Parks and Wilderness Conservation & Ecology

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea......How about a thread on Conservation and the Ecology. Anything that comes to the fore concerning issues related to the care and nuturing of our forest and wildlands, including the Appalachian Trail and Our National Parks. I think, IMHO, that this is a set of concerns that we as users of, and Hikers In our Parks and wildlands, that we should address certain issues that occure from time to time and that this thread could be for those particular ideas.

I'll start by entering an article in Sunday, May 16th's New York Times....It reads:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/op...16SUN1.html?th

The recent issues about cell-phone towers in the Smokeys and this one is enough to make me rant and rave about the present administration. But, that's another ball of string. The major concern is with the current Depts of Interior and Energy. If you have any issues or concerns related to this thread, please post here and we'll see if it generates interest or help. KZ@

[Kozmic Zian]

Hey guys, check out this URL. Very interesting and important work these folks do in the name of 'justice'. There are lots of org's. around the country that do this type of conservation. It makes it easy to get involved. I'll be posting info and URL's here from time to time, so visit and learn. Thanks. KZ@

http://www.earthjustice.org/urgent/

[Chappy]

Yea....Ecology. Check out the 'Misdirected Forest Strategy' of the present Administration.

http://query.nytimes.com/qst/abstrac...A10894DB404482


Sometimes it makes you wanna live in Canada! KZ@

All it said was..."Page Not Found."

BTW: I'd like to visit Canada, but don't want to live anywhere but the good ol' USA.

[Tha Wookie]

Bob Marshall, in the days when he and Aldo Leopold were laying down the literature that fueled the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System and thereby the signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964, was very concerned about the protection and management of protected lands. He noted that much land had been aquired by the federal gov't to protect the natural resources, but that they were in fact becoming "empty shells" that were being stripped of their recreational, ecological, and intrinsic value from the inside-out by commerical interests. In short, they weren't being managed to maintain the natural integrity that was supposed to be the reason they were protected in the first place.

Thanks to HEAVY budget cuts in land management and a blatant disregard for wilderness and non-commercial values of natural lands currently dominating our government, we're heading back to those days that inspired the young Bob to take a stand.

From my work with the National Park Service and the USGS, I have seen first hand how this is affecting our lands. For example, I'll use ATV's.

Unprecedented amounts of ATVs are infiltrating our national lands. They were the most highly impacting use-type studied on trails in my own thesis. ATV industry lobbyists have already begun campaigning for more ATV use in national parks and forests, even before the scientific community has had a chance to respond. The troubling part is, they aren't responding! Research dollars have vanished! Scientific inquiry itself has been the subject of disregard by industry representitives, congress members, and even our president!

We have lost, in the past 4 years, the financial and research tools to maintain our lands natural integrity. This current government is rotting our core heritage. this is not a political statement but the simple truth. These are very trying times for land mangement professionals. Voting and writing or calling our senators and representatives are the best ways to protect our trails and beautiful natural treasures from special interest industry lobbyists.

These land are here because people fought for them, despite intense opposition. They can be just as easily taken away or degraded forever. They are a testament that money and control do not dominate this great country. It only takes one person to make a ripple.

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea......Wookie. Thanks for your insight and knowledge. KZ@

[Kozmic Zian]

yea.....Disregard the bad URL, please. Sometimes they change up on you. KZ@