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You're Invited to BCA's Holiday Party!
Monday, December 5th: 6pm - 8pm.
Come See Our "New Office" 412 S. 2nd Street in Laramie's Historic Downtown.
BCA members and volunteers: you are invited to attend our first annual Holiday Party at our new location. This will be a dessert pot-luck, so bring your favorite dessert and your appetite.
Beverages both warm and cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic will be provided as well as plates, napkins and utensils.
Please email me if you have any questions: jennifer@voiceforthewild.org.
Major BCA Lawsuit Prompts Withdrawal of Black Hills Timber Sale
On October 28, BCA and a coalition of conservation groups filed suit against the Forest Service challenging the amended Black Hills National Forest Plan. In response, the agency withdrew its bid notice for the Rattler timber sale in the Rattlesnake Project area near Sundance, Wyoming.
The Forest Service had planned to award a contract for the Rattler timber sale on December 5, but the sale is now cancelled "due to pending litigation." The Rattlesnake Project encompasses Sand Creek, a hotspot for species diversity and unique vegetative communities. Sand Creek is one of just three inventoried roadless areas in the Black Hills National Forest. BCA is glad the Forest Service cancelled the Rattler sale and is hopeful the agency will refrain from awarding further sales implicated by our lawsuit while the merits of our case are considered by the federal District Court of Wyoming.
BCA Nominated, Wyoming Pocket Gopher Makes
Endangered Species Coalition's Top Ten List!
This year the Endangered Species Coalition, based in Washington D.C., opened up a nomination process among endangered species advocate groups across the nation giving them an opportunity to nominate a wildlife species that they believe is most impacted by the development, extraction and transportation of fossil fuels. BCA nominated the extremely rare Wyoming pocket gopher, a species that in 2007 we petitioned for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Only a few more than three dozen Wyoming pocket gophers have been documented to exist since it was first collected in 1857 by Dr. W. A. Hammond about 18 miles southwest of Rawlins, Wyoming. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service denied our petition and, in doing so, denied protection for this extremely rare gopher even though three large oil and gas developments literally sprawl over the gopher's entire known habitat.
The 10 top species were selected by popular vote among activists across the country. Twenty species were nominated and the ten receiving the most votes receive an award called the "Activists Choice Award." Be watching for an Alert on our BCA website when the Endangered Species Coalition announces the entire list sometime in December.
BCA is well known for its efforts to protect wild species that otherwise receive little or no attention due to their uncharismatic appearance or obscurity. The Wyoming pocket gopher is one of the rarest mammals in the western hemisphere and it lives only in Wyoming.
Model Thunder Basin National Grassland
Prairie Dog Relocation Plan Temporarily Halted
After several years of meetings and planning efforts the U.S. Forest Service, in 2009, released a Thunder Basin National Grassland Black-tailed Prairie Dog Management Plan that was the result of compromises between local, state and federal agencies, ranching interests and conservation groups. The Plan was accepted by all interested parties. All stakeholders had an opportunity to appeal the plan but no appeals were filed.
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Now, after two seasons of successful efforts by the agencies and conservation groups to relocate prairie dogs to accommodate ranchers' demands and to help increase black-tailed prairie dog populations on public lands in the Thunder Basin, Weston and Converse County Commissioners and a handful of ranchers who want the Forest Service to poison prairie dogs have halted the relocation program. In response to complaints from ranchers and under pressure from the county commissioners the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has pulled the permit required for the relocation efforts to continue.
BCA and its conservation partners simply want the process to continue to be implemented according to the Plan as agreed upon by all the stakeholders in 2009. We are working hard to convince Wyoming Game and Fish to issue the required permit so in 2012 we can continue prairie dog relocation efforts in anticipation of the long-awaited reintroduction of the Endangered black-footed ferret to their historic range in the Thunder Basin National Grassland.
BCA Supports Canadian Sage Grouse Petition
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance was one of two U.S. conservation groups to join a petition by Canadian conservationists to seek emergency protections for sage grouse populations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. As a result of impacts from oil and gas development on sage grouse habitat there, fewer than 60 breeding males are known to remain in Canada at present. The petition seeks an emergency order to impose protections, which up to this point have been lax, under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. BCA and WildEarth Guardians joined 10 Canadian groups to show international support for the compelling need to protect Canadian sage grouse populations.
Thank You Joanna Orr - Volunteer of the Year!
Joanna has dedicated many hours to helping BCA over the past several years. Currently employed at the University of Wyoming Coe Library; she has worked tirelessly after hours to more efficiently organize our many files and libraries. In addition she has, for example, weathered frigid temperatures to help us collect signatures important for our Medicine Bow National Forest protection efforts, been a great help during our annual events and most recently she helped sell tickets at our 2011 Barbeque. Joanna is always a pleasure to work with and is willing to help whenever she can. Reliable volunteers like Joanna allow BCA to continue its important work protecting wildlife and wild places throughout Wyoming. Thank you Joanna!
Hey, Have You Heard?
BCA has its own Facebook page! Check it out!
Enjoy all the opportunities Facebook provides for keeping up with BCA happenings and breaking conservation news.
Follow us on Twitter too!
Thanks for using your voice for the wild!
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance
P.O. Box 1512, Laramie, WY 82073
(307) 742-7978 - jennifer@voiceforthewild.org
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