Photo: James Kaiser courtesy of O.A.R.S.

Conservation Alliance grantee American Rivers today released its annual America's Most Endangered Rivers report.The report lists the 10 most endangered rivers in the US, and explains why these waterways are in peril. Topping this year's list is the Potomac, which flows through our nation’s capital. The Potomac earned the distinction as the most endangered river in the country because of pollution, and the fact that essential clean water protections are under attack in Congress.

"As ‘the nation’s river,’ the Potomac is emblematic of what’s at stake for rivers and public health nationwide," says the report.

Also on the list is the Green River, which flows through Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Conservation Alliance has supported American Whitewater in their efforts to protect rivers in Colorado, including the Green. Water developers have proposed to build a 500-mile long "Flaming Gorge Pipeline" that will send water from the Green River and Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming to Colorado's Front Range. Estimates for completing the Flaming Gorge pipeline range between $7 billion and $9 billion an amount that could be the highest of any water project in Colorado's history. The project could potentially divert more than 250,000 acre feet of water from the Green River annually— water that currently supports a robust recreation and tourism economy, rural agriculture, native species, and urban water use downstream.

Take Action!

The complete list of endangered rivers follows. Click here to take action to protect any and all of the rivers on the list!

1. Potomac River (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Washington D.C.)
   Threat:  Pollution; Clean Water Act rollbacks
2. Green River (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado)
   Threat:  Water withdrawals
3. Chattahoochee River (Georgia)
   Threat:  New dams and reservoirs
4. Missouri River (Colorado,Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming)
   Threat:  Outdated flood management
5. Hoback River (Wyoming)
   Threat:  Natural gas development
6. Grand River (Ohio)
   Threat:  Natural gas development
7. South Fork Skykomish River (Washington)
   Threat:  New dam
8. Crystal River (Colorado)
   Threat:  Dams and water diversions
9. Coal River (West Virginia)
   Threat:  Mountaintop removal coal mining
10. Kansas River (Kansas)
    Threat:  Sand and gravel dredging
    

Central Oregon LandWatch recently received a grant from the Conservation Alliance to help protect the flows of Tumalo Creek (a critical cold water tributary to the Deschutes River). Enabled by the grant, LandWatch retained a hydrogeologist and hydrologist to provide comments to the Forest Service on an environmental assessment of a pipeline project that would divert water from the Creek. The experts criticized the Forest Service’s failure to assess climate changes that will seriously impact summer flows of the Creek in the future and the failure to do an assessment based on natural flows of the Creek. LandWatch itself submitted over 90 pages of critical comments on the EA and 160 pages of news articles critical of the project. It also coordinated the submittal of numerous letters from fishermen, professional photographers, runners, and other recreationists pointing out the negative effects of water withdrawals from the Creek.Only with the support LandWatch... Read More

Photo: Andy Bardon

As we reported a few weeks ago, Conservation Alliance board member and North Face icon Conrad Anker (above left) is in Nepal preparing for his third attemp at the summit of Mt. Everest. He summited the mountain in 1999 and 2007. The two-month expedition seeks to repeat the historic climb of the 1963 National Geographic-sponsored American Mount Everest Expedition, almost 50 years after that first American ascent. Conrad was originally planning to attempt the West Ridge with photographer Cory Richards, who had to back out of the expedition after experiencing health issues during an acclimitization trip to 23,000 feet on the mountain. Conrad is now hoping to climb the West Ridge with accomplished Himalayan mountaineer Simone Moro (above right). According to the Field Test on Everest blog, Moro would first need to change his climbing permit, and, in his words, "fall in love with this route." It has been exciting to follow this expedition online for the past month, courtesy of The North Face and National Geographic Society.

I was suprised to receive an email from Conrad earlier this week. I had sent a message to the entire Conservation Alliance board, expecting to hear back from him in June, after his expedition. Dedicated board member that he is, Conrad found bandwidth -- literally and figuratively -- to keep on top of his Conservation Alliance responsibilities.  "The wonders if technology.  I'm working on my solid state iPad and enjoying life at base camp," wrote Conrad. He added that if things work out with Simone, they will shoot for a summit bid in late May. The weather on Everest has been challenging this year, forcing several expeditions to pack up and go home. We wish Conrad the best on this adventure.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert is pushing a lawsuit agains the federal government that seeks to give Utah counties control over 25,000 miles of so-called roads that traverse most of Utah's Wilderness-quality federal land. According to Conservation Alliance grantee Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance:

"The vast majority of these routes have never been established or maintained, and they don't really exist on the ground. They are but cow paths, old seismic lines, dry stream beds and one-man joyride trails. This is not really about transportation at all. Utah is simply using an old mining law, Revised Stature 2477, as an excuse to undermine future wild lands conservation and to open these special places to development, extractive industry and off-road vehicle assault. If they succeed, such lawsuits will spring up throughout the West, and our last wild public lands will be lost forever."

Following is a map showing the extent to which these "roads" (in red) would intrude on Utah's wild public lands. Click here for a larger version.

 

Take Action!

Ask Interior Secretary Salazar to defend Utah's public lands today! Click here to send a message to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, asking that he vigorously fight the State of Utah's lawsuit.

This lawsuit is one of a growing list of efforts and proposals that elected officials are making to undermine protections for public lands in Utah. In March, Governor Herbert signed into law a bill that authorizes the state to do everything within its power to transfer title of federal lands in Utah to the state.

Also in March, the BLM authorized nearly 1,300 new natural gas wells in Utah’s Desolation Canyon wilderness and other remote areas. In approving the so-called Gasco development project, the Department of the Interior rejected calls by the Environmental Protection Agency and tens of thousands of citizens from across the country to approve an alternative to Gasco’s proposal. This alternative would have allowed for significant development while protecting the department’s plan to designate Desolation Canyon as wilderness and reducing the overall footprint and impact of the project.

It is disappointing to watch Utah -- which benefits economically from outdoor tourism and from the outdoor industry's twice-yearly trade show in Salt Lake City -- work so hard to diminish the wild and natural places in the state. 

 

The Bay Area Backyard Collective brought together more than 60 volunteers for a day of invasive plant removal with the guidance of our partners at Marin County Parks. 

Volunteers from Marmot, CamelBak, Clif Bar, REI and and The North Face hiked a steep incline to reach four areas for Himalayan Blackberry, Barbed Goat Grass and Pioneer Fennel removal in the Terra Linda Sleepy Hollow Preserve.

A White Tailed Kite soared above as Marin County Parks Natural Resource Field Staff Coordinator Pete Frye related the importance of the serpentine grasses for the preserve, adding a note of significance and beauty.

(photo by Amber Miksza)

The work here was demanding and teamwork a necessity. One of my favorite elements of the Backyard Collective is seeing how cooperative volunteers from our member businesses work together for the good of the project. New connections are always cultivated at these events. Our hope is that they continue to grow beyond the day.

 

Our celebration and Volunteer Fair was located a few miles away at the beautiful Lagoon Playground, overlooked by the Marin Civic Center. After a hard morning's work, volunteers arrived at the park hungry--a good thing as lunch was being served up by Top Dog Catering.

The Volunteer Fair included representatives from the Marin County Parks, the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the Volunteers for Outdoor California, eager to discuss upcoming projects and opportunities for action.

We closed the day with words of inspiration and a raffle loaded with goodies from our participating member businesses. Thanks again to all who planned, worked and celebrated with us! For additional photos, visit our Facebook page by clicking here.

 

(photo by Amber Miksza) 

  Seattle's Pike Place Market

Last week I had to opportunity to venture north, to Seattle, and visit a number of our member companies.  Seattle is a big city, full of sights, sounds, and a hustle-and-bustle we don't have in Bend, Oregon.  As I negotiated my way through a maze of freeways, only one thought came to mind: "Seattle is a Big City."  Once I got my bearings, I realized it wasn't that big after all, and was impressed at how easy it was to get around; I only wished I was commuting by bike instead of car.

I started off Day One with a stop at Brooks Sports where Conservation Alliance Ambassador, David Kemp, rallied a great group around coffee and pastries to learn more about The Alliance.  I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of the group's questions and had a renewed sense of inspiration as I drove into Seattle's city center to meet with the folks from Outdoor Research.

 Vasque might be home to the largest boot, but I think Brooks is home to the largest running shoe.

Jeff Greenwell, Ambassador for Outdoor Research, helped to arrange for a lunch-time gathering, with pizza, of course, and I presented to a full room of OR employees, including CEO, Dan Nordstrom.  The Conservation Alliance has recently funded a number of projects in Washington, namely the Wild Olympics Campaign and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Campaign, and it was great to discuss these projects in a bit more detail with people that call these areas their backyard.   After my presentation, Christian Folk, OR's Grassroots Marketing Supervisor, gave me a tour of OR's facility, including the factory that manufactures OR accessories and gloves (right in downtown Seattle) and their onsite climbing wall.

Visiting our members is one of the most inspiring parts of my job.  We are all part of the Outdoor Industry; a collective voice that, when used together, can make a difference.  I am proud and honored to work with people that have made a concious decision to be part of this voice - and together, we are making a difference.

 

The nearly 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska supports a stunning diversity and abundance of wildlife. Right now, the U.S. Department of the Interior is writing its first-ever, comprehensive plan for the entire Reserve, providing the opportunity to protect the most important places for wildlife.

Teshekpuk Lake, on the coastal plain of the Reserve, is part of the largest wetlands area in the entire Arctic. These wetlands provide vital habitat for millions of migratory birds, including species such as the rare Yellow-billed Loon and the threatened Spectacled Eider. Birds that breed, forage, molt, and stage in the Reserve each summer disperse from coast to coast throughout the U.S and to every continent, even Antarctica.

The Reserve is home to other wildlife as well. More than 400,000 caribou migrate to their calving grounds in the Reserve. Iconic marine mammals inhabit the coastline, including polar bear, walrus, beluga whale, and several species of ice-dependent seals. 

Congress has long recognized that there are special areas in the Reserve that deserve protection from oil and gas development, but there are currently no permanent protections in place.

Take Action!

Ask Secretary Salazar to choose a final plan that provides balance by protecting Teshekpuk Lake and other key wildlife areas as oil and gas are developed in the Reserve. Click here to submit your comment.

In the draft plan, Alternative B stands apart as the clear choice for balanced management. It would effectively protect habitat vital to healthy wildlife populations in America's Arctic while also allowing for future oil and gas development. Alternative B would protect several ecologically important areas with exceptional wildlife:

• Teshekpuk Lake/Dease Inlet: Calving grounds for the Teshekpuk Lake caribou herd; globally-significant Important Bird Area with nesting habitat for countless shorebirds, waterfowl, and seabirds, including the rare Yellow-billed Loon and the threatened Spectacled Eider.

• Peard Bay and Surrounding Wetlands: Concentration area for three species of ice-dependent seals; designated critical "no disturbance" habitat for polar bear; important nesting and feeding habitat for various seaducks, including the threatened Spectacled Eider.

• Utukok River Uplands/DeLong Mountains: Calving grounds of the Western Arctic caribou herd (the largest in Alaska); vital habitat for grizzly bear, wolves, and wolverine; exceptional wilderness recreation opportunities in the mountains of the Brooks Range.

• Colville River: Extraordinary multi-species densities of cliff-nesting raptors including Peregrine Falcon, Rough-legged Hawk, and Gyrfalcon.

• Kasegaluk Lagoon: This unique coastal area and the surrounding wetlands are vital to several marine mammal species including polar bear, walrus, ice seals, and beluga whale. It is a globally-significant Important Bird Area for a diversity of nesting and foraging waterbirds.

Take Action now by clicking here and asking Secretary Salazar to choose Alternative B, plan that provides balance by protecting Teshekpuk Lake and other key wildlife areas as oil and gas are developed in the Reserve. 

To learn more about the Western Arctic, visit the Audubon Alaska website here.

The Foothills Water Network and its members are currently engaged in hydropower relicensing negotiations to protect and restore 200 miles of the Yuba watershed by establishing conditions in two federally enforceable hydropower licenses. The two licenses are for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company Drum-Spaulding Hydropower Project and Nevada Irrigation District’s Yuba-Bear Hydropower Project. These two hydropower projects are the most complex hydropower projects in the nation – impacting over 200 miles of river with 22 dams and diversions. The Network is negotiating with the licensees as well as federal and state resource agencies and Placer County Water Agency. The headwaters of the Yuba originate in the west slope of the California’s Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in Tahoe National Forest. Just before you climb over the summit into the Lake Tahoe basin, you can see the Yuba’s headwaters streams shimmering through the pine and fir tree forest. Hiking trails meander... Read More

In April 2011, The Conservation Alliance invested $500,000 in grassroots conservation organizations.
Each grant went to a project working to secure permanent protection for a specific threatened wild place. We direct organizations to use our funding over the course of a 12-month period. At the end of the grant period, we ask each group for a 12-month final report. These reports play a key role in helping us determine the return on our investment.

On April 1, we received 17 final reports. Click here for a summary of the progress our grantees have made with our funding. At the end of this summary are several exciting updates on work we funded in October 2011. We will share final reports on all of our October 2011 grants in October 2012.

           Photo: Steven Kazlowski / www.lefteyepro.com

Right now, Shell Oil's drill ships are on their way to America's Arctic Ocean. Shell hopes to begin drilling in our Arctic waters in a matter of weeks with no viable plan to clean up an oil spill in the Arctic's extreme conditions, which range from sea ice up to 25-feet thick and sub-zero temperatures to months of darkness and hurricane-force storms.

There is still time to stop this disaster from happening. President Barack Obama has yet to grant Shell's final drilling permits. Alaska Wilderness League and many other organizations are gearing up an unprecedented campaign to get the message to President Obama that he must stop Shell now. This Saturday, join a nationwide Polar Bear Uprising to show the president that our nation's most beloved bears will not be ignored.

Across the country, people will be gathering, dressed in white wearing polar bear masks, to do the polar bear dance and demand that President Obama turn Shell's ships around. The hope is to set a world record for the largest "polar bear uprising" ever, and put Shell on ice!

As the Arctic continues to warm due to climate change, two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear by mid-century. Rapid sea ice loss from climate change is the polar bear's biggest threat. However, if an oil spill were to happen in the Arctic's Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, polar bears would suffer huge impacts, as would many other species that depend on the Arctic - bowhead whales, beluga whales, ice seals, walrus, millions of birds and much more.

In addition, the Inupiat people who have thrived off the bounty of Arctic waters for thousands of years could see the loss of their livelihood and their culture. Caroline Cannon, an Inupiat leader and outspoken advocate for the people of America's Arctic coast, was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize last week in acknowledgement of her ongoing efforts to stop Shell from drilling in the Arctic.

"Right now as I speak, my Inupiat people up in Point Hope are out hunting for whales. And Shell's drilling ships are on their way to launch the most aggressive drilling plans ever in the Arctic Ocean," Caroline said in her acceptance speech.  "When I met President Obama a couple of years ago, he told me he knew what it was like to be treated as a second-class citizen. He made a promise to work with the Inupiat people and protect our way of life. That gave me hope. Now is the time to hold him to that promise. I need everyone here today to remind him what's at stake. I need you to stand with me to honor my father's wishes as he stood on the ice for the last time. I need you to stand with me to remind him that we all have a responsibility to protect America's Arctic."

Help Caroline ensure that President Obama gets the message loud and clear by joining the largest Polar Bear Uprising in history on Saturday. Find an uprising near you here, or learn how you can host one. If you can't make it on Saturday, please sign this petition to President Obama - and demand that he put Shell on ice.