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NFC: Fw: DENlines Issue 17
DENlines Issue #17
Defenders Electronic Network (DEN)
Friday June 16, 2000
1. SHARKS: Anti-Finning Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate
2. PYGMY OWL: Activists Help Protect Sonoran Desert Species
3. CONGRESS: Conservationists Fight Sneak Attack on the Environment
4. RED WOLVES: Legal Victory in North Carolina
5. CREATURE FEATURE: Florida Black Bear
6. FOR THE RECORD: Global Warming and Climate Change
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1. SHARKS: Anti-Finning Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate
By a vote of 390 - 1, the U.S. House of Representatives approved
the Shark Finning Prohibition Act (H.R. 3535) which prohibits, in
waters off the U.S. coast, the inhumane and wasteful practice of
cutting off the valuable fins of a shark and throwing the animal
back in the water to bleed to death or drown. The bill now moves to
the Senate where it is expected to meet more opposition. Urge your
Senators to pass this important legislation. Send them a free e-mail
by going to the DEN Action Center at http://www.denaction.org .
2. PYGMY OWL: Activists Help Protect Sonoran Desert Species
Since our last DENlines, President Clinton announced the designation
of the expanded 129,000-acre Ironwood Forest National Monument to
protect permanently some of the last remaining stands of ironwood
trees, a species found only in the Sonoran desert. Hundreds of
Arizona DEN activists sent e-mails pushing for more than the initial
96,000-acre proposal in order to protect additional critical habitat
for the endangered cactus ferruginous pygmy owl. Thanks to all who
responded. You made a real difference!
3. CONGRESS: Conservationists Fight Sneak Attack on the Environment
This week on the House floor, conservationists were successful in
striking four anti-environmental riders attached to a number of
federal spending bills. Riders are an increasingly popular back-door
tactic for members of Congress to push through controversial
legislation, often without hearings, floor votes or media attention.
Nearly 30 other environmentally destructive riders are still pending,
including provisions that would limit funding for endangered species,
destroy pristine beach habitat in coastal North Carolina, prohibit
funding for America's wild rivers and block efforts to combat the
impact of global warming. For a complete list of all FY2001
anti-environmental riders and their current status, visit our
website at http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/riders/riders.html
4. WOLVES: Legal Victory in North Carolina
A federal appeals court upheld a regulation that forbids the
indiscriminate killing on private property of the approximately
60 remaining endangered red wolves. Two North Carolina counties
and local landowners filed the suit in an attempt to have the
regulation declared unconstitutional. In 1987, Defenders helped
lead recovery efforts to release endangered red wolves into two
national wildlife refuges in North Carolina in a bid to save the
species, which had been driven to the brink of extinction.
For more on this story click here:
http://www.defenders.org/releases/pr2000/pr060700.html
5. CREATURE FEATURE: Florida Black Bear
Most people are surprised to learn that a unique subspecies of the
American black bear lives in Florida. The bear faces serious threats
related to Florida's growing human population including habitat loss
and fragmentation and fatal collisions with vehicles. At one time,
up to 12,000 black bears roamed Florida from the Keys to the
panhandle. Today, an estimated 1,500 struggle to survive. To learn
more about the Habitat for Bears Campaign, a joint effort by
Defenders of Wildlife and the Florida Sierra Club, see an online
slide show or find out what you can do to help, visit our web site
at http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/flbears/flbears.html
6. FOR THE RECORD: Global Warming and Climate Change
"Sea-level rise will very likely cause further loss of coastal
wetlands ... and put coastal communities at a greater risk of storm
surges, especially in the Southeast. Reduction in snowpack will
very likely alter the timing and amount of water supplies, potentially
exacerbating water shortages and conflicts, particularly throughout
the western US. The melting of glaciers in the high elevation West
and in Alaska represents the loss or diminishment of unique national
treasures of the American landscape. "
-- conclusions on the effect of globalnwarming from the June
12 report entitled "Climate Change Impacts on the United
States." The report represents four years of research by
the U.S. Global Change Research Program including input
from more than 300 scientists. For more information
on global warming, visit our web site at:
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/globalwarming/globalwarming.html
* TELL YOUR FRIENDS!! FORWARD THIS ISSUE AND HELP SPREAD
THE NEWS ABOUT WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION *
As a thank you for taking action and staying informed on important
wildlife and conservation issues through DENlines, Defenders invites
you to send a FREE wolf e-card to your friends telling them about
DEN. The e-cards feature a photo of a wolf and a personal message
from you.
To send a free wolf e-card go to:
http://congress.nw.dc.us/cgi-bin/ecard.pl?dir=defenders&group=wolves
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DENlines is a biweekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a
leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the
nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat and
known for its effective leadership on saving endangered species such
as brown bears and gray wolves, Defenders advocates new approaches
to wildlife conservation that protect species before they become
endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization with more than 380,000 members and supporters.
Defenders of Wildlife
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Copyright (c) 2000 by Defenders of Wildlife.