I was appalled to hear — on Earth Day of all days — that the International Whaling Commission has put forward a deal that would legalize commercial whaling for the first time in a generation.

Even worse, the Obama Administration has backed this deadly proposal, which would suspend the international ban on whaling and make it legal once again to kill whales for profit.

During his campaign, President Obama promised America he would oppose the killing of these magnificent creatures. It’s time for you and me to hold him to that promise.

Please call on the White House to oppose any deal that would legitimize the hunting and killing of whales.

Obama Administration officials claim that the IWC deal would be a “step forward” for whales because it could rein in Japan, Iceland and Norway, which have killed thousands of whales since 1986 by exploiting loopholes in the whaling ban.

But, in fact, this new deal is a giant step backward. It rewards those three nations for years of defying international law. It does their bidding by suspending the whaling ban for 10 years. It opens up the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to whaling. And it will not stop them from trading in whale meat or killing whales under legal loopholes like “scientific permits.”

Don’t believe for a minute that this kind of deal would phase down whaling. Instead, it would breathe new life into a dying industry.

Worst of all, the deal gives moral cover to the absurd notion that we can save whales by killing them — instead of by banning their slaughter.

There is no moral justification for killing whales. There is no scientific justification for killing whales.

And if the Obama Administration persists in supporting a deal that encourages the killing of whales, it will tarnish not only the White House but our entire nation.

Please join me in telling President Obama to vigorously oppose this deal and instead push for a deal that closes the loopholes and ends commercial whaling once and for all!

Thanks to the efforts of NRDC, you and I have prevailed so many times in defense of our planet’s whales. We saved the gray whale’s last untouched nursery in Mexico’s San Ignacio Lagoon against Mitsubishi’s plans for industrialization. And we reined in the Navy’s use of dangerous sonar systems around marine mammals.

Now, with our own government supporting an unthinkable deal that would legalize the commercial killing of whales, we must unite again and say: Not on our watch!

I hope you’ll make your own voice heard inside the White House today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Pierce Brosnan
Natural Resources Defense Council

Surely others feel the wonderful bond we humans have to nature, and can understand the integral part they play in Life on this beautiful planet Earth? We are conscious stewards who must remember to walk softly, with a great respect for these sacred lands. Because truly, all places on this planet are sacred, and we can each make a difference when it comes to preserving the pristine wild places. Please take a few precious moments to offer your support in caring for the land which provides for all of our needs. The following letter is the latest news from Oregon Wild. I give grateful thanks for your time.

Oregon Wild Supporter,

Here’s a quick quiz for you:

The Malheur, Wallowa-Whitman, and Umatilla Nation Forests in northeast Oregon cover 5.3 million acres of land. In the new draft Forest Service plan that will chart the course for their future management, how many acres of Wilderness is the agency recommending?

a)    1,800,000 acres
b)    953,000 acres
c)    16,000 acres

Click here to find out the answer and make sure your voice is heard as the Forest Service continues to draft their new plan.

Collectively, these national forests make up the spectacular and diverse Blue Mountains where Ponderosa pine forests and sweeping vistas are home to elk, steelhead, and now wolves. Out here, the forests are more open and the chance of running into another person out in the backcountry is slim.

The opportunities for expanded Wilderness protection are vast.

With only 4% of the state of Oregon permanently safeguarded with the highest level of protection Congress can bestow on public land, we have a long way to go to make up our Wilderness deficit. Sadly, the Forest Service (even with new leadership in the Obama administration) doesn’t seem to understand how vital Wilderness protections are to Oregonians today and for future generations.

Click on the chart below to see the numbers and find out what the Forest Service is recommending for Wilderness protection in the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revisions.

From Hell’s Canyon west to the headwaters of the John Day River, the national forests that make up the mighty Blue Mountains need your voice.

Write to the Forest Service today and urge them to protect the remaining wild places of northeast Oregon.

Thank you.

For the wild,
Erik Fernandez
Wilderness Coordinator
Oregon Wild

PS: The Forest Service doesn’t always move quickly. The Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision has been years in the making. Throughout the process, Oregon Wild staff have been diligently monitoring the process, attending meetings, and now holding the Forest Service accountable for a lackluster plan. We couldn’t keep the Forest Service honest without the support of people like you. Please donate or become a member today to support our work protecting our remaining wild forests. Thanks.

Lakota Spiritual Leader and Head Man, David Swallow, Speaks Out on Reservation Crisis

Our children are dying. Our children are killing themselves in record numbers on our Lakota Reservations. They are filled with despair, confusion, and hopelessness and they see suicide as the only answer.

Many studies point to the hopelessness as being a result of generations of genocide committed by the historical policies of the Federal Government against the American Indians. But the policies of today are just as damaging. These policies create a system of “assimilate or die,” just another form of genocide.

I am not racist. This is not about hatred or racism. There are many good non-Lakota. But the damage from the Government and the mainstream culture and its almighty dollar is killing the children of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations. To look for solutions from the mainstream culture will only bring about more confusion, more genocide, and more destruction of our culture and our people.

Yes, our children need help. Then, they also need jobs. They need work. They need to have hope that they can survive. They need to be treated like real citizens, free to be who they are.

The current programs are not working. Our Reservations are dry but 60-70% of our people are still affected by alcoholism and drug addictions. There are a few non-profit organizations that do good work on our reservations. They really do try to help. But there are also many, many groups who only make money in our name. We’re a commodity to them, a way to get more and more money for themselves, while our children are suffering. It’s the same with some of the Tribal Council and Government programs. The money never reaches the people, it never really helps anyone.

Our children are living in a world of confusion and chaos. We need all the help we can get from our own people within our own culture. Gangs and cults and programs that are ignorant of the Lakota culture are not the answer. The Lakota child knows they are Lakota but these other things only work to destroy that identity. They brainwash our children into trying to assimilate rather than respecting and understanding themselves. They contaminate our children with false mainstream ideas and values which then only creates more desperation.

We could cure our own. We need to cure our own.

In my grandfather’s time, suicide was unknown. But today, it is everywhere. Our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are crying for our help. They are dying without our help.

Traditional spirituality could make the difference. But the civilized world and Christianity have tied our hands. Our medicine men, our medicine women, and our spiritual leaders have no standing. We are not even consulted.

Yet, Traditional spirituality could make the real difference.

Traditional sweatlodge ceremonies could help purify the mind of these children who have been so wounded by society. It can wake up the spirit that is inside the person. It can bring healing of the mind, body, and spirit and it could help heal the entire family. But it needs to be the real thing, led by a legitimate traditional spiritual leader, and not just some sauna with a few nice words.

Learning to prepare foods in the traditional way could help them, too. It is important they understand that food prepared in a good way nourishes the family in a good way. They need to know that food prepared with anger and hatred only brings sickness with it.

There are many of the Traditional Ways which would work to bring about healing and hope for these children. It can restore their identity and become a way of life. It can teach them how to live a good life, in a good way. It can give them direction and understanding.

But we need to stop fighting among ourselves. We need to stop looking to the mainstream society for solutions. We need to stop looking to outsiders for cures. We need to look to the Ways of our ancestors to guide us. We, the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota People need to help our own grandchildren.

I am not asking for money. I am not asking for anything from the Government or the BIA except that we be set free. Set us free. Don’t try to force us to live in the mainstream ways. Don’t try to force us to assimilate. Let us live in our own Ways and heal ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

Ho he’cetu yelo. I have spoken these words.

David Swallow, Wowitan Yuha Mani

Porcupine, South Dakota – The Pine Ridge Reservation

by David Swallow,
Lakota Spiritual Leader and a Headman of the Lakota Nation
Edited and Published by Stephanie M. Schwartz,
Member, Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)
Text and Photo © July 09, 2008 Porcupine, South Dakota

Dear Teri,

Last fall, we told you about Oregon’s 10 Most Endangered Places. Coming in at #8 on the list were the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, threatened by a proposal to ramp up clear-cut logging.

Now, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is set to approve this logging increase, and they need to hear from you! Tell them our state forests are vital for the salmon, wildlife, clean water, and recreational opportunities they provide!

Write a letter to ODF today and tell them to protect clean water, salmon, and recreation opportunities in our state forests.

Oregon prides itself on protecting its natural heritage, but what is being done to our state forests should be an embarrassment to every Oregonian. Instead of a legacy of abundant wildlife and clean water, we are leaving our children a heritage of clear cuts, mud slides, and wrecked rivers.

For decades, all forests in Oregon (including the Tillamook, Clatsop, Elliot, and Santiam state forests) were managed primarily for industrial timber production. As a result, most of our old-growth is gone and the species that rely on complex native forests are still vanishing.

Finally, in the 1990s, forest managers began using science to determine how their logging activities would impact things like salmon populations and water quality. Not surprisingly, clear-cutting doesn’t do wildlife and favors and doesn’t keep streams more pristine. Recognizing this, ODF refocused some of their management plans towards restoring more old-growth forest habitat, calling for an even 50/50 split between timber emphasis and forest protection.

Now, they plan to do away with any sense of balance and ramp up clear-cutting on up to 70 percent of State Forest land.

We need to tell them that protecting only 30 percent of our state forests isn’t enough. Write a letter before the January 29th comment deadline here.

With approximately 50% of Oregon’s forests in private hands (and subject to a constant rotation of industrial logging), it is imperative that we protect the small portion of forest land that we all own as Oregonians.

Thanks for standing up for the Tillamook and other state forests.

For wild forests,
Sean Stevens
Communications Associate
Oregon Wild

Salmon survival is at stake in the ODF decision to ramp up clear-cutting. (photo courtesy Wild Salmon Center)

The Clean Air Act has effectively regulated some of the most dangerous pollutants for the past 40 years. This amendment would put public health at risk and jeopardize long-overdue action to hold the biggest polluters accountable, reduce America’s oil dependence and jump-start a vibrant clean energy economy.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Clean Air Act is a tool for tackling the pollution that causes global warming, and President Obama has begun acting — with clean car standards and clean-up requirements for power plants and factories — to protect our health and our climate.

A vote for the Murkowski amendment is a step backward for public health, for protecting our planet, and for our children’s future. It would put our communities at risk, undermine the new clean energy economy and overrule sound scientific decisions.

Instead of standing in the way of progress, Congress should move this year to enact the energy and climate legislation the country needs to build a clean energy economy, create jobs and protect the environment.

Please visit NRDC’s Action Fund today, for more information on how you can do your part to prevent this disasterous attempt to weaken the Clean Air Act. Time is running out, and we need to act Now!

Tell your senators to vote NO on Murkowski’s Dirty Air Act!

Note – This Action is for US Residents only! Do not act if you do not have a US Address.

Sumatran Tigers are distinctive for being the only subspecies to live in isolation on a large island they have been isolated from their cousins on mainland Asia for over 10,000 years; this happened after a rise in sea level.

At the turn of the 20th century, there were three subspecies of tiger in Indonesia – the Bali tiger (on Bali) the Javan tiger (Java) and the Sumatran. Today both the Bali and Javan tigers are EXTINCT and only the Sumatran tiger survives.

Sumatra prior to 1900 was largely covered in primary forest and the tiger was more or less found throughout the entire island. Today just 100 years later its distribution has become fragmented and substantially reduced. Although found in all the islands eight provinces in highly populated areas such as the provinces of North Sumatra and Lampung, the animal has been squeezed out. It is sad to not that only about 350 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist, primarily in the island’s five national parks.

Greatest Threats

Today the greatest threat to the Sumatran Tiger is Man. In Sumatra, tiger habitat is shrinking fast with timber resources being exploited on a large scale. The tiger in Sumatra faces precarious prospects if its present distribution continue to be substantially reduced and populations become small, fragmented and isolated from one another. Loss of their natural habitat often leads tigers to move into settled areas in search of food, where they then encounter problems.

Tiger poaching and the illegal trading of tiger parts and products is one of the most immediate threats to the Sumatran tiger. Chinese medicine has spread throughout Asia. Nearly every part of the tiger is reported to have healing properties from the eyeball-a treatment for epilepsy to the whiskers – a cure for tooth ache.

Symbolic History of the Tiger

Tigers (and all other carnivores) are descended from civet-like animals called miacids that lived alongside the DINOSAURS about 60 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found which put the tiger in Indonesia 2 million years ago

Images of tigers have been discovered as far back as 1700 B.C. (4,000 years ago) and throughout history the tiger has been a symbol of both power and strength. Used as executioners in Asian courts; for entertainment in European gladiatorial combats; and as a status symbol for monarchs.

Tigers have long been thought to hold some mystical, supernatural power. The shang people of China believed tigers (lau hu) were messengers between the human and spirit world, images of tigers were placed upon tombs to warn off evil spirits. In the Hindu religion Shiva the destroyer rides a tiger (Bagh) and wears a tiger skin, followers of Buddah ride tigers to show their supernatural ability to overcome evil. Forest dwellers of India built shrines and temples to worship them, Islam followers in Sumatra believe tigers (rimau) punish sinners on behalf of Allah.

Captive Tigers in Zoos

Approximately 361 captive Sumatran Tigers live in zoos around the world. In addition to the 119 Sumatran tigers living in Indonesian zoos, there are 73 tigers managed by North American zoos, 98 in European zoos, and 2 8in Australasian zoos. (Source International Tiger Studbook – courtesy of Zoological Society of London)

More Information about Donations

If you feel inclined to help the survival of these wondrous and beautiful wild creatures, you may visit the Sumatran Tiger Trust, and become a proud foster parent of a wild Sumatran Tiger.

100% of money raised finances tiger monitoring, habitat preservation, community development, anti poaching patrols, park ranger training and the purchase of essential field equipment. (Activities managed under the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Programme, a collaborative conservation partnership with the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) of the Indonesian Department of Forestry.)
It is this field equipment – notably remote cameras that have provided us with these magnificent rare shots of these otherwise elusive wild, free animals going about their daily lives within Sumatra’s National Parks.

Your generosity will entitle you to a certificate of adoption, complete with a photograph of your chosen tiger. Also, we promise to keep you informed of your tigers progress and update you on sightings and in recognition of your support will add your name to the roll of honor to be displayed in the park and on the website.

The damage to the environment and precious wildlife is a travesty which has been visited too many times upon this planet. In the heart of Wyoming’s heavily developed Powder River Basin lies the area’s last pristine haven for wildlife: the 120,000-acre Fortification Creek region, home to sage grouse, pronghorn, bobcats, songbirds and elk.

With more than 25,000 natural gas wells already surrounding Fortification Creek, agency officials are now targeting this rare wildlife oasis for industrialization. The Bureau of Land Management is drawing up a plan for coalbed methane gas development in the region, but it has begun issuing drilling permits before a full environmental analysis is completed. Without a thorough scientific review, the agency has no way of knowing the full impact of roads, power lines, pipelines and other infrastructure on this sensitive wildlife habitat.

We need to Take Action Today to prevent this from occuring. Wildlife habitats are in danger whenever we choose to gather resources in such a reckless manner, and develop in places where such actions will devestate the natural order of Life. Mother Earth is a living being, and will not tolerate this destruction much longer.

Please take a few moments to send a message to the Obama Administration with your objections to this latest move to gather resources from our pristine wildlife habits in Yellowstone and the Greater Rockies!

Sign up for this year’s International Coastal Cleanup in September at a waterway near you — and then ask your friends to join you! Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers collected more than 6.8 million pounds of trash in 104 countries and 42 U.S. states during the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup — the world’s largest volunteer effort of its kind.

LINKS -

About The Cleanup

Marine Debris Overview

SOURCE

I will, however, pass along an article written by Alexis Baden-Mayer Organic Consumers Association, June 23, 2009 relating to OCA’s position on the New House Food Safety Bill, for those interested in their take on the matter…

Straight to the Source

There’s been a lot of buzz on the web about the new Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 2749). Many of our supporters have called or emailed us to find our stance on the issue.

Although the Organic Consumers Association is fairly satisfied that the bill is intended to protect organic farmers from being negatively impacted by new food safety regulations (Sec. 419A directs the USDA to “take into consideration, consistent with ensuring enforceable public health protection, the impact on small-scale and diversified farms, and on wildlife habitat, conservation practices, watershed-protection efforts, and organic production methods”), unfortunately the bill does not address the underlying causes of America’s persistent and evermore serious food safety crisis: factory farms and chemical-intensive agriculture. When addressing the concerns of E.coli or salmonella, the bill focuses on fresh vegetables and fruits rather than CAFOs or intensive confinement factory farms, in effect treating the symptom and not the disease.

A close look at the nation’s food poisoning epidemics over the past decade reveal that the overwhelming majority of fruit and vegetable contamination incidents are a direct result of water and soil pollution from large factory farms. The OCA believes that HR 2749 should be amended to address factory farming:

1. Animals should never be fed blood, manure or slaughterhouse waste.

2. Cows need to eat grass.

3. Animals need to be spread out on enough land to absorb their waste.

4. CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) pose unacceptable risks to human health, such as antibiotic resistance, incubate dangerous viruses and pathogens, such as the Swine Flu and Bird Flu, contaminate the environment, institutionalize animal cruelty, and need to be phased out and shut down.

In addition, we share the concerns of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and support the amendments suggested by the Maine Organic Farmers And Gardeners Association. We also agree with the Wild Farm Alliance, especially their position paper, Food Safety Requires a Healthy Environment: Policy Recommendations for E. coli O157.

The dangers to food safety of factory farms, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations, are well documented by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Resources Defense Council and Food & Water Watch.

In addition to factory farm runoff, vegetables can also become contaminated is through the use of untreated animal manure or biosolids (the fertilizer industry’s name for sewage sludge/human waste). Organic regulations ban sewage sludge and have rules for the use of manure that prevent contamination.

Certified organic farmers must maintain a farm plan detailing the methods used to build soil fertility, including the application of manure. Organic rules require raw animal manure to be composted if it is to be applied to land used for a crop intended for human consumption. Well-composted manure reduces the incidence of E. coli. Manure must be applied to the land at least 120 days prior to harvest if the edible part crops come in contact with soil, and at least 90 days prior to harvest of edible parts that do not come into contact with soil. Longer periods can be required by certifiers if soil or other conditions warrant. No other agricultural regulation in the United States imposes such strict control on the use of manure.

For more information on this and other important Organic News you may wish to visit Organic Consumer’s Association.

“Good Morning,

Carolyn Gray”

EarthWorks takes Action

Rio Tinto and BHP – Billiton have created a subsidiary that is proposing to mine a rich copper vein more than 7,000 feet below sea level east of Superior, Arizona. As a first step, Rio Tinto is currently shopping around a land exchange bill that would end an executive order banning mining from Oak Flat Campground and privitize more that 3,000 acres of public land.

Concerned citizens are worried about the loss of Oak Flat Campground, a very popular recreation area. Birders, climbers, campers, canyoneers, bikers, and hikers enjoy the area throughout the year, all of whom would be greatly harmed if these lands were forever taken from public access. Western Apache people have traditionally used the area for cultural, spiritual, and subsistance. The land exchange would include Apache Leap, a cliff where more than 80 Apache warriors chose to leap to their deaths rather than surrender to the US calvary.

Both the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the White Mountain Apache Tribe has passed unanimous reslutions opposing the mine and land exchange. In addition, the Concerned Citizens and Retired Miners Association in Superior, AZ has been meeting regularly opposing the land exchange and is circulating a petition.

Although it will take much just to get these families to a safe place and compensation for their losses, too much damage has been done. The first estimate from TVA claimed just over a million cubic yards had roared across the area following the collapse of a dike wall holding back the coal ash waste. They tripled that amount, again “estimating” the total was more like 5.4 million cubic yards, yet as they are not forthcoming with information or accountability I believe the true amount is much more.

The impact on nature and the environment is heartbreaking to contemplate. Looking on the horrifying devastation from images and videos makes me shudder, and I cannot even imagine what it looks and feels like in person. From personal accounts it is a nightmare; a nightmare people are not going to wake up from anytime soon. One would think people learn from their mistakes and we would have evolved enough by now, and know not to play with toxic waste. How are we going to clean this up? It hasn’t even stopped moving, and by the time it reaches the ocean it will have poisoned the land for many, many miles.

I simply cannot express the scope of this horrifying event without crying my heart out for the land and the people, so if you want more information and updates as this event unfolds please visit –> Knoxvillebiz to find a link roundup full of news and articles relating to Tennessee’s latest environmental disaster.

It appears our government officials are unsuprisingly absent on this one, and it’s up to the people to push this to the front of the table. We need to get the word out and stay on top of things, as we cannot allow this to happen again elsewhere. This is bigger than some people think, and we need to fight to get the attention and help that will be needed to contain this disaster as much as possible. I cannot believe they are not all over this, but that is just me. I tend to want to believe other people think like me, and it just isn’t so.