[mou] FYI on legislation that will impact birds

[fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us]

Just a heads up for anyone interested.

Randy Frederickson
MOU conservation committee


>
>This statute could have terrible effects on the entire western United
>States, including public lands, private lands, and native lands.
>
>Take a minute to send a message to your member of Congress (email address
>for action alert shown below).
>
>Thanks!
>
>Scott Hed
>Plains, Prairie & Northland Organizer
>Alaska Coalition
>300 N. Dakota Ave., # 218A
>Sioux Falls, SD  57104
>(605) 336-6738 office
>(605) 351-1646 cell
>scott@alaskacoalition.org
>www.alaskacoalition.org
>
>> STOP THE PUBLIC LANDS GIVEAWAY!
>> Obscure 19th Century rule could wreak havoc on public lands from Alaska t=
o
>> Utah
>>
>> Alaska=EDs cherished wild lands are under assault as never before. In
>addition
>> to legislation in the U.S. Congress to increase logging in the Tongass an=
d
>> Chugach national forests and to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National
>> Wildlife Refuge, powerful political appointees are also issuing orders to
>> overturn decades of federal public lands policy.
>>
>> Earlier this year, the Bush administration resurrected a civil-war era
>> statute referred to as Revised Statute 2477 (R.S.2477) to allow special
>> interests and local jurisdictions to convert thousands of miles of
>primitive
>> rights-of-ways that cross federal land =F3 including old mining and
>livestock
>> trails, footpaths, streambeds, and even the section lines from maps =F1 i=
nto
>> damaging paved roads and highways, recklessly endangering the very places
>> Americans care most about.
>>
>> This amounts to a massive giveaway of OUR public lands.  This little know=
n
>> loophole leaves no place off-limits; private interests could plow roads
>> through any number of National Parks and Monuments, Wildlife Refuges,
>> National Forests, even Wilderness Areas, without environmental review or
>> meaningful public input.  In some cases, even PRIVATE land could have
>RS2477
>> claims filed against them by other private interests.
>>
>> Alaskan public lands are far from alone on this issue; indeed public land=
s
>> in many other states could suffer as much or more from the potential
>effects
>> of RS2477.  Natural treasures at risk from these =ECroads to ruin=EE incl=
ude
>> Utah's Canyonlands and Zion National Parks and the Grand-Staircase
>Escalante
>> National Monument, migratory waterfowl habitat in Colorado=EDs Browns Par=
k
>> National Wildlife Refuge, some of the southwest=EDs most spectacular scen=
ery
>> in Dinosaur National Monument, and California=EDs Mojave National Preserv=
e.
>>
>> In Alaska, routes within Denali National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias Nationa=
l
>> Park, and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, some of the nation=EDs
>most
>> pristine wildlands, have been claimed by the State of Alaska as erstwhile
>> roads.  In Denali National Park alone, the state has identified 24 routes
>as
>> purported RS 2477 claims. Most of these are in the northern quarter of th=
e
>> park and cover over 300 miles of territory.  In addition, there are 23
>> RS2477 proposed claims in the Tongass National Forest, already heavily hi=
t
>> by logging roads. The Chugach National Forest, 98% of which has no roads
>and
>> is currently the wildest of all our national forests, has 24 RS2477 claim=
s
>> in it.  Even in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which has no roads a=
t
>> all anywhere in it, the State is pursuing seven different RS2477 right of
>> way claims.
>>
>> We need your help today to stop greedy special interests from robbing
>future
>> generations of their birthright of public lands, parks, and wilderness.
>As
>> soon as the week of July 13, the U.S. House of Representatives could be
>> debating a bill that funds the Department of Interior.  Representative
>Mark
>> Udall (D-CO) will offer an amendment to prevent the Department of Interio=
r
>> from allowing irresponsible road construction from RS2477 claims across
>our
>> national parks and monuments, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, nationa=
l
>> forests and other public lands.  This amendment will most likely be going
>> before the House of Representatives sometime during the week of July 13,
>so
>> Congress needs to hear from us pronto!
>>
>>
>>
>> WHAT YOU CAN DO:
>>
>> Please e-mail your Representative TODAY and urge your Representative to
>> support the Udall Amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill to preven=
t
>> the give-away of our parks and public lands. Click
>>
>http://capwiz.com/awc/issues/alert/?alertid=3D2778501
>
> to send a free email to
>> your member.  Tell them why protecting our public lands is important to
>you.
>>
>> Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be put through
>to
>> the office of your member!  Tell them to please support the Udall
>Amendment
>> to the Interior Appropriations bill to stop the RS2477 give-away of our
>> public lands.  Leave your name and address and ask for a response in
>> writing.  Say thanks!
>>
>> Forward this alert to as many of your friends, family and coworkers, and
>> anyone else who would care about our public lands that you can think of.
>>
>> Write a letter to your paper about the issue and tell them that Congress
>> needs to put the brakes on RS2477 before we irrevocably damage some of ou=
r
>> most pristine public lands.  Go to http://www.opedletters.com/ to find
>your
>> local paper.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Erik DuMont
>> National Field Director
>> Alaska Wilderness League
>> 122 C Street, NW, Suite 240
>> Washington, DC 20001
>> P: 202-544-5205
>> F: 202-544-5197
>> www.alaskawild.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------
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>