Annual Report 2013 Estern Environmental Law Center Uses the Power of the Law to Safeguard the Wildlife, W Wildlands, and Communities of the American West
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Annual Report 2013 estern Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to safeguard the wildlife, W wildlands, and communities of the American West. Photo credits (Cover) Glacier National Park-SpreadTheMagic. (Inside Cover) Glacier National Park-©iStock/LoonChild FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR At the Western Environmental Law Center, we season in leverage the full power of the law to realize Montana—giving our vision for the American West: thriving this rare species a wildlands, waters, and wildlife; and healthy chance to survive. communities powered by clean, renewable In Washington, energy. we persuaded the In 2013, we made great progress toward Department of Fish & achieving this vision—progress that you helped Wildlife to make the state’s make possible. wolf management plan—a plan that provides important protections for wolves legally At the local level, we protected clean water for — enforceable. family farmers in Colorado’s fertile North Fork Valley by defeating fossil fuel industry efforts And, continuing our storied legacy of ancient to frack and drill on tens of thousands of acres forest and river protection in the Northwest, of cherished public lands. we defeated ill-advised timber sales and advanced wild salmon restoration efforts. At the state level in New Mexico, we helped hold Big Coal accountable for harming our Our success demonstrates a simple truth: health, climate, and environment by securing Despite chronic political dysfunction— coal-fired power plant retirements and by dysfunction engineered by powerful industries speeding our transition to clean, renewable to obstruct meaningful progress—together, we energy from the wind and sun. are making a difference. And at the national level, we rallied 90 Please take a moment to read our Annual conservation groups demanding federal action Report and to join us, if you have not already, to stop disastrous greenhouse gas pollution in our shared effort to safeguard the American leaking from oil and gas drilling operations. West’s wildlands, waters, wildlife, and communities. We also successfully advocated for the protection of wildlife threatened with For the West, extinction across the West. We are leading a coalition to ensure that wolverines receive essential Endangered Species Act protections and, for the second year in a row, we shut down the recreational wolverine trapping Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, Executive Director 1 WILDLANDS 2013 VICTORIES: BY THE NUMBERS 375,000 acres of national monument preserved. 200,000 people’s drinking water protected. 2,100 acres of forest saved from logging. 149 miles of wild and scenic river protected. In 2013, we also initiated projects to ensure 188,293,938 acres of forest are managed by science not politics; to preserve 487,000 acres of national monument, 150,800 2 acres of forest, and 50,000 acres of proposed wilderness; and to protect 3 rivers. Together, we are protecting our natural heritage. VICTORY! Clean Drinking Water Protected VICTORY! Missouri Breaks Defended We helped the community of After a five-year fight, we won McKenzie Bridge, Oregon stop a court order forcing BLM to the Goose timber sale, which inventory, identify, and protect protected 2,100 acres of old- cultural properties and features growth forest, saved a potential in Montana’s Upper Missouri wilderness area, and preserved River Breaks National Monument. the crystal-clear McKenzie River, This national treasure is uniquely a source of drinking water and rich in biological, historical, and home to a diverse array of wildlife. geological qualities. Preserving Proposed Crater Lake Wilderness Ensuring Science-Based Forest Management We filed a legal challenge to As part of our campaign to ensure prevent the Loafer timber sale, science-based management which would log 800 acres near of our public forests, staff Oregon’s Crater Lake National attorney Susan Jane Brown is Park, eliminating a proposed representing conservation and wilderness area and destroying watershed organizations on the habitat for imperiled species, federal committee overseeing such as northern spotted owls, the implementation of the new wolverine, and Oregon spotted frogs. national forest planning rules. Safeguarding Sonoran Desert From Gunfire VICTORY! Rare Forest Species Protected We filed suit challenging BLM’s For 15 years, we have steadfastly decision to authorize target defended the survey and manage shooting throughout the entire standard of the NW Forest Plan Sonoran Desert National from timber industry attacks. The Monument in Arizona. Shooting rule protects rare species that endangers visitors, as well as the are ecologically crucial to old- desert’s irreplaceable cultural growth forests. We recently won properties and spectacular another battle upholding the rule diversity of animal and plant life. for at least the next two years. Photo credits: (Opposite) Brett Cole Photography; (Left column) McKenzie River-Wikimedia; Crater Lake-Megan Culbertson; Sonoran Desert-Tomas Castelazo; (Right column) Missouri Breaks-Conservation System Alliance; Forests-Brett Cole Photography. 3 WILDLIFE 2013 VICTORIES: BY THE NUMBERS 300 rare old-growth forest plant and animal species protected. 175 wolverines no longer face the threat of being caught in traps. 51 gray wolves on the way to stronger protections. 3 imperiled runs of wild salmonids given a better chance of survival and recovery. In 2013, we also took action to limit trapping that has already ensnared 12 rare Canada lynx, to protect the forest and river habitats of 9 species threatened with extinction, and 4 to improve conditions for 6 dwindling runs of wild salmon and steelhead. In partnership, we won many victories. VICTORY! Wolverine Trapping Halted Protecting Washington’s Wolves For the second year in a row, we To prevent a repeat of the 2012 stopped recreational wolverine Wedge Pack wolf slaughter, trapping in Montana—the only we filed a petition demanding state in the Lower 48 that still Washington’s balanced wolf permits this horrific practice. management plan be legally With fewer than 50 wolverines enforceable. In response, the alive that are capable of state agreed to work with us breeding, our victory gives this to make the plan enforceable, rare carnivore a chance to recover. solidifying protections for wolves. Saving Rare Canada Lynx Defending Endangered Grizzly Bears We initiated two more projects to A massive industrial logging and protect Canada lynx, a species road building project in the far listed as threatened with northwest corner of Montana extinction in 2000: We filed suit threatens to displace one of the in Montana to restrict traps set most endangered populations in lynx occupied habitat; and we of grizzly bears. We have filed a sued to compel completion of the lawsuit to protect these vulnerable long-overdue federal recovery plan bears and the imperlied Canada to rebuild lynx populations. lynx also inhabiting the area. Protecting Owls and Wild Salmon in California VICTORY! Improving Hatcheries for Wild Fish We have filed suit to protect critical We won improved hatchery habitat in California from a plan operations on California’s Mad to log nearly 150,000 acres near River to help wild salmon and the Klamath, Scott, and Shasta steelhead recover. Hatchery fish Rivers, which would impair are decimating dwindling wild drinking water for downstream fish populations in West Coast communities, as well as destroy rivers. We are now working to habitat for imperiled wild salmon, replicate this success on three steelhead and northern spotted owls. other rivers in Oregon and California. Photo credits: (Opposite) Canada Lynx-©iStock/MikeLane45; (Left column) Wolverine-©iStock/Anna Yu; Canada Lynx-Norbert Rosing; Northern Spotted Owl-Brett Cole Photography; (Right column) Gray Wolf-USFWS; Grizzly Bears-First People; Chinook Salmon-USFWS. 5 CLIMATE & ENERGY 2013 VICTORIES: BY THE NUMBERS 1,138,000,000 gallons of water saved from being diverted for fracking. 200 percent increase in renewable energy investments in New Mexico. 155 fracking wells on 24,600 acres of public lands prevented. In 2013, we also initiated work to improve oil and gas drilling on 9,509,831 acres of public land, to prevent 420,000 lbs of toxic coal dust blowing off trains (per trip), and 6 to cut methane emissions equal to 37 coal-fired power plants or 27,000,000 cars. With your support, we made a difference. VICTORY! Clean Energy Investment Tripled VICTORY! Communities Win Against Fracking As leader of the Coalition for Clean Across Colorado and New Mexico, Affordable Energy, we worked we put the brakes on three oil with the New Mexico legislature and gas drilling lease sales to pass a bill tripling the percent encompassing a total of 55,300 of revenue utilities are required acres of public lands. We are to invest in energy efficiency helping communities fight back each year. We are working with to ensure that water supplies, air Southwest Energy Efficiency quality, and wildlife are protected Project to monitor compliance. from reckless fracking. Holding Coal Trains Responsible for Toxic Dust Cleaning Up Methane Waste Coal trains discharge as much as We are leading a coalition of 90 420,000 pounds of toxic coal organizations across the country dust each trip—polluting the pushing the U.S. Department water we drink, food we eat, and of Interior and the EPA to air we breathe. With our allies, limit methane emissions that we filed two suits to hold BNSF are unnecessarily vented and Railways responsible for polluting flared from oil and gas drilling the