[va-richmond-general] Endangered Species Coalition urges opposition to Kempthorne

Endangered Species Coalition Update
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
An update on the work of the Endangered Species Coalition
CONTENTS:
-  Endangered Species Act Legislative Update: Kempthorne nominated as Interior 
Secretary

- Action: Celebrate Endangered Species Day on May 11th

- News: Eagles Forever Closes April 30th

- Notes from the Field

- Announcement: Welcome to new ESC member groups

The Endangered Species Coalition is a national network of over 360 
conservation, scientific, religious, sporting, business and community 
organizations working to protect endangered species and habitat.

Endangered Species Coalition
P.O. Box 65195
Washington, DC 20035(510) 486-0567www.stopextinction.org


  Endangered Species Act legislative update:
Kempthorne nominated as Interior Secretary

President Bush has nominated Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne to replace Gale 
Norton as Secretary of the Interior.  The Senate is scheduled to begin 
confirmation hearings in May 4th.  Kempthorne, a former Senator himself, will 
likely be confirmed, despite his abysmal record on the environment.

Throughout his career, Dirk Kempthorne has maintained close ties to timber, 
mining, and development corporations.    Before running for public office, 
Kempthorne worked as public affairs manager for the agricultural chemical 
company FMC Corp. and vice president of the Idaho Homebuilders Association.   
He was elected mayor of Boise in 1986, and served one term in the U.S. Senate 
from 1992 until 1998.  He then retired to return home to Idaho, where he was 
elected Governor in 1998, and again in 2002.  In his 2002 gubernatorial 
reelection campaign, Kempthorne received more money from timber, mining, and 
energy industries than any other western gubernatorial candidate.

Perhaps not coincidentally, his LCV environmental voting record in the U.S. 
Senate was a dismal 1% for his six years in the Senate, and as governor of 
Idaho he has a dismal record on conservation of wildlife and habitat.

For more on Kempthorne?s record on wildlife and habitat conservation, visit 
www.stopextinction.org/kempthorne.

We need to state our opposition to Governor Kempthorne?s confirmation so that 
Congress is aware of his abysmal record on conservation issues.  Sign your 
organization onto this letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee opposing Kempthorne?s confirmation.  To view the text of the letter, 
click here.
To sign the letter, send your organization?s name, contact person, city and 
state to Brian Nowicki at the Center for Biological Diversity at 
bnowicki@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  Action:
Celebrate Endangered Species Day on May 11th with millions of Americans across 
the country!

The Endangered Species Coalition and our partners are organizing events across 
the country to celebrate Endangered Species Day on May 11th.

Endangered Species Day provides an opportunity for schools, libraries, museums, 
zoos, botanical gardens, agencies, businesses, community groups and 
conservation organizations to educate the public about the importance of 
protecting endangered species and highlight the everyday actions that 
individuals and groups can take to help protect our nation?s wildlife, fish and 
plants.

Attend an Endangered Species Day event in your area or organize your own.  A 
list of events, ideas for potential events and resources are available at the 
Endangered Species Day website.
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  News:

Eagles Forever Contest closes on April 30th!
"The bald eagle is back! Why is that important to America?" Between now and 
April 30, kids and adults across the nation are being asked to submit their 
stories and art answering this question for a chance to win a trip to 
Washington DC as part of the Eagles Forever contest.

A panel of distinguished ?Eagles Forever!? judges ? including Amy Smart, star 
of ?Just Friends?; Kerri Allred, 12, founder of AllGreenKids.com; Sophie 
McKibben, 12, editor and publisher of Bookworm magazine; and Steve Winter, 
contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine ? will review 
contest entries and select two winners and four finalists. The winners, one in 
the story category and one in the artwork category, will receive a trip for 
themselves and three of their friends or family members to Washington DC. 
Finalists will receive $200 gift certificates to Amazon.com and a 12-month 
subscription to National Geographic or NG Kids Magazine.



The contest will culminate with an Endangered Species Act celebration event to 
be held in Washington DC on Wednesday, June 28, 2006, where contest winners 
will join Eagles Forever! contest judges and other special guests. Visit 
www.eaglesforever.org




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  Notes from the Field:

GAO ESA report, Economics of Wolf Recovery, Dollar Value of Insects


GAO Study finds Pombo Endangered Species Act Claims Misleading

On April 6, 2006, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report 
titled ?Endangered Species: Time and Costs Required to Recover Species Are 
Largely Unknown? that disputes the claims that the Endangered Species Act is 
not working.  Rep. Richard Pombo, (R-CA), has repeatedly asserted that the 
Endangered Species Act has failed because only 1 percent of the 1,300 species 
under its care have fully recovered and been removed from the endangered list. 
Scientists have roundly denounced this claim because endangered species have 
been protected for an average of only 16.5 years, while the average federal 
recovery plan predicts that 35 to 50 years will be needed restore them.



Economics of Wolf Recovery

According to a new study on the economics of wolf recovery, wolves brought an 
estimated $35 million into the Yellowstone National Park area just last year.  
94 percent of Yellowstone visitors visit the park for wildlife watching, 
including wolves and grizzly bears.  University of Montana economist John 
Duffield surveyed the economics of wolf recovery in Yellowstone National Park 
since the reintroduction program began.



The Value of Insects

A new study in the April issue of the journal Bioscience shows that insects 
provide services worth more than $57 billion to Americans. Insects are food for 
wildlife that supports a $50 billion recreation industry. Native insects 
provide more than $4.5 billion in pest control, pollinate $3 billion in crops, 
and clean up grazing lands with a subsequent savings to ranchers of more than 
$380 million.  The study was conducted by Mace Vaughan, Conservation Director 
of the Xerces Society and John Losey, Associate Professor of Entomology at 
Cornell University.




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  Announcement:

Endangered Species Coalition welcomes 4 new member organizations


The Endangered Species Coalition would like to welcome 4 new member 
organizations, joining us in our efforts to protect endangered species and 
habitat.



The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association  is dedicated to protecting the 
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary?s wildlife and habitats off 
the coast of northern California.  The Wetlands Action Network protects and 
restores wetlands along the Pacific Megratory Pathways. The Ballona Institute 
is dedicated to restoring the greater Ballona Westlands ecosystem in the Los 
Angeles area.  CLEAN, the Coastal Law Enforcement Action Network, enforces laws 
protecting the California coast.



To join the Endangered Species Coalition as a member, or to sign up your 
organization as an ESC member group, visit our website at 
www.stopextinction.org and click on the "Join as a Member Today" link on the 
bottom left-hand side of the page.  Members give us the political and financial 
strength to continue our work to protect endangered species.  To see a list of 
the Endangered Species Coalition's member organizations, click here .




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The Endangered Species Coalition is a non-partisan coalition working with 
decisionmakers from all parties.  With over 360 member groups located all 
across the country, including conservation organizations, scientific 
associations, religious organizations, hunting and fishing associations, hiking 
clubs, humane societies, student groups and concerned citizens, we are as 
diverse as the species we are working to protect.




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