sara Barth
415-561-6641
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CENTRAL ROCKIES
What does the future hold for 11 million acres of stunning canyonlands, desert, and arches in Utah? The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is revising management plans for six areas, home to five million acres that have been proposed as additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. These documents need to put sensible limits on oil and gas leasing, off-road vehicle use, and other activities that threaten these lands and their wildlife. We are teaming up with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and additional partners to maximize citizen involvement in shaping the plans because these natural treasures belong to all Americans. The BLM is taking comments until November 30 on the proposal for the Moab area in southeastern Utah, known as a Mecca for bicycle riders and others who enjoy outdoor recreation. Comments on the plan for the Price area are due December 13. Also in the works are proposals for the Vernal, Richfield, Monticello and Kanab areas. The agency wants to complete all six by next summer.

Suzanne Jones
303-650-5818
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IDAHO
The proliferation of dirt bikes, ATVs, and other off-road vehicles in the Owyhee Front area is harassing wildlife, creating ruts, producing erosion that leads to water pollution, and diminishing the peace and quiet sought by most visitors. Located 35 miles southwest of Boise and owned by all Americans, the Owyhee Front offers a great escape from the pressures of daily life in a setting that features steep cliffs, clear streams, and rolling sage-covered hills. Pronghorn, coyotes, birds of prey, and the struggling sage grouse depend on the area. Brad Brooks, a member of our Idaho staff, is cochairing the Owyhee County Recreation Task Force as it seeks to develop a plan that provides for a variety of recreational opportunities while still protecting resources. The task force represents a wide range of interests, including motorized user groups and the federal government, and its members expect to finalize recommendations by late November.

Craig Gehrke
208-343-8153
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MID-ATLANTIC
In October we joined our partners in the Highlands Coalition to celebrate the preservation of Camp Vacamas in the New Jersey Highlands. Since 1924 Camp Vacamas, in Passaic County, has been a summer destination for inner-city kids. Last summer 5,000 children were able to sample the camp’s woods, mountains, meadows, and streams. But development pressure in the area is intense, so we helped secure the first $2 million in federal funds under the Highlands Conservation Act, passed by Congress in 2004 to help Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania purchase critical and threatened lands in the region. Camp Vacamas represents the first victory, thanks to the state’s decision to use some of the funds received under the act to acquire 310 acres of the camp. Democratic Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez and Republican Congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen and Scott Garrett provided critical bipartisan support in obtaining the funds.

Tom Gilbert
215-343-1110
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NORTHEAST
New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest is one of the most-visited of our 155 national forests. Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service wants to promote logging in a number of the roadless areas that appeal to hikers, campers, and birders and provide high-quality habitat for wildlife such as black bears and moose. In fact, the Forest Service has proposed more roadless-area timber projects in the White Mountain than in the rest of the country combined. Because the agency has refused to drop these plans, we are joining the Sierra Club in court to block the Than project in Jackson and the Batchelder Brook project in Warren. Another five projects also call for road building and logging in roadless areas. Please contact us if you are interested in helping derail these plans, which could set a troubling national precedent if successful.

Mary Krueger
978-342-2159
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NORTHERN ROCKIES
There is a tremendous need to restore stream banks, eroded hillsides, and other areas in our national forests. But proposals to do so have often culminated in appeals and stalled projects. Early this year our Montana staff began meeting with motorized vehicle users, outfitters, loggers, mill operators, and the Forest Service to seek common ground. In September this varied group announced 13 principles to guide restoration in Montana’s national forests. These principles, based on science, should help accelerate ecological recovery while enhancing the economic and social well-being of nearby communities. Although this agreement will not immediately solve all forest issues, it provides a realistic roadmap for moving forward. We are now helping to design three pilot projects for the Lolo and Bitterroot national forests.
 
Bob Ekey
406-586-1600
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SOUTHWEST
Otero Mesa is a biologically rich desert grassland in southern New Mexico, important to 250 species of migratory songbirds, pronghorn, bobcats, and other wildlife. We believe that 511,000 acres of Otero Mesa are worthy of addition to the National Wilderness Preservation System. But the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed that gas drilling be allowed across most of this stunning landscape. In September 2006 a federal judge agreed with our coalition that Otero Mesa is environmentally significant and that the BLM had done too little analysis to warrant drilling there. Since then, a series of unusual legal steps by the BLM and an oil and gas company (HEYCO) indicate that the BLM is still looking for a way to allow drilling. That would bring roads, well pads, pipelines, power lines, and toxic chemicals to this fragile grassland. Please contact the Coalition for Otero Mesa (www.oteromesa.org) to find out how you can help.

Deanna Archuleta
505-917-4226
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