[va-richmond-general] Endangered Species Coalition urges opposition to Kempthorne
- From: "katya" <katya@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 08:25:24 -0400
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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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