The Journal of the North Cascades Conservation Council Summer/Fall 2011
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Wild CasCades The Journal of The norTh CasCades ConservaTion CounCil summer/fall 2011 visit www.northcascades.org • americanalps.blogspot.com/ The Wild CasCades • Summer/Fall 2011 1 The North CasCades NCCC Board ConseRvaTion Council was The Wild CASCades summer/Fall 2011 formed in 1957 “to protect and president preserve the North Cascades’ scenic, Marc Bardsley scientific, recreational, educational, in This issue board chairman and wilderness values.” Continuing Founded in 1957 this mission, NCCC keeps government Patrick Goldsworthy seaTTle, WASHINGTON 3 President’s report — marc Bardsley officials, environmental organizations, vice president 4 DNR plans new trails in Middle Fork and i-90 — rick mcGuire and the general public informed about Charles ehlert issues affecting the Greater North Wild sky “Trail Plan” — rick mcGuire Cascades Ecosystem. Action is pursued treasurer The President’s Report Summer/Fall 2011 5 Homeland security trumps environmental integrity — John S. through legislative, legal, and public Tom Brucker Edwards participation channels to protect the secretary lands, waters, plants and wildlife. Okanogan PUd abandons plan for shankers Bend dam — rick Phil Zalesky Back in 2009, we started organizing the American Alps legacy Project mcGuire over the past half century the NCCC executive director (AAlP) to fill in some of the important areas left out of the North Cas- 6 North Cascade glacier climate project — tom Hammond has led or participated in campaigns Jim davis cades National Park (NCNP) when it was legislated in 1968. Since then the to create the North Cascades National NCCC and our partners in the “coalition” have done an amazing amount 9 Celebrate the american alps legacy Proposal on december 9th Park Complex, Glacier Peak Wilder- of work and accomplished much in the process of bringing about new 10 American alps legacy Proposal released to public september 30 ness, and other units of the National Bruce Barnbaum — Jim davis Wilderness System from the W.o. legislation to complete the goal. At the time of this writing, we expect a douglas Wilderness north to the bill to be introduced in Congress momentarily. 13 American alps legacy Proposal: What and why — Phil Zalesky Polly dyer Alpine lakes Wilderness, the Henry m. releasing proposal details to the public on our website, to key politi- Jackson Wilderness, the Chelan-Saw- John Edwards 15 Granite Falls motocross project still alive — Bruce Barnbaum cians, and to local news media has generated lots of comment. in general, tooth Wilderness, the Wild Sky Wil- 16 A Pilgrimage to image lake via holden, and a tale of two mines Philip Fenner the response to the proposed NCNP additions has been very positive. — Phil Fenner derness and others. Among its most dramatic victories has been working Sure, there have been negative responses in some editorials and letters to 18 NCCC membership application with British Columbia allies to block dave Fluharty the editor, but we’ve also seen a comparable amount of support. in some the raising of ross dam, which would cases, critics have somehow confused the AAlP with other more contro- 19 NCCC, sierra Club comment on Okanogan-Wenatchee National Anders Forsgaard Forest Plan — Karl Forsgaard have drowned Big Beaver Valley. versial NCCC positions such as forest road rebuilding projects. Roadless Rule upheld—huge win for conservation — tom the NCCC is supported by member Karl Forsgaard i want our members to understand that, despite misrepresentations Hammond dues and private donations. these by some, the American Alps legacy Project was conceived primarily to Kevin Geraghty contributions support the full range provide and protect access for the public so they may enjoy these special 20 You’re invited! NCCC membership event, december 9 of the Council’s activities, including tom Hammond places. in my opinion, the National Park approach is the best way to ac- publication of The Wild Cascades. As a 501(c)(3) organization, all contribu- complish this goal and to fairly regulate the use of the North Cascades. Fayette Krause COVER: Baker River upstream. —Sue Dabney photo tions are fully tax deductible to the don’t be misled by those who say we are denying access. rather, we are encouraging access for the public, now and in the future. extent allowed by law. membership dave leBlanc dues for one year are: living lightly/ The Wild Cascades Student $10; individual $30; Family Betty manning $50; Sustaining $100. Journal of the North Cascades Conservation Council Carolyn mcConnell Editor: Anne Basye North Cascades Editor EmErituS: Betty manning Conservation Council rick mcGuire EditoriAl BoArd: John Edwards, Philip Fenner, tom Hammond, P.O. Box 95980 and rick mcGuire University station thom Peters seattle, Wa 98145-2980 Printing by EcoGraphics mike town The Wild Cascades is published three times a year (Spring, Summer/Fall, Winter). executive director, Jim davis letters, comments, and articles are invited, subject to editorial review. 1-360-296-5159 laura Zalesky The Wild Cascades Editor NCCC Website North Cascades Conservation Council www.northcascades.org university Station, Seattle, WA 98145-2980 The Wild Cascades is printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink. 2 The Wild CasCades • Summer/Fall 2011 visit www.northcascades.org • americanalps.blogspot.com/ The Wild CasCades • Summer/Fall 2011 3 dNR plans new trails in Middle Fork and i-90 homeland security trumps By rick mcGuire environmental integrity the Washington State department of Now that the land acquisition and land trailhead parking planning and con- By John S. Edwards Natural resources (dNr) is moving ahead protection jobs are largely finished, dNr struction–the logistics—can consume with plans to develop new trails in the is turning its attention to recreational much more time, money and effort than Be prepared for new congressional all bow to the perceived needs of home- vehicles to patrol, and set up monitoring mailbox Peak/Granite Creek area of the development. Construction of a new trail the actual trail itself. it’s not easy to find assaults on environmental integrity this land security. equipment. this bill would also prohibit middle Fork Snoqualmie. most of the more to the top of mailbox Peak at the entrance suitable places for parking lot construc- fall and beyond. Approval for piping the imagine a zone stretching one hundred the Secretary of the interior or Agriculture than 20,000 acres of dNr lands in the mid- of the valley is underway. other new trails tion, especially in mountainous areas. bounty of tar sands from Alberta to texas miles inward from coasts and borders from taking action on public lands which dle Fork have been protected in the mt. to Granite Creek and Granite lakes are ex- Since heavy use is guaranteed at new trails and postponing clean air are just a start. around the entire united States. think of would impede border security on such Si and middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural pected soon. dNr is also looking at other close to interstate 90, trailhead parking ar- the Endangered Species Act comes up for the number of parks and wilderness areas lands. resource Conservation Areas. NrCAs are trail options and hopes to initiate a public- eas will need to be large. Providing access renewal and we can expect a barrage of within that zone. For the Northwest it Another bill, the Wilderness and road- the state’s near-equivalent of Wilderness. planning process to look at how and to a new trail or trails is perhaps the most amendments calculated to neutralize or includes Glacier, North Cascades, olympic less Areas release Act (Hr 1581) intro- the dNr, especially in King County, where to develop new trails and facilities critical part of the process, and a critical sidestep it. and rainier National Parks, and the mount duced by Kevin mcCarthy (r Calif) would has come a long ways from the days when in the entire North Bend region. Extensive factor in deciding where to invest in build- But that is not all: under the umbrella Saint Helens National Volcanic monu- withdraw protection from vast areas in the its initials were sometimes said to mean lands have been acquired not only in the ing new trails. of homeland security there are attempts to ment. Hr 1505, the National Security and name of homeland security. While these “department of Nothing remaining.” once middle Fork, but also on rattlesnake ridge NCCC believes that many new trails dismantle or bypass legislation that repre- Federal lands Protection Act, introduced bills have a way to go to passage (the most famed for rapacious logging, dNr has and in the raging river valley to its south. need to be built in accessible, easily sents the entire history of acts to protect April 13, 2011 by rob Bishop (r utah) recent action on Hr 1505 was July 2011, in become the undisputed leader in land con- the large acreage of new, easily acces- reached places. trails located at the end the environment. in a phrase, homeland and 50 cosponsors, gives the Secretary for the House Natural resources Subcommit- servation in King County. the jewel in the sible public lands presents opportunities of long, failure-prone logging roads will security trumps all. the Wilderness Act, Homeland Security immediate access to tee hearings), they are indicative of forces dNr crown is the middle Fork Snoqualmie for many new trails for different user be increasingly difficult to access in years the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air any public lands managed by the federal that would explicitly dismantle decades of NrCA, with extensive low-elevation lands, groups. trail planning might be thought of to come. dNr’s new trail developments in and Water Acts, the National Environmen- government for the purpose of conduct- environmental protection law. including much old forest. if the Alpine as easy: just pick an attractive destination, the middle Fork and other areas around tal Protection Act, the Wild and Scenic ing activities that assist in securing the lakes Wilderness expansion currently draw a line on a map and build it.