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NFC: Fw: RiverCurrents: March 29, 2002
Robert Rice - NFC president www.nativefish.org
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: American Rivers <action at action_amrivers.org>
To: robertrice at juno_com
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 11:52:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: RiverCurrents: March 29, 2002
Message-ID: <3041127.1017431533359.JavaMail.IWAM_EUG-APP01@eug-app01>
RiverCurrents: March 29, 2002
Brought to you by www.americanrivers.org:
The online community for river activists and river friends
AOL KEYWORD: American Rivers
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REGIONAL NEWS
* California: Los Padres NF rivers protected
* Arizona: Native fish imperiled
* Alaska: Oil drilling poses threat to wildlife
PERSPECTIVE
"Keeping a Promise to the Land"
-- by award-winning author Janisse Ray
"A Mountain of Dry Irony"
-- Stephen Phelps reports from Hazel Mountain, VA
HOME CONSERVATION TIPS
* Readers share their ideas
EVENT
* Dam removal workshop
RIVER PEOPLE
* Rivers steward named Conservationist of the Year
REPORT
* NAS: Riparian restoration should be national goal
RIVER BOOK OF THE WEEK
* "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood"
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ON TUESDAY, APRIL 2...
American Rivers will release the 16th annual report on the
Nation's Most Endangered Rivers.
Visit www.AmericanRivers.org on Tuesday to find out if a
river in your area made the list!
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REGIONAL NEWS
1) CALIFORNIA
Rivers in Los Padres National Forest receive protection
Two rivers and one creek in Los Padres National Forest will finally
be protected, thanks to a settlement approved by a federal judge
this week.
The Big Sur River, Sisquoc River and Sespe Creek were listed in 1992
under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, but environmental groups say
the Forest Service had failed to comply with the Act.
"We have sat down with the Forest Service and crafted a reasonable
compromise," Brent Plater, an attorney with the Center for Biological
Diversity, told the Associated Press (3-23-02).
The Forest Service has agreed to develop a thorough management plan
by the end of 2003. Until then, it will prohibit oil and gas
development, road construction and livestock grazing along the
corridors of the Big Sur River, Sisquoc River and Sespe Creek. (The
river corridor is defined as one-quarter mile in width on either side
of the water channel).
The endangered California condor makes its home along the Sisquoc
and Sespe Creek.
"The Forest Service manages most of this nation's wild and scenic
rivers and it is unfortunate that they have to be sued to do their
job," said Kristen McDonald, with American Rivers' Wild and Scenic
Rivers Program.
American Rivers estimates at least 20 wild and scenic rivers lack the
required management plans. "The Center for Biological Diversity's new
Wild and Scenic Rivers' campaign is critical in the fight to protect
our last remaining wild rivers," McDonald added.
Click here for more about wild & scenic rivers:
http://www.americanrivers.org/wildscenic/default.htm
2) ARIZONA
Arizona's native fish threatened
The Arizona Game & Fish Department has launched a public awareness
campaign about the importance of native fish (as opposed to non-
native fish introduced or "imported" to the state's rivers and
reservoirs.)
It's a good thing, since all but eight of the 32 remaining species of
Arizona's native fish are listed as endangered or threatened. And, as
reports the Arizona Republic (3-25-02), "almost every one is gone
from the lower Verde and Salt rivers, where many of these fish once
flourished."
The state imports non-native fish, such as trout, carp, bluegill,
catfish, walleye, and bass to support its $350 million sport fishing
industry. As reports the Republic, "Biologists say the imports are
the major obstacle in the natives' struggle for survival."
The non-native fish can out-compete the native fish for food and
habitat. Non-natives can also feed off the natives or their eggs.
Each loss of a native fish weakens the web that holds ecosystems
together, and serves as an indicator to the overall health of the
state's rivers.
3) ALASKA
Study: Oil drilling poses threat to wildlife
A new study by government scientists shows that caribou and other
wildlife would face significant risks if the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge is opened to oil drilling.
The report is being released today by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Drilling in the refuge is one of the top energy priorities of the
Bush administration.
"Once again the administration has released a report undermining
its own case," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., claiming the
findings confirm "the environmental destruction that would occur"
if the refuge were opened to oil development.
(Anchorage Daily News, 3-29-02)
As reports the Anchorage Daily News, the study "concludes that the
Porcupine caribou herd, which uses the coastal plain for calving
each summer, "may be particularly sensitive to development" because
it has little quality habitat elsewhere and historically it has
been shown that calf survival is linked to the animals' ability
to move freely."
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PERSPECTIVE
"Keeping a Promise to the Land"
-- by award-winning author Janisse Ray
When I was a girl, we often talked of a mythic piece of land along
the Altamaha River in Appling County, Georgia. It was called Moody
Swamp.
Alligators marbled the duckweed of the shadowy sloughs and panther
tracks in the bottoms slowly filled with dark water. People got lost
back in there; hunters got confused and spent the night in hollow
tupelos.
The land was owned by Jake Moody, a spare, fiery-eyed man drawn by
arthritis at a young age. Jake was a pioneer conservationist and his
epic love for the tall pines is a story we still tell among
ourselves...
Read the full story:
http://www.americanrivers.org/feature/janisseray.htm
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EVENT
April 18 workshop on dam removal in the Midwest
Many dams built in the Midwest during the late 1800s and early 1900s
have been slowly breaking down over time and are now in need of
repair.
At a hands-on workshop on April 18, at Purdue Calumet, in Hammond,
Indiana, the focus will be on dam removal as a good alternative to
reconstruction.
http://www.americanrivers.org/damremoval/workshopapril18.htm
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PERSPECTIVE
"A Mountain of Dry Irony"
-- Stephen Phelps reports from Hazel Mountain, VA
Whether it's due to coal mining, pollution or drought, tens of
thousands of families in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and
Tennessee have been left with virutally no source of running water.
Read the full story:
http://www.americanrivers.org/feature/stephenphelps.htm
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HOME CONSERVATION TIPS
A USA Today analysis of data from the USGS found that 57
rivers in our country reached record low levels this month.
While parts of the country are suffering from a drought,
increasing development is putting demands on rivers across
the nation. Water conservation is becoming more important
than ever before.
This week, two readers share their strategies for conserving
water at home. If you have water and/or energy conservation
ideas of your own, please email them to asouers at amrivers_org
and we'll share them here.
1) From J. & M. Heumann
Keep a 5 gallon bucket in the bathroom and run the water in it
when you warm up the water before taking a shower. Then use
the water in the bucket bucket to flush the toilet, water plants, etc.
2) From J. Andersen
My family and I live in arid Denver, Colorado and we always look for
ways to conserve water. We have a large empty pitcher in the kitchen
and bathrooms to collect water when we are trying to get cold or hot
water. If I am shaving and need hot water, I let the water collect in
the pitcher until it is hot. I can then use this water for
houseplants or for cooking. In the kitchen instead of the water going
down the drain waiting for cool water we collect it and use it
elsewhere. We never let water run when brushing teeth or shaving. We
have saved many gallons which we now see have been worthwhile as
Colorado is in the third year of a drought.
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RIVER PEOPLE
Rivers steward named Conservationist of the Year
Gerrit Jobsis has been named the 2001 Conservationist of the Year
by the South Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.
Gerrit, a former fisheries biologist with the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources, is the rivers coordinator with
the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.
Meet Gerrit:
http://www.americanrivers.org/feature/conservationistoftheyear.htm
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REPORT
Restoration of riparian functions along our nation's rivers
and streams should be a national policy goal, according to
the The National Academy of Sciences. Get the report,
"Riparian Areas: Functions and Strategies for Management" --
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10327.html?onpi_topnews_032202
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SPECIAL OFFER FOR RIVERCURRENTS READERS
Get Outside and Help Rivers!
When you subscribe to Outside Magazine using the secure link below,
Outside will make a donation to American Rivers conservation
programs.
<https://commerce.cdsfulfillment.com/OU4/subscriptions.cgi>
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RIVER BOOK OF THE WEEK
"Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" by Janisse Ray
"In [this book], you can open any page and out will fall words
like pressed flowers and autumn leaves, vivid souvenirs of joy
and loss....A memoir, a family history, and the ecology of a
dying place, the book pivots between land and people, embracing
both as rare and fragile. We are swept along like the resinous
odor of pine needles in the balmy wind." (Bloomsbury Review)
Click here to learn more:
http://www.americanrivers.org/bookreviews/ray.htm
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ABOUT RIVERCURRENTS
RiverCurrents is a weekly summary of river news and information as
reported by media outlets and other sources across the country. The
inclusion of a story or point of view in RiverCurrents does not
necessarily indicate endorsement by American Rivers. Unless American
Rivers' position is clearly indicated, stories or points of view
expressed in RiverCurrents are solely those of the groups and
individuals named and not those of American Rivers.
If you have clarifications or corrections about a story in
RiverCurrents, please send them to asouers at amrivers_org.
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