Senate Committee Approves Wyoming Range; Full Vote and House Remain

Update on the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which is our current Take Action.  From today's Jackson Hole News and Guide:

A pair of conservation bills that would protect the Snake River and Wyoming Range passed through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

The Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act would protect 387 miles of rivers and streams in the Snake River drainage under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

The Wyoming Range Legacy Act would prohibit further energy leasing in the Wyoming Range south of Jackson Hole and would allow conservation groups to buy and retire existing energy leases.

Both bills now must go to the floor for a vote by the full Senate before moving to the House.

This is very good news!  We'll let you know when it goes to a full Senate vote, and then the House, so you can help your Congressperson to make the right vote. 

The Wyoming Range Legacy Act is part of a larger omnibus bill with a whole lot of good stuff for sportsmen and wildlife.  Here's the full rundown from today's E&E New's Land Letter:

Eric Bontrager, E&E Daily reporter

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee cleared 45 different land-use, historical and water bills yesterday along with two Bush administration nominees for posts at the Interior and Energy departments.

Members spent the majority of the two-hour markup debating legislation from the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.). S. 1281 would designate certain rivers and streams of the headwaters of the Snake River as additions to the National Wild and Scenic River System.

The Snake River, which starts in northwest Wyoming and flows into Idaho, is one of the cleanest sources of fresh water in the United States that supports several native trout fisheries.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who was appointed by Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) last year to fil Craig's seat, introduced a substitute version of the bill that he said would clear up technical concerns to allow its passage.

"The wild and scenic designation is the best of the best. It's the badge of honor," Barrasso said.

The bill was scheduled to be cleared during a similar markup last year but was held amid concerns from Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) that it could infringe on water rights in his state. The bill was the last Thomas introduced before he died last June after a long battle with leukemia.

Despite the changes, Craig claimed the designation would open the door to litigation that could restrict use of the water's resources. He offered two different amendments, one which sought to remove about 10 percent of the streams and lakes from the designation and a second that he said would strengthen the bill's claims that the designation would not affect water rights.

But Barrasso said the substitute version explicitly states that water rights would not be infringed, and committee staff said provisions in Craig's second amendment could possibly give Idaho river users greater power than their Wyoming counterparts. Both of Craig's amendments were defeated by roll call vote.

The bill itself was cleared by voice vote along with 42 other measures.

Fight over Wyoming Range

The committee approved legislation that would withdraw more than 1 million acres of land from future energy development, a contentious issue given record oil and gas prices.

S. 2229 from Barrasso and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) would withdraw 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range -- part of the Bridger Teton National Forest that sits south of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park -- from future energy development and would prohibit new oil and gas leasing on the land.

The legislation would provide a buy-out process for current leaseholders and would permit the remaining leases to be voluntarily purchased by conservation groups and other entities to retire the leases.

But Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said the bill was counterproductive because it would remove potential energy reserves at a time when the entire country is suffering from high gas prices. "This not a local issue, this is a national issue," Landrieu said.

The Bureau of Land Management estimates the land at stake contains 8.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas -- an amount roughly equal to one-third of a year's annual natural gas consumption for the entire nation -- and 331 million barrels of oil that are "technically recoverable using today's technology."

The bill cleared by roll call vote, much to the anger of industry observers.

"We find it outrageous that senators would be voting to reduce access to natural gas at a time when consumers all over the country are reeling from high prices, in this case, unnecessary high prices," said Paul Cicio, president of the Industrial Energy Consumers of America.

Forest restoration, wilderness

As part of the unanimous consent agreement, the committee approved legislation to establish a collaborative and science-based forest landscape restoration program that would prioritize and fund ecological restoration treatments.

Claiming that overaggressive fire suppression and development have impaired forest landscapes across the country, sponsors say S. 2593 would lead to an overall reduction of wildfire management costs by focusing funding on collaborative, sustainable projects that would offer the greatest protections against devastating wildfires.

Federal land managers would work with state and local authorities to identify parcels of at least 50,000 acres comprised mostly of national forest lands that need active ecosystem restoration. The projects must include several stakeholders representing multiple interests.

The panel also passed several wilderness bills, including S. 2833 would designate more than 517,000 acres in the Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands of southwestern Idaho as wilderness and nearly 315 mile of wild and scenic rivers. It would establish a science review to address management issues of rangelands in Owyhee County and closes 200 miles of roads and routes near the proposed wilderness areas to motorized vehicle use except in emergencies.

In exchange, about 190,000 acres of BLM lands treated as potential wilderness would be subject to "soft release," opening the door to multiple uses including off-road vehicle use and grazing following BLM land-use evaluations. The bill also provides for the sale or trade of private inholdings within these proposed wilderness areas.

S. 1380 would designate parts of the Rocky Mountain National Park as wilderness and adjust the boundaries of the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Arapaho National Recreation Area in Colorado's Arapaho National Forest.

S. 570 would create several new wilderness areas in Virginia's Jefferson National Forest as well as designate 11,000 acres as national scenic areas.

S. 2379 would authorize the cancellation of certain grazing leases on land in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon, to provide for the exchange of certain monument land in exchange for private land, to designate certain monument land as wilderness.

H.R. 5151 would add about 37,000 acres of wilderness West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest through expansions of the Dolly Sods, Cranberry and Otter Creek wilderness areas as well as protecting three new wilderness areas across the forest.

S. 868 would designate 40 miles of the Taunton River as wild and scenic, from the headwaters all the way to Mount Hope Bay in Fall River, Mass.

DOI, DOE nominations

The two Bush administration nominees were also cleared under the en bloc vote.

Jeffrey Kupfer is nominated to be DOE's deputy secretary, the No. 2 position at the department. Kupfer is serving on an acting basis, replacing Clay Sell, who left the department at the end of February.

Kameran Onley, if confirmed, would become assistant Interior secretary for water and science. She has been in that position since July, while also serving as assistant deputy secretary since January 2006.

Parks, trails, historical areas, water bills

Other bills that passed yesterday by voice vote:

H.R. 523 would require the secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Wash., to the utility district.

H.R. 2515 would authorize funding for the Lower Colorado River multispecies conservation program. The 50-year plan is designed to save 27 species by restoring wildlife habitat. Covering a 400-mile stretch of the river, the program aims to create more than 8,100 acres of riparian, marsh and backwater habitat for six federally protected species and 20 others native to the river system.

S. 1281 would amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain rivers and streams of the headwaters of the Snake River System as additions to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

S. 832 would to provide for the sale of approximately 25 acres of public land to the Turnabout Ranch in Escalante, Utah.

S. 900 would authorize the Boy Scouts of America to exchange certain land in Utah acquired under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.

S. 2124 would convey land in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to Jefferson County, Mont., for use as a cemetery.

H.R. 189 would establish a national historical park in the Great Falls area of Paterson, N.J. The park would recognize and preserve Alexander Hamilton's breakthroughs in industrial production by incorporating the Pierre L'Enfant-designed, Hamilton-commissioned water power system at the Passaic Great Falls into the park system. It would also lay claim to the nearby Hinchliffe Stadium, the host of historic Negro League baseball games.

H.R. 1528 would create a 220-mile national historic trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

H.R. 3998 is an omnibus public lands bill authorizing 10 studies of potential national parks or trails including a national trail alongside the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

S. 617 would make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available for $10 to any honorably discharged veteran.

S. 2262 would authorize the Preserve America Program and Save America's Treasures Program.

S. 662 would authorize Interior to evaluate resources at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick, Maine, to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit of NPS.

H.R. 3332 would provide for the establishment of a memorial within Hawaii's Kalaupapa National Historical Park to honor and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula from 1866 to 1969.

S. 783 would adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana.

S. 1633 would authorize a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including the battlefield and related sites of the Battle of Shepherdstown in Shepherdstown, W.Va., as part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park or Antietam National Battlefield.

S. 2207 would authorize a study of the suitability and feasibility of designating Green McAdoo School in Clinton, Tenn., as a unit of the National Park System.

S. 2513 would modify the boundary of the Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts.

H.R. 2197 would modify the boundary of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ohio.

H.R. 2627 would establish the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey as the successor to the Edison National Historic Site.

S. 2804 would adjust the boundary of the Everglades National Park to include the Tarpon Basin property. The property contains habitat for the wood stork and the West Indian manatee, both of which are listed as endangered species. It also includes approximately 10 acres of subtropical hardwood hammock, found only in South Florida and the Florida Keys.

H.R. 1285 would convey National Forest System land in Kittitas County, Wash., to facilitate the construction of a new fire and rescue station.

H.R. 1311 would both convey the Alta-Hualapai Site in Nevada to the city of Las Vegas for the development of a cancer treatment facility.

H.R. 1483 would create six new national heritage areas, including one that would surround the entire city of Tucson, Ariz., and extend the funding authorization for nine others.

Proposals in the bill include the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area in Alabama, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area through historic battlefields in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

S. 827 would establish a heritage area that encompasses 36 communities in Massachusetts and eight communities in New Hampshire that have significance to U.S. history.

S. 2512 would establish the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area.

S. 2254would establish the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area.

S. 2604 would establish the Baltimore National Heritage Area.

S. 2814 would authorize Interior to provide financial assistance to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority for the planning, design and construction of a rural water system.

H.R. 1725 would authorize the secretary to participate in the Rancho California Water District Southern Riverside County Recycled Non-Potable Distribution Facilities and Demineralization Desalination Recycled Water Treatment and Reclamation Facility Project.

S. 27 authorizes $217 million in direct spending for the implementation of the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement.

S. 1171 would amend the Colorado River Storage Protect Act and Public Law 87-483 to authorize the construction and rehabilitation of water infrastructure in Northwestern New Mexico and other purposes.

S. 1929 would authorize Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to study water augmentation alternatives in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed in Arizona.

S. 2370 would clear title to certain property in New Mexico associated with the Middle Rio Grande Project.

H.R. 123 would ensure that once $85 million in federal funds is appropriated for the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority and the Central Basin Municipal Water District the money would be subject to a 35 percent non-federal matching requirement from each entity.

H.R. 356 would remove certain restrictions on the Mammoth Community Water District's ability to use certain property acquired by that District from the United States.

H.R. 1855 would authorize Interior and the BLM to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Project.

H.R. 2085 would authorize the secretary of the Interior to convey to the McGee Creek Authority certain facilities of the McGee Creek Project.

The committee voted by roll call to clear S. 27, which authorizes $217 million in direct spending for the implementation of the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement.

Bills dropped

Three of the bills on the shortlist were held from the markup due to technical issues. They are:

S. 390 would trade about 40,000 acres of BLM lands for 42,000 acres of environmentally sensitive state lands, many of which have wilderness characteristics.

S. 1477 would authorize the rehabilitation of Colorado's Jackson Gulch.

H.R. 2381 would promote Interior efforts to provide scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, due to concerns it would duplicate existing federal programs.

Outstanding Flight Video: Check this out!

If you've ever flown a commercial flight between cities in the West, you may have glanced down and seen a circuitry of roads and equipment.  You might have wondered, "what the heck is that stuff?"

Well, the "Ecoflight" video on this page answers that question, and reveals just how insane gas drilling has become in states like Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.  These networks of roads and drillpads are a labyrinth for wildlife like pronghorn antelope to cross.  Pretty much adds up to the end of seasonal migration for them. 

Other videos on this page include one on elk and Chronic Wasting Disease, and cutthroat trout collapse.  I highly recommend them all-- time for us to step up and do something about this before it's too late!

Double Hook from Sierra Magazine

So I just received my latest Sierra Magazine, the May/June 2008 issue.  Two articles leaped from the pages like a (insert favorite fish here) hitting a (insert favorite fly/lure here) from the (insert favorite fishing water here):

Daniel Duane visits Alaska's waters, finding paradise regained in "Savoring Wild Salmon:"

IT WAS A QUIET TIME ON THAT BEACH in southeast Alaska, with the kayaks drawn up into the dune grasses and everybody gone for the day. Barefoot in the shallows, swimming in the cool water, sleeping in the sun, I watched gulls in the low golden light of the sea foam and little sanderlings higher up the wet sand, poking in the gold-green algae. I watched bald eagles come and go from their Sitka spruces, and I waited for the ebb tide when the creek mouth might drain and narrow and crowd a thousand pink salmon into an ever-tighter channel, so I could eat one.  more...

And Lou Ureneck, author of "Backcast: Fatherhood, Fly-Fishing, and a River Journey Through the Heart of Alaska", reviews his catch of the best river DVDs, books and efforts:

Most of us who love rivers trace our passion to a stream. Mine was modest: a woodland brook that tumbled down a maple and chokecherry hillside and into the warm muddy river that flowed from an impounded lake. Standing barefoot and thigh-deep in that ice-cold current and gripping a fishing rod remains my most vivid childhood memory. The symbolism of the clear brook mixing with the muddy water along a fish-rich seam has fed my surface and subsurface consciousness for five decades.  more...

Enjoy!

Habitat Conservation Is Now More Important Than Ever

Hi-

My compatriot Bloggin' Bart strikes again!  Here's his latest guest blog:

If you get most of your news from the mainstream media you may have noticed something lacking from all of the discussion about global warming: habitat conservation. Between all of the talk about windmills and solar panels and hybrid cars and other technological fixes one might begin to think that the traditional conservation movement with its focus on protecting habitat is passé in this new green era. It is not. Indeed it is more important than ever. 

Prairie habitats are able to sequester carbon at a level of between 1.2 to 1.8 U.S. tons per acre. According to Ducks Unlimited of the 22 million acres of native prairie that still exist on the Northern Great Plains, only 1 million are protected in perpetuity. To help secure an additional 71,000 acres of prairie and other habitat on public land, Sierra Club, Safari Club International, Trout Unlimited and other conservation organizations are working together as part of the South Dakota Grasslands Wilderness Coalition and urging Congress to secure prairies on the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands for generations  to come by adding them to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Wetlands also help sequester carbon, perhaps as much as 40% globally. Unfortunately we are losing as much as 80,000 acres of wetlands a year in the U.S.  If you’re not ready to retrofit your home with solar panels or a Prius just isn’t practical with your outdoor lifestyle then consider aiding wetlands conservation by purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp. Federal Duck Stamps must be purchased by anyone wanting to hunt ducks and geese in the U.S. 

For every dollar spent on duck stamps, 98 cents goes towards the purchase or leasing of wetlands for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since first being sold in 1934 the stamps have raised $670 million that has been used to protect over 5 million acres of wetlands. You need not be a bird hunter to purchase a duck stamp, you don’t even have to have a hunting license, you just need to be someone interested in aiding the fight against global warming.

While it may not be getting the attention it deserves from politicians or the press, Sierra Club has not lost sight of the value of securing healthy lands and waters in the face of global warming. Sierra Club's Resilient Habitats Initiative is a bold and optimistic effort to both fight global warming and defend America’s outdoor heritage by protecting the habitat fish and wildlife depend on. Through the initiative Sierra Club is bringing together diverse outdoor interests so that the lifestyle we value does not burn away in a warmer world and so that we keep a world worth saving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't Worry About the Doves

Hi-- Today we've got a guest blogger, my compatriot Bart Semcer of the Sierra Club:

Earlier this week I noticed that mourning doves were once again in the wooded marsh around my home. One of the most abundant gamebirds in America, mourning doves are also one of the most popular with hunters. Of the estimated 400 million doves that fly across the continent, law abiding hunters kill approximately 22.7 million each year.

I enjoy hunting doves, both for the social nature of dove hunting and the culinary opportunities the birds provide. With this being Earth Week I began wondering if global warming might have an impact on doves and dove hunting. After doing some research I am happy saying that for doves, the news is not so bad. U.S. Forest Service scientists  predict that climate change will likely have little effect on doves, and there may even be population increases in Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula if warming temperatures result in less balsam fir forest. 

Thankfully we need not worry about global warming and the future of the doves. But I don’t feel we can call ourselves conservationists and only be concerned about one species, no matter how much we value it. If additional research is accurate, global warming threatens fish, wildlife and our outdoor heritage nationwide. If we are conservationists we should be paying close attention and taking action.

The U.S. Forest Service scientists who reported a good outlook for doves also expect a “withdrawal” of ruffed grouse from the coastal regions of the Northeastern States and from possibly all of the Great Lakes Region, resulting from an expected near total loss of paper birch. Some scientists predict a loss of up to 99% of large habitat areas for bull trout in the Rocky Mountains. In the Southern Appalachians, researchers are anticipating the loss of 97% of trout waters under some climate change models.

These may only be predictions but they are dire ones. I can only speak for myself but I value our outdoor heritage enough to think we should not gamble with it. As part of America’s new energy future I would like to do everything I can to secure a place for fish, wildlife and all who enjoy it and I would like to help others do the same. 

Sierra Club’s recently launched Resilient Habitats Initiative, is a bold and optimistic effort to confront the threat of climate change to fish and wildlife by applying the best available science to efforts that secure habitat today so we can still enjoy fish and wildlife in a warmer tomorrow. 

The Resilient Habitats Initiative engages people in fish and wildlife conservation through a combination of education, advocacy and hands-on projects that protect and improve habitat. With the help of partner agencies and organizations Sierra Club is optimistic that this effort will be successful in making sure that there will be grouse to shoot, trout to catch and a wealth of creation to enjoy for generations to come.

Photo Contest, Pull the Trigger

I'm thrilled to host our first photo contest on Sierra Sportsmen.  The prizes are great ($500 gift certificates to either Patagonia or Bass Pro Shops), but even more exciting to me is the opportunity to see your photos.  Where have you been?  What critters did you see?  Who were you with? 

Most of us are pretty familiar with Ansel Adams, the famous photographer who took beautiful and moving photos of outdoor places.  Those photos helped conserve the places in the photos.  They were brought before presidents and Congressmen, whose resistance to protecting those places melted away when they saw their beauty captured on film.  You can see some of those photos, and the Ansel Adams story, here.  Photo at is left Moon Over Half Dome, © Corbis/Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.      

Hunting and fishing have always been linked to imagery, maybe due to the limitations of language in describing the dynamic chase scenes.  And cave-paintings of critters from pre-historic times were not only used to describe past hunts, but it is believed they also were used to conjure good luck in future trips (evidenced by spear marks on cave paintings-- target practice!)

But before the age of photography, hunters and anglers were still somewhat restricted-- or maybe liberated-- by storytelling.  Perhaps because of the urge to tell a whopper of a tale, hunters and anglers felt the urge to mount the punchline to their stories over the fireplace, as proof.  See that red deer skull, they were saying, I'm no liar!

These days we have photography to help improve our stories--  "That beautiful cutthroat trout over the mantle?  That wasn't bought at some yardsale!  And here are the photos of me in the Pecos Wilderness catching that beaut!" 

Instead of sitting around some Pleistocene campfire telling our fishing/hunting stories with hand-motions, we can now share our stories with people across the continent, lit by the glow of digital images flickering from a laptop. 

We all know the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words".   I'm hoping our photos can help save a thousand places we love to fish and hunt.

Some other bloggers on the launch of Sierra Sportsmen:
http://troutunderground.com/2008/04/18/sierra-club-reaches-out-to-sportsmen-with-new-site-blog/
http://fieldandstream.blogs.com/news/2008/04/discussion-t-10.html   
http://californiahuntingtoday.com/hogblog/?p=485
http://lowcountryhunting.com/2008/04/18/sierra-club-reaches-out-to-hunters-with-new-website-should-we-support-them/

Restoring Kentucky's Quail

If you are the kind of person who enjoys the outdoors, and the good life it brings, then the Commonwealth of Kentucky has a great deal to offer.  For the first time in over a century the haunting bugles of elk are once again being heard in the Cumberland forests.  Then, of course, there is the sight of the thoroughbreds and their polished, muscular bodies giving their all to the race.  And, I would be remiss if I did not mention the taste of Kentucky bourbon, real bourbon, made with limestone water, be it in a julep or simply neat.  Yes, Kentucky is a special place for lovers of sport.

Kentucky is also special because of its quail. As in much of the South, quail hunting is a way of life in the Bluegrass State, and, as in much of the nation, it is a way of life increasingly at-risk.  Changes in land use patterns, drought, and an expanding human population are all threatening to wipe out quail

across much of their historic range. In Kentucky alone, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources estimates the number of quail has declined in the state by over 67 percent since 1960.

This is nothing short of a wildlife conservation crisis.  It is however a crisis that we are entirely capable of overcoming.

To reverse the decline of quail in Kentucky, Sierra Club, along with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Quail Forever, League of Kentucky Sportsmen, Quail Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation and 18 other agencies and organizations are supporting a Northern bobwhite quail restoration plan for the state.

As part of a coordinated, region-wide quail conservation initiative, the Kentucky plan seeks to stabilize the state's quail population within 10 years by bringing people together in partnerships that conserve and improve quail habitat.  As the plan notes, if successful this initiative will not only have benefits for quail, but also other wildlife species, water quality as well as carbon sequestration efforts that aid in the fight to stop global warming.

So tonight, pour yourself a glass of bourbon and raise a toast to the people working to restore quail in Kentucky and around the nation.  We certainly need more like them.

Global Warming Dams Salmon

Salmon are the lifeblood of our Western rivers -- yet existing dams and pending global warming threaten to drive them out of our waters.  Last week Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, wrote an op-ed that appeared in newspapers across the country.

Take a look, and let's figure and get done what we need to do to save these iconic fish!

March 26, 2008
Noah's Ark for salmon:
To survive global warming, we must help the fish reach pristine spawning grounds.
By Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director

As global warming bears down on our Western rivers and watersheds, it threatens one of the great symbols of Western abundance: wild salmon. With each passing year, their numbers have dropped precipitously. This decline is believed to be in part the result of warming temperatures in streams and rivers.

Earlier this month, government fishery managers moved toward a ban on salmon fishing off the California and Oregon coasts because of the diminishing numbers of chinook salmon.

If we hope to save the salmon, we must do two things: Stop the rise in greenhouse gases as quickly as we can and secure our waters' health against the warming that has begun and will continue. This is a river-by-river job, and each river matters. But there is one part of the job that is critical - the piece that unites sportsmen, biologists and everyone else who cares about salmon.

The biggest, wildest, highest, coldest, healthiest and best-protected salmon habitat left south of Canada spans millions of acres and thousands of stream miles in central Idaho, eastern Oregon and southeast Washington in the headwaters of the Snake River. It is Noah's Ark for salmon - the haven they need to reach to survive and carry on.

Scientists believe the salmon that spawn in this place probably have the best chance of any salmon populations in the Lower 48 states to adapt to, and thus survive, global warming. This habitat, nearly all above 4,000 feet in elevation, will stay cool even as temperatures rise in other areas. It will give salmon the firmest footing from which to self-adapt in the face of warming.

And because the area is protected as wilderness and public land, it probably will face less development pressure and could offer refuge for years to come.

In the face of the great flood, Noah had to build an ark, but this one comes already made. All we need to do is help the salmon get there.

The heart of the refuge lies in the Salmon River Mountains high above the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from the coast. But the route between the ocean and the spawning ground - the ark - is choked by eight dams, which kill as much as 90 percent of the area's native salmon as they journey out to sea and back again.

Best chance of survival

If salmon are to survive climate change, four of these dams on the lower Snake River must go. Once the dams are removed, the salmon would be able to reach the ark, and scientists give such a plan a 50 percent to 90 percent probability of restoring productive populations. If the dams stay, the salmon will lose their best chance to survive global warming.

It is less expensive to remove these four dams than to keep them. The modest electricity benefits they offer to local wheat farmers can and should be replaced by clean energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

Low-elevation rivers will warm more, putting salmon there more at risk. Filling the high-elevation ark with salmon is our best insurance policy against what global warming could do to these valuable fish.

We have reached a tipping point. Only four sockeye salmon returned to the ark last year, and in a few years the area's chinook salmon could also reach the brink of extinction. We must act now, and if we do, the odds of success are excellent.

Want to stay "in-the-loop" on fish & game news? Sign up for   the Sierra   Sportsmen Network.

"I Am Haunted By Waters"

So reads the last line of Norman Maclean's "A River Runs Through It", the story of two fly fishing Montana brothers made famous by the movie of the same name. 

A similar title could also be applied to our nation-- "A River Runs Through Us". 

From Washington's Army crossing the Delaware River, to Lewis and Clark following the Missouri River, to Mark Twain's tales of the Mississippi, and Powell running the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, we are a nation who's identity has been carved out by our rivers. 

Yet where are we today?  4 out of 10 American rivers are UNSAFE for either swimming or fishing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.  Am I crazy for thinking this is one of the greatest sins perpetrated upon the American people?

NASA may spend billions of dollars a year looking for water on other planets in the search for extra-terrestrial life, but here on earth we let industry, factory farms, dams, and irresponsible commercial fishing strip life from our own waters. 

Yet there is hope.  Last week my gloomy outlook on water was buoyed, by people who are doing something about their local streams, lakes and rivers-- the Water Sentinels (click here to see them talk about their work on youtube).

I attended this group's annual meeting in Alabama.  I learned these folks, mostly volunteers, are people around the country who monitor and clean-up local waters.   

They come from all walks of life-- school teachers, retirees, farmers, carpenters, fisherman, parents, and kids-- all folks who decided they loved our country enough to make a difference. 

The data they collect from monitoring (mostly through macro-invertebrate surveys-- you fishermen out there know what I'm talking about) is then used by state environmental and water agencies to establish protections to improve water health for people and wildlife.  Their data has even been used in courts to enforce penalties for pollution offenders.   

This is work that wouldn't otherwise be done, because most states don't have the resources to fully fund water monitoring in their respective state.

Due to their effectiveness, I also heard incredible stories of some Water Sentinels being the targets of intimidation, vandalism, and outright assault, by the goons of polluting companies.   If I didn't already have enough admiration for these Water Sentinels, their bravery in the face of this intimidation made me even more enamored. 

So this blog is a HUGE "hats-off" to the Water Sentinels, my new friends and heroes.  If you care about people, or game or fish, I hope you will consider becoming involved with the Water Sentinels at your favorite watery "haunt."

Click here to find out how to get involved in Water Sentinels near you

Wolf Hunting

That title got your attention, huh? 

As you may have heard wolves in the Northern Rockies have been "delisted"-- removed from the Endangered Species list.  This has caused a big commotion in the environmental and Northern Rocky worlds, and I'd thought I'd add my sportsman two cents to the mix, as someone who has lived in two states with wolf populations (Montana and New Mexico). 

In short the delisting of wolves means their management (dealing with hunting licenses, wolf predation on livestock) is now being turned over from the federal government (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to the state game and fish agencies in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.  (National Geographic's description.)

It also means that wolves will start being hunted in each of those states, whereas before they were "untouchable" under the Endangered Species Act.  You won't find me applying for a wolf hunting permit, but this is a big deal for a lot of people, and an emotional one. 

While Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have committed to maintaining a minimum of 150 wolves in their respective states (currently there are about 500 in each), it is likely the states will never approach that crisis 150 level. 

SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR SPORTSMEN?

In a nutshell:

• Wolves are good for other wildlife and help promote healthy, balanced landscapes.  That's a fact.  They do knock down elk and deer populations, but it is a very rare occurrence for wolves to completely eat out their game (think about it, that wouldn't be much of an evolutionary strategy, would it?).
• Wolves help hunters by promoting healthy game populations, weeding out the weak, sick, and old (it will be interesting to see if wolves help control Chronic Wasting Disease in the Northern Rockies, an emerging problem). 
• Wolves help fishermen by protecting riparian areas from over-graze by elk and deer, which help keeps streams and rivers shaded, thus keeping water cooler for fish. 

If you are the kind of hunter who likes shooting from the back of a pick-up, then maybe you aren't a fan of wolves because you may actually have to get off your ass to hunt.   (By the way, maybe you aren't a fan of wildlife in general.  And you aren't much of a hunter).

On the other hand, if part of the hunting and fishing experience for you is participating in the outdoors, appreciating the work of God or evolution (take your pick), then you will love being outdoors in a healthier wolf-influenced landscape.  More birds, more fish, more critters, more water, more vegetation, more FUN.

The greatest experience hunting I ever had was in the Gravelly Mountains in southwest Montana.  It was very cold, fairly remote, and the elk were hard to find.  We built a fire in the snow to warm up.  We humped over ridges through 4-foot snow drifts. 

But on that day, alongside the elk prints we were tracking, we found wolf and mountain lion prints.  The wolves and mountain lions were doing the same thing we were.  Truly wild. 

I didn't harvest an elk that day; but I did harvest an experience.  And I don't need it to hang it on my wall to remember, because I carry it in my heart everywhere I go.