SPEAK OUT FOR LARAMIE PEAK HABITAT!

Medicine Bow National Forest is revising its "Travel Management Plan," which dictates which roads and trails will be maintained or closed, in the Laramie Peak area. Douglas Ranger District will host two informal open houses for the public to review the Draft Environmental Assessment and maps of the Plan. Bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, nesting birds and non-game wildlife are sensitive to the noise, pollution, and soil disturbance caused by motorized recreation. Please attend or write a letter to express:

• support for closing 100+ miles of user-created roads (illegal vandalism) to motorized use
• opposition to the Service’s proposal to pursue right-of-way for approx. 390 miles of system roads that have no legal access to isolated parcels of forest land.
• concern for motorized impacts to quiet recreationists
• general concern for the effects of motorized recreation on wildlife and special concern for Endangered Species and Regional Forester's List of Sensitive Species
• your ideas for minimizing impacts of specific roads and/or trails

Written comments will be accepted through April 20th, at: Laramie Peak Travel Management, Environmental Assessment, U.S. Forest Service, Douglas Ranger District, 2250 East Street, Douglas, WY 82633-8922. Or attend one of the open houses:

Douglas, April 9th, 6 – 8 p.m., Converse County Courthouse (basement), 107 North 5th Street. Wheatland, April 12th, Platte County Public Library (basement), 904 9th Street. For more info, view the draft and maps online at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr/projects/trans/index.shtml.

JUDGE RESTORES TEETH TO FOREST MANAGEMENT!

A recent ruling by Federal Judge, Phyllis J. Hamilton, requires the current Washington Administration to restore environmental protection measures mandated by Congress in the National Forest Management Act. The Administration had pulled the teeth out of the National Forest Management Act, making it unaccountable to science, law and the public. This legal victory restores accountability to forest management, which has immediate application to two major forests in Wyoming's Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: the Shoshone and Bridger-Teton just got spared! BCA applauds Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens for Better Forestry, Defenders of Wildlife, The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, Vermont Natural Resources Council and other groups, and the state of California for filing the winning lawsuit. Read the ruling online at www.savenationalforests.org.

ATTEND THE QUIET USE ADVOCACY CONFERENCE

You're invited to the “Quiet Commotion” Summit, MAY 4-6, 2007 at the Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs, CO. The Summit will bring together quiet recreationists such as hikers, skiers, mountain bikers, bird watchers, hunters and anglers, as well as national and local experts. Attendants will discuss with Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management representatives the recreation future of our Southern Rockies public lands, including the Medicine Bow. Hosted by the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance (of which BCA is a part) and co-sponsored by Audubon Colorado, this exciting conference will encourage a dialogue about how to achieve quiet recreation opportunities in a network of connected, sustainable ecosystems, watersheds, and quality wildlife habitat, and preserve a quiet, untrammeled natural heritage to be enjoyed by future generations.

Visit http://www.cmc.org/events/eventdetails.aspx?EventID=928 for more information, or contact Richard Huck at 720-436-6061, richardjhuck@yahoo.com, or Aaron Clark at 720-324-7031, aaron@quiet-trails.org.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: SEND LETTERS TO PINEDALE

Public comments on the Pinedale Anticline Oil and Gas Development Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement are now due Friday, April 6, mailed to: Matt Anderson, Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941, or emailed to WYMail_PAPA_YRA@blm.gov. The BLM's preferred alternative would permit year-round drilling for at least the next 16 years, posing grave threats to wildlife on the Anticline. BLM also proposes to authorize 4,400 additional wells on the site, further fragmenting already impacted wildlife habitat. See our previous alert for an in-depth analysis of the BLM's proposal at http://www.voiceforthewild.org/general/enews/enjan07.html

WORLD LOSES KOEPSEL: CONSERVATION STALWART

In sad news, long-time Sierra Club staffer Kirk Koepsel succumbed to a heart attack while playing hockey on February 15th. Kirk was in charge of the conservation program in the Northern Plains Office of the Sierra Club in Sheridan, Wyoming, and for many years was a leading conservation advocate on grassland issues. Kirk is survived by his daughter Katya and his wife Karen Walmsley. This tragic and early loss of one of our most dedicated conservation proponents has been deeply felt throughout the conservation community. Memorials may be made to the College Fund for Kirk's daughter at the Sheridan Employees Federal Credit Union, 141 S. Gould, Sheridan, 82801 or to the Sierra Club, 85 Second Street, Second Floor, San Francisco, Calif., 94105-3441. We'll miss you, Kirk! 

E-DAY IN LARAMIE, FT COLLINS, SLC & RAPID CITY

You're invited to join BCA at one of several free events to commemorate Earth Week 2007!

In Laramie, WY:
On Tuesday, April 17th, at the Albany Public Library, BCA will present a slide show on Special Places in the Red Desert at 7:00 P.M., which is free and open to the public. In addition, BCA will present Adobe Town slide shows on April 11th at Spring Winds Assisted Living Community; April 16th at the Ivinson Home for Aged Ladies; April 17th at Eppson Center for Seniors; and on April 18th at the Laramie Care Center.

BCA will present a display in the Albany Public Library during the week of April 16th – April 22nd. In addition, we will attend the University of WyomingEarth Day Celebration Friday, April 20th, in Prexy’s Pasture, with a display and information from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Also we will attend and participate in the Laramie "Cool City World Cafe" discussion about climate change on April 19th from 5-8pm in the Molecular Biology Building on the UW campus (19th St., just North of Willett Drive); for more information contact Bart Geerts by email at Geerts@uwyo.edu or by phone at 307-766-2261, or see the webpage for more info: http://www.uwyo.edu/greenspot/showdivisionnews.asp?divisionnewsid=3422.

In Fort Collins, CO:
Maggie Schafer of the BCA staff will be present April 22nd, at the Earth Day Fair in the City Park, 1500 W Mulberry St., from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM with an information booth.

In Salt Lake City, UT:
BCA will be represented by volunteer Heather Prine of Evanston, WY, at the Earth Jam Festival April 22 in Liberty Park, 700E 1300S. The festival features music, entertainment, artists, dancing and much more. See the BCA booth near the Earth Stage from noon to 8:30pm.

In Rapid City, SD:
Suzanne Lewis of the BCA staff will be present April 22 (Sunday) from 12:30 to 4:00, at the Surbeck Center, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E Saint Joseph Street, with an information booth.

JOIN USFWS RACHEL CARSON ONLINE BOOK CLUB

Rachel Carson is considered by many to be the mother of the modern-day environmental movement. Marking the 100th anniversary of her birth, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Friends of the National Conservation Training Center have launched the Rachel Carson Online Book Club. From March through November the club will focus on Carson's life and work including her role as a female leader in science and government. Several distinguished moderators will participate in the online discussions, including marine biologist and Director of Duke Marine Laboratory, Cindy Van Dover; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service historian Mark Madison; Houghton Mifflin Executive Editor Deanne Urmy; and author and professor of Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, John Elder.
Carson's most well known book Silent Spring, which alerted the public to the dangers of pesticides, will be showcased, as well as some of her lesser known texts including The Sense of Wonder. Participation is open to anyone who can access the internet. For more information, please contact Anne Roy, National Conservation Training Center at: Anne_Roy@fws.gov, or Nancy Pollot, Oregon Fish & Wildlife Office at: Nancy_Pollot@fws.gov. View the book club Web site at: http://rcbookclub.blogspot.com.

EBAY FEATURES BCA IN EARTH MONTH

This April and May, eBay Giving Works (eBay's dedicated program for charity listings), will be shining a "Spotlight on Saving our Environment." People can use eBay Giving Works to donate to us at any time, but during April and May, eBay will focus special attention on conservation groups like BCA, and the listings that benefit us. Visit this site to learn more about donating percentages of sales for BCA: http://www.missionfish.org/ForSellers/forsellers.jsp.
You can also support us by shopping on eBay. Be sure to visit our MissionFish page: http://www.missionfish.org/NPMMF/nphomepage.jsp?NP_ID=16226 where you'll find a list of all items whose sellers will donate a percentage of their final sale price to BCA. It's a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness and funds for wildlife and wild places!