TCenne•soeitizens for WIanningilderness Newsletter No. 264 WP November 7, 2005
Taking Care of Wild Pl acu
1. Water Quality threats to Obed and BSF . ... p. 3 A. BSF nominated for �Most Endangered River" list B. Stormwater control for Crossville? C. Mining permit andBSF
2. State government . p. 4 A. legislative score card O.TCV achievements andplans B.Bottlebillc.ompaign E.StatePukmanagement C.Stop·work authorityneededformining
3. Other State news ...... p. 6 A. love Mountain status D. GMP for Cumberland Gap NHP B. Cumberland Tr�il in Fro�en Hud E. Species-protectionplan C. Bowater's prom•ses muningless? F. Walls of Jericho to state
4. Our Cherokee NF and the Forest Service .... p. 7 A. Urge Gov. Bredesen to petition for roadless status B. ORV regs not strong enough C. New Regional Forester
5. Smokies news P· 9 A.Prop<»ed l-3couldharmPark C.Elkreintroduction B. EISs for North Shore R�d and Elkmont imminent
6. TVA: bad and good p. 9 A. TVA should keep public bnds in public hands B.GreenPowudemandandsupply
7. Our National Park System p.lO A. R�vision of plan to alter NationalPark System mi55ion B. Billswouldselloff parks
8. Other National Issues: hope remains on two p.ll A. Ar<:tic Refuge: a glimmer of hope B. The Senate can still save the Endangered Species Act
9. Global warming •••...... •, ...... •.. , •..•... p. 12 A. Actions on sevnal levels B. Climate at tipping point C. Some effects of global warming
10. The Oak Ridge Reservation: we urge changes in ED-6 Assessment . . p. 13
11. TCWP neWS (N�w Bo.. d; thanks Cindy� upcoming andpast activities; nnoo: auction; action•) . , , , p. 14 12. Calendar; Resources • p. 16
13. ACTION SUMMARY • p. 2
Editor.Liane B. Russell, 130 Tabor Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Phone, 865-482-2153 Shaded box or stu means "ActionNeeded " t = e - check the ACfiON SUMMARY on p.2! � ,.!!��: o��= :� !:!� NL264.11nt05 2 13. ACTION SUMMARY
�No. IS$Ue Contact "Message!"orAttio•
18 C ville SlOntl-�u:r trul TOEC ''We highly value Jrood wau:rquality in Obcd WSR!R � � IC I MintnJ on New R,.·er tnbut.ary Water Pollution Control Oiv\ RWe oppose issuan.ce of ARAI' a� NPD ES penniu!" 21.1 Recyclable liner MarJe Davis 1 Supportcampaignto passboulcblll 2C I Harmful slripminingoperntions I Go•·.Brclkscn/Comm.Fyke ! "Support bill mtl�rizing >top-wOfk authority for mining!" 30 GMP fOf Cumberland Gap NHP Superintendent Comment on preliminary altcrnati•·es . 4A I Ro;�dleu Rule fOf Cherokee NF Gov. 8mk:Kn ' "Submit petition for protection of in•·emoried roadle:�s areas!"
48 ORVrcgsfor��<�tionalforests US ForcstServke 'Proposcdn:gulationsnced tobc suengthened!" I �=�'::�,:rc FHA(+various copies) �I� !his dcsuvr:thc and "-�pensi\·c highway!" � Y011rU.S Rep.andSenator5I' IVA mustkccp publiclands in pulllkhands!" 7A National Parks' management Sen.Aiuandcr "'Tell USDOl notto ehanse NJ>S'sbasic mission'"
78 AttcmptstoKIIoff natiooalparks Your Congressman �strongly oppose Pombo and Tancredo bills!"
1 Arctic Refuge Your Congressman, now! ''D<:fcatblldgct resolutionifit conlains drilling provision!" 88 I Endansered SpeciesAC! Your Senators "TESRA(HR.J824)mustbc dcfealed!" ISenatcresol.on global"·anning Sen. Alexander I'"Tackle thisEanh-thrcatcningproblem wilhoutlklay!"
Serutor.lohnDoc I'Tes.Gcor�W.8ush Go•·ernorl'tliiBrcdcscn United StatesSenate U.S.House of Re��ntath·cs T� Wbite House SwcCapitol Washingcon,DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 Washington. DC 20500 Nashville, TN 37243-9872 202.456-1414;Fit.� 456--2461 6JS-741-2001;Fa;o;61S-532-9711
DearSI:natorDoc Ol:arCongrcssmanDoc Dear Mr. President Dear Gov. Bre&Kn Sincc:rel� �ours, Sincerely yours, Respectfully yours. Respectfully yours,
Sen. l.lill Frist· Sen. Lamar Alc�ander Rep. Zach Wamp Ph: 202-224-3344; FAX:202-228·1264 Ph; 202·224-4944;FAX: 202-228·3398 l'hone: 202-225-3271 e-mail:hnp://frist.Knale.gov/rontact.cfm e-mail:hnp:llalc�ander.serw(e.govlronu.ct.dm FAX: 202-225--3494 Local: SM-637--4180 l..ocal:865-545--4253 {FAXS-lS--4252) Local: 865·576.1976 Wcb:www.l>ousc.gov/wamp
To call any RcpOI'SenatOr, dial Congressional swi�<:hboard, 202-224-3121. To firrdoutaboo.rtlhe status ofbills,call202-225-lm URI...$: hnn'/Jwwwho!'Kwvllaslnaroo•J and hnn·IDa the Dept. of Environment and Conservation 1. WATER-QUALITY THREATS TO h f l te i a OBED AND BIG SOUTH FORK dates�;;)�� list ���������Z � � � : The Obed WSR has the highest Water Qual 1 A. B$' Nomln•t•d lor •Mo•t ity designation. namely, ONRW (Outstanding Nation;�! ResouN:e Water). However, several of l!nd•ng•r•d Rl,•r In Am•rlc•• the Obed's headwater tributaries (including the IContribult>dbySandraGo,e:) Little Obed River) that drain much of Crossville Because of major threatsto its waterq ...al ity, do not meet this classification and may deterio· the Big SouthFork of the Cumberland River has rate even further becausenew developmentsand been nominated forllmmtanRr��ers'li_ st oi"Most business expansions, (including a new trailer Endangered Rivers." The National Park!; Con· p<�rk)have re.:ently been ini ated or are planned servation AS50Ciation. TCWP, Ten� Oean � for the near future. This�tSirng and probably Water Network, and Sout�m Environment;�] . growing, pollution of major hea�wate':' dearly law Center"�'"�' partner orgaruutions m t� endangers the ONRW designal l on wrthm the nomination. WSR boundary. The primary criteria by which nominated : he rivers ;�re judged are, (l) �e ma nitude o �� � � � the v i� ... lu o c s threat to the river, (2)a maJOr actton ordec�ston their6intention� : 'f�to"evaluate ��ir � �the� status!�:Jfor �::;the being made in the roming year that affec:ts that town of Crossville for inclusion in the MS4 pro threat,and(J)the regional and national signifi· gram baseclon populationgrowth rate,re<:eiving canceofthe river. streams determinations and the likelihood forlo The Nomination Form cites the Big So... th (alized adverseim acton water ualit" Fork's protected status as a National River and YOU CAN DO: "Thank IDJ:i<;: Recreation Area and the highdollar value of the ';:�HA! ��� area's recreational activities (S10-16million r !'l' gOOdwa : a ton'l;water �e . ��f;�h�:�;listed) and at :�least tworsm:��t!federa!Jyhi�h listed:� fish2fXr��spe essential for,the cies(duskytaildarter and blacksidedace). � o a n h roal ����g �; !:;�:: ::�) !��h��;� astating impacts� o water qualtyt from a?d m �ne drainage and S 28. ••ttl• 8111 f:.•'"palgn •••r• up Container-deposit laws have been wor king successfully in II states.and support for a �"bottle bill'" has bef.nbutlding_ in Tennessee. Durmgthe legislative session just past, Sen. McNally and R�. Russell Johnson sponsored such a bill, whtch. however.never got put to a vote(NL262 'I3D). Tenn� Conservation Voters (l"CV) have madepassage ofabottle bill orte ofthe priorities in their 2006 legtslative agend:� (see '120, thts 1'\L). Sponsors Rep. Russell johnson of Loudon � � a 2. STATE GOVERNMENT ; ! f ��. ��::� �;�simil�r:ar to.;�the2005bill,������ has� some important� newh features. The bill is getting increasing attention 2A. Legl•l•tl"• •f:.oTec•rd far 200$ fromlegislators artd the administration.as well as On October ll Tenne5Sa' Conservation COiltmued coverage in the prts5. Rep. Johnson Voters (fCV) �leased tMir 2005 Legislative made the AP wires with his irtvitatmnto take fel· Scorecard to the media. Acopy is enclosed with low legislators and st.ate offidals toMaine to see thisNewsletter for themselveshow abottlebill works � m t e To provide data supporting the legislation, islati�.��=:��\ e�ts �: ��ta=��:� Scrnic TrnntSS« and the coalition TtnntssaO.m· branch.notinga clear improvementin theBrtde· p•ugnAg"i"sl Litter,onNovemberS,sponsored a sen administration on environmental issues and o�aydocumentedlitterdean-up alonganHXH actions.lmprovementsin2005indude: drawn across the map of our state.Results are • TDors planning and environmental concerns �mg analyzed to determin� what proportion of • yke and P ul Sioan � the'?"dside trash consist of glass.plasttc,and ;: ;�� 2 Fra:: f . • �h:Re:storation offundlng forland acqutsition • Establishment of the Heritage Conservation Foundation(with inih.al empba5is on the Cum berlands) s h t s . �=r�:�:f��� � ; � r ea to appeal rulings. !������ �� ;:�� The score Five agencies (including I� U.S. Fish & Planning for the 2006 legislati�session is Wildlife Xrvke}have struggl�with an appropn underway. Among TCV's top priorities are t� ate rem.�iarionplan.which requires that mining followmg: stop while the remediationis implemented. Min· o PassageofaBottlrBill(set"'i2B,thisNL)toron il n serve resourc:e:s and controlTennessee's litter :�.;:':::r��se0ilie � ul '::d .�� n �� problem vious mine spoil, exacerbating sedimentation o Passage of legislation that requires TDEC to is problems. sue a stop-workordertocoalmining op erations TDEC needs to haveSiop WorkAurlrorityto !hatpollutewoterways prote<:t not only the waters coming from Zeb For more information about TCV and its activities, u e by u visit www TNCongryatjonVoters.orc- or contact ���::�to �i�! i� T� e. A t : �� 6\5-269-9090ortrved�hfllwntlLnet effect� hasbrenbefore: � theTenness���e:! eelegislaturefora�� � J: 2 ye �rs now. h will t�ke the Adminisnarion"s sup portto get thisbillpassed. Plcase phooe or write 2E. TCWP commMIIt• Ott •ti"Mteglc to thf Governor to dlr•ctlott• fol" •'•'• p•,.lc• u:�':,,o TheStateParksPianningstaffiscurrentlyat �£�:0 �!.! ':k wOfk on a document t�twillprovideiStrong statement of parks mrssron and stTategic iniria- ��/f��=several issues weronsiderpertine ��7:�:�n���ntto theplan· ning process. The following is abbreviated from tReletterwesent. I. Land acquisitionshould be the majorfo cus of direction and should receive thebulk of available funds. Such acquisition is needed n c 2D. TCV'• ZDD$ Mellon• Mnd ZDDII pl•n• � =d s:e ; �h�1rJ� � �,-��� fo �� (FromTenn.ConservationVot<."TS] ::�;� � � t;of � � y ; � n� � During the 2005 legislative session,.Tennes h��·�i���; �ig����:�:l ,:�, �;' :, ! ��� see Conservation Voters (TCV) work� with law- torico1limportance. � �No amount: of�: money� can a n>Createthern�turalbeautyofTennes.seeonceitis �5k�= l ���"���e�� �;� gone;·sardtheletter. see General� Ass�=embly.� % �:�� 2. Needed maintenance on existingstruc o Togethef-with TCWN (the Tennessee Clean Wa tures and infrastructure should beperformedW· ter Network).TCV backed landmark legislation fvrtanyfunds are expended fornrwstroctures givingcitiu:rs andgrou stherig�ttoap ral TOVrencouragedronsiderationofnew revenue waterpollullonpermrtsts_ psuedtorndustnesbyp sources,such as a designatedportion of certain IDEC.lnthepast.onlythe industriesthem ��· selvescouldappealpermit decisions.but ow 3. New recreation areas in state parks anyone adverselyaffe.::tedbywaterpollutton� should be high-use, low-maintenance, env1ron· canhaveaS to our parks,shouldfocus on the natural areas southern state line,oonnedion will be made with thathavebeen preserved.for future generations. tilt Georgia/ AlabamaPinhoti Trail. To leo1m more about the Cumberland Trail project.and how to volunteer fortrolil construc· 3. OTHI!R STATE NEWS tion. call 931-456-6269, Of visit wwwcumhtr!"!nd!rajl.org. 3A. Fro••" H••d: upd•t• orr 3C. Will Bowat•r'• promla• to prot•ct tit• tltr••t to Lo"• lilo1111t•ln o11r for••t• com• to nau.llt1 The ForestlandGroup, atimbt'r investment Four months ago, Bowater,the CumMrland company,ownstile937-acreLove:Mountaintract Plateau's single largest land wner, signed a ? . immediately adjacent to FrozenHead State Park Memorandum of Understandtng (MOU) wtth and Natural Area (the boundary runs right be two national organizations to enhance the prote<:· hind the visitor center). During the:summer, the tion ofitsforests{NL2&211B). Now,it ap�ars companystarted.toconstructaroadintothe tract. _ that the company has for $0Tll!': time been in apparently'" preparation for logging (NL262 volvedindeals to5elloffa!lof itstlmberlands. 110. Bowater owns about 400,000 acres of south The state of Tennessee has, for some time, ern timberlands,320,000of which are inTennu- 1 i n e a � � i t' i � l d nd z � a �- th ; a la ��fact,f:� purchasN: :! a� major�5 ;�� part�� of�� the�,'Bird �:�� Mountainr �= �::S� ;f a� �:h �!st;d���c t:'e ��� tract on the opposite side of the valley. When , . � . 1 TCWP contacted GovernorBredesen and IDEC � �$f:!:�ral Resourass;� Defense����� Counctl�! � (NRDC):�� : and �=:. the Commissioner JimFyke to alert them to the ur Dogwood Alliance, Bowater promised (among gencyofacquiringthe threatenedLoveMountain other things)thatit would a h d • tnd conversionofnatural hardwoodforeststo � pine plantatiO!l$. 'l4A).��� �0��:,� The meeting �� was�� to have� ;:�tfa! been held at {��� the • stop buyingfrom third-party supplier:;any pinefiberobtainedfromsuch conv crstonof d ti �����::f'!��h' ����� ����f� 4 natural forests, � e , � b the ri t l ti e · • adopttheForestStewardshipCouncil'shard � � t , price � :,�f = � t� �!�;��;� g wood managementpractices. is very considera iy higher than the::� state's ap While some smaller parcels, especiallythose praised value, deteG rmined byFinance & Admini· _ stration(F &A), wh.ch is the maJumum thatIDEC d � may pay under state law. � n the meantime, the ;;������;���������t�s t:,::;�d �; �:rbuycrs of larse parcels who will own the prop access rO WI!Te inventoried as roadless for thf!o2001 Rule 48. USFS Off-ll.o•d V•ldcl• have btm assign� to one_or �ore of ll dif�rent _ . r•flul•tlon• lfot toUflll enOIIflll ·presc,;ptions•(I.e¥ dasstficattOns entathng dtf· ]FromArmrieanl.andsAIIim""] ferent kinds of management ). According to the Finaloff-ro.ad vehicleregulati�released by Southern Environmental LawCenter{SEI.C),this the Forest Service (USFS ) on Novl'!T1ber2 direct alloW5 road-building and/or Logging in 31% of , forests to end widespread cross-wuntrytravel by the inventoried roadless aN"as of theForest. m· ATVs,dirt bikes,and other off-road veh•des. For· � �i w a 11 ests areto designate specific routes(and evenlim � l n a (i g�����l ited areas open to cross countrytravel)where olf- County), ����re�;And there� is� an���� even� more:;: i� portantccr:'�; : n: road m n a reasonforn2lN"Iying on theForestl'lan:ttcanbe � �h����� r��a �e no effect on amended at �ny lim� under the new "Oexible" ���: ��f �� the ground until designatmns of roads, tra11s,and planning regulations areas are completedat thef1eld leveL The full text ln a meeting,last w�k,.conservation repre· of the ro!gulations may be viewed on sentatives explained these matters to Gover�or's http·f{www bU:d ud'f'T"i'tion{nrogmmslohy �affand the State Forester. These state offie1als Preliminary analysts from The Nahmd Trails arenow thinking seriouslythat theroodlessareas & Waters Coalition(NTWC) found that the new in the Cherok� NF might, in fact. DW. be pro u� t u a tected bytheForestPian. �� ���f r�;�;�tfo�::l. ���; ,:!.::S� ��� Thisis whya state petitior>oeedstobe filed. that theyweaken the agency's obligation to mini· The process of doing so should not be lat:or mize damage andoonfli(!Swithother forest users intensiveor ex�nsive. Thus. the state can s•m . 1 b f plypetition to restore the full prote<:tion of the ic e r e . ; 2001 Rule for 100% of the inventoried roodless g USFS�h :! and E�e its local6 forest%7';��! managers�� to� adopt� �:: the areas located withinTennessl'!'. The�titioncan following measures: rely on the assessment environmental analysts, �nd the roughly20,000 Tennessee pubhc com Require that designated off-road vehicle routes ments documented under the adop11on of the be manageable and enforceable,minimiudam 2001Rule. In other words, the case for full pro age to wildlife habitat, and_head off connicts tection hasillttal:i:ibeenmacle bytheUSFS inthe with otherforestusersand netghbor.s. documentation provided for the20(ll Rule. Fur· Adherestrictlyto the�_dentia1Executive0r thermore, there are very expertvolunteeT$ "'ho dersll644 andt\989�mring that••[off·roa-d couldassist thestatein theJ)ffparation ofthe pe· vehtcle[areas arw:ltrailsshallbe locatedto tition. n e A mere 13.4% of the Cherokee NF, namely, � i h d ing -85,0 00out of63 5,000acres.has �ninventot!ed ���������f ;�n:!;���� ��:; _ agencystaffto designateroutesNwith the objec as roadless. The2001Rule proh!b!ts construchon tive to minimite"theseavoidableproblems. of ntw roods in these inventoried areas, but use Assesswhichtrailsare bestsuitedfor hiking, ofuidi,groads and access(e.g.,to privateprop biking.and horseback riding;which routesare erty) Is maintained at the st�lu5 q11c level. Fur· sustainablefor off-road vehide routes;and thermore,newroadscanbe ronstructedto protect e c ublic health and safe y.and timber cuttingmay p t e i � e be done under specialcirrumstances(e.g.,forfuel ; � �ter.! f�netghbors.�h :��� :��and other�;e � forest��� �sers.�ftd� ��S: reduction. maintenance ofwlldhfe opemngs, to Dedtcate fundsfor implementallonanden improve endangered, threatened, or sensitive forcement of trails,routes,androads. spedeshabitatetc.) Require that "rollaborationNto design�te routes � h ' f a- � e induding.hunters������� ��arw:langlet"S;homeowners,!��\�:�� ;����� ranchersand farmers;outfitters,guides.and other smallbusiness owr>ers;andhikers.eques· 4C:. New lf••lon•l 'or••ter for South ]Information fromATC• Voia:l) TheUSForestService 'sSouthernRegion has a new Forester,Charles (Chuck) Mye most vocal member of the 1VA Board. Bitl Baxter, butSO',t(!) wereunableto nameeven oneformof apparentlybelieves thatlands that arenotgene: renewable energy. There is a great educational ating revenueforthe agencyshouldbesold. Thts void, not only about the source-s of energy but :� a : : i ! about implications to the environment and hu- r r f n ;:�public��:�i� involvement,;�f��; and �subsequently: ��f :�;�:;� accepted bytheTVA Board. It seems inconceivable that one member of the Board shou!d be ableto counteract the work voluntary to mandated programs for utilities. of his agency and the will of the prople. It fur This has been done in 22 states (none in the ther betrays the promise and purpose of TVA, Southeast) that h;>Ve set renewable-energy goals which acquired its lands (often by eminent do for their utilities main) from people who were told that they were giving up ownership for the j.lll]zlli;. good. Now, these lands are bemgsold for prtvateand corpo· 7. OUR NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM rate profit for developments from which thegen eral public isusually excluded! TVA's public lands are used for outdoor 7 A. UtiDOI relee•e• e 11ew d,eft for el recreation by large numbers of citizens who, in t•rlllll the 11•t1on•l p•rk•' ml••loll survey after survey, have expressed their desire [Sour.,.,, Nm YorkTimts, l0/21/DS] to have them left in a natural state. These lands In our last issue (NL263 '17A) we de$Cribed belong to all Americans; private developments a plan by Deputy Assistant Sec. of the Interior should take place onprivatelands Pau! Hoffman that would fundamenlal!y altcr thc Mr. Minser has compiled a hst of several Nationai ParkService's {NPS)primary missionin reservoirs on which land sales have either oc amanner that would totally destroy our national curred, or been considered. The following are puk system The most basic feature of some examples Hoffman's proposed National Park Management -On Tellico Reservoir, 116 acressold forRarity Policy was to change the definition of "impair Pointe development ment" (related to the 19!6 1'ark 5ervice 0rganic ·- OnWattsBar,l,700acres tobegivento coun Act that our parks are to be kept"unimpaired") tiesforsale forresidential and commercialde In Hoffman's plan, impairment would be lim�ted {TVAwou!dgethalfof thepro- to any action that would "permanently and �rre versibly adversdy [affect] aresource ora value" 0 ta � d · ���� c e h f l a i i d opments�� from:�J' being��;r classified:��� � as�� impainnents;·��� ���; On October 18, the Interior Department re leased (for a 90-day comment period) a new draft, which does not go as far as the earlier Hoffman version but still embodies some of the philosophy thatour parks are resources not tobe protcctcdbut tobe exploited. The following cru Gree11 'ower dem•lld •11d •11pply sa. cial sentence would be removed from the NJ>S's Having. forthe firsttime achieved a surplus s t: · g n i of green power by the completion of IS addi ;� f r e tional wind turbines, TVAisnow inapositionto ili�honal���park.s�����can be�ensured��� ���only:=n'! if the�� ��superbt�:� renew efforts to expand demand for green quality olpark rcsources andvaluesis ldt unim power. Currently, only 89 of TVA's 158 distribu paired, has provided thatwhenthere isaconflict tors offer Green Power Switch (CPS), which is between conservlflg resources and values and sold in 150-kwh block.s for an extra 54 a month providingfor enjoymentof them, conservationis Students havesuca'ssfully pushed an initiahve to to be predominant." get U.T to join the program. and the university Several changes seem tobe directed to the will buy 6,075 mwhperyear. usc of snowmobiles in Yellowstone (recall that According to CPS NroJs, purchasing two Mr. Hoffman's prior job was director of the blocks of CPS for one year is the equivalent of Chamber of Commerce in Cody, WY). Thus, the planting an acre of tr�s in the Tennessee Valley, newpolicywould eliminate the requirement that ornotdriving your carfor4 months. The current only motorized equipment with the least impact total of CPS being purchased by utility subscrib be used in national parks; would [ower air ers provides a benefit equal to removing 6,200 quality stand;uds; and would strip away lan cars fromValley highways for afull year guage abollt preserving aparks' natural sound ln a recent national polL75% saidthat their scape. utility should have some furm of gr�n power; NL 264, 11/7/05 " lt ap�ars that thl': rl':vised policy isadefen rivesfrom thefactthatasignificant number ofRe sivt dorument lhat was rushed forward to head publtcan Hou.se mem�rs art outspoken in their a opposition to Arctic Refuge drilling in the Budget �� r!:n's��dr�;��f�: 5:. l':rd��� B1ll. Tht NY Timn article, -It is a lributt to the Na 1 5 tional Park Service veterans who worked on it turt :t�� ���f;��� .11��� e��\r��:�ta�;,!:�: that they wue able to mitigatt so much_ of the si?ns read ltke a wish listdmftedby majorindus harm, even though they. too, were workmg di tnes. Hundreds of thousands of acres wtthm our rectly undcrMr. Hoffman's eye.- National Parks, Wilderness Study Areas, National fhe USDI draft may bl! viewed on if R s F ts n :�f� � :!��; ·p�����=� (�� �;��s��t� �� acrr). More oil drilling would occur in ecologt cally-sell!iitLVC COi!Sial areas. One-third ofour na· tion's oH-shale resour�s --as muchas 2.5million acres - would br auctioned off in a smgle 5ale, withbuyersshielded fromenvironml':nt.al laws. Once t� House has votedon itsBud&et Rec onCLliahon btll,theHou.se andSenatebillsmustbe nl'gotiated into a single one through a House 78. 8111• th•t would ••II off p•rk• Senate confe�n�. Both Houses of Congress o d m wou!d then need to pass the _oone�nce� vmion of tions r; o�����f��:!�� �� S� �eO:,� �hO:/�;� authored by Reps. Pombo (R-CAJ - who is also w h a Species A" ('ISB, _;�� \�n�;e�� (l�� :h�!��)Tancredo's bill would sell off 15\111of Amer ica's public _lands. In Pombo's bill, 15 National Parks,covenng millions ofacres, that reatveless_ than 10,000 visiton per year, would �sold f�r and commercial development.H In addt lB. Th• ••n•t• can •till •• .,. bill would open the Arctk Refuge ($H til• Endan11•r•d $p•cl•• Act · NL) and would o�n mo� of our coast h e vote �t�� t� l��.0��e��· ;:,��(R�) disastrous Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act (I"ESRA. HR.3824), which would wipe out 30 years of species recovery in one stroke. The WIIite House upports Pombo's btll. Wemustdoeverything inourpowertogetitde feated intheScnate. 1. OTH�R NATIONAL IIIUE81 Ads supporting Pombo's bill claim that in the -30 years since the Endangered Species Act HOI"� REMAINS ON TWO (ESA. passed \973) has been in effect,�less than 1\ll> of species listed as endangered have been � lA. Arctic R•fufl•: oovered.• What a lie! HereareSOffif'ofthefacts. • flllmm•r of hop• r•m•ln• • t-.torethan'J9lll,ofthe1,85Stotal listedspecies, [trUonn.ation from the Wilrl<>rnessSociety] havebten saved fromeKtinction. On Nov. 3, the Senate voted on the 2006 • AboutSO';\ ofalllistedspecies haveeithersta Budget Recon61iation bill. First.it ba�ly (51:48) bitized orartrecovering defeated an amendment by Sen. �!aria Cantwell • Forspedesthathave been protectedformore (0-1\'A) that would have �moved An:tic Refuge thanl5years, 2outof3arestableorrecover· oil drilling from thebill. Seven Republicans sup mg. ported the Cantwell amendment [Ch:affet (RI), • Species that h_ave incr(QKdinth(tuild {S:Dm7" Coleman (MN), Collins {ME), OeWme (QH), t•m�>sdramattcally) under ESA protectton m Mct:ain (AZ), Smith {OR), and Snowe (ME)t; but clude {and these arejustthewell-knownones) three Dt>mocrats voted against it [Akaka (HI), -- Baldeagle Inouye (HI), and Landrieu (LA)]. Afterward, the - Gray wolf Budget bill itselfwasna�rowlyappt"?ved52:48. -- American alligator In the House, vanous Commtttees will un -- Brown pelican dertake5e\lera1 votes on the Budget Reeoncili�tion -- Aleutian Canada goose btlltnthewtekofNovember 6.withfinalfloorac -- Pe�grine falcon ti on eKpected on Novem�r 10. Somt hope de· -- WhoOpmgcrane NL264,11/7/05 12 -- Greenbadu:utthroat trout n Natjooal: Tjmefnrtbe5foatctqactonthei r Ot �:l��� � �rspecies survival In- cludett': the California� �'::� condor, blackfooted ferret -During this summer's debate oo the el"iergy green sea turtle, Florida manatee, key deer, and bill. the�nate wentonrecord (by avoteof53:44) gray bat. as favorong the enactment of �Ililli�J..�9rvcontrols ofemissions of the gases that contribute toglobal TESRA would totally cripple ESA. In the e name of improving species protection. TESRA ��� ��a Nc ;. �� a �' :p�:h � doesthe following: sin �and effect\ ';:ive:��h., national� program � of manda·� • Eliminatesthe proteclionoftens ofmillionsof tory, market-based limitsand incel"ltives on emis acres ofcritica! habitat. (Fact:species that!ive sionsofgreenhousegasesthatslow,stop, al"id re indesignated critital habitataretwiceas likely verst" the growth ofsuch emissions ata rate and tosurvive as those withoutthisform ofprotec in a manner that, (l) wil! not significantly harm tion.) the United States economy; and {2) will encour· • Removesfrom scientiflc experts theauthority ag� compa�able action by other nations that are a maJOr tra�tng partners and key contrtbutors_ to ��:�7��\��n: �:�:�;::s 3t�� ��h��ty globalem>ssions.� Thisresolution isnow Energy tolnteriot"SecretaryGaleNorton. BtU Amendmel"it 866. Though nonbinding, it i.s • Eliminatestheprotectionfor"threatened"spe- significant in erasing � Senate's \997 vote et ilPizW mandatory pollutiOl"i limits. which the • �uii·�ra:;y: fo pa�� �!� �� � BushAdministration hasreliedon tojustify inac � v l h� e=:�ar::f �e tionforthepastfiveyears. a �� ;: �� ���� lr� �t : l �{ � � The time has come fo rthe Senate toacton ers�';!rouldplan� projects thatallowthemto� � � � extort� its resolution. \Ye need to rommunicate withour moner from thegovernment.) senators, acquaint them with some of the facts • Makesitextremelydifficultto!is�any species summarizOO in ,9B and 'i9C, below, and remind in the firstplace. lf Rep. Pombo"s TFSRA had them of the resolution. Given theBush Admini beenineffectthen. not eventhebaldeagle str�tion's leadership vacuum on this vital issue, wouldhavequa!ified forlisting. we are looking to the US SenaN! to address this • Opensevery �tage ofthelistingprocesstoil"i· extreme threat and to �nd a message to the world that the USisready to play a responsible II. GLOBAL WARMING IIA.Aetl•n• tltr th• lntern•tlon•l, Statr· C•n Tennrssrr emula et N orth (am- n•tltln•l, •nrl •t•t• l•r•l• linil lnrernabonal Kyqtqfnllow-up Increasingly, state and loc�l governmel"il$ A meeting of· nations in Montreal Novem s u mi i bf,r28-De..:embf,r9, will address thequesrion of �: : ;fes � .J;B). � � how tobuildon the Kyoto l'rotocol for actions to the state� of '(�Nonh �Carohna has emeTgedS:U�':�� as a bf,tak el"i around the world. ·me Bush Admini· leader on this issu�. The state le&islatu� passed stration's bucking of the science (Nl26J ,SA) abill to create a htgh-level rommission toexam means thatour rountry will not be participating. ine gl�bal-wanning impacts and economic op even though, withonly3%ofthe World's popu· portuntties assoctated wuh addres5ing such ad louon, we consume25% ofthe world'senergy. ln verse impacts. The commission may also rec t ti ommend a state goal for reducing global �h� 1\nre::t: :1r�� {19� �� wannin emtsstons low), we� �would� need:r' 1().20�:�ftimes � the Kyoto go;�ls� to avoid catastrophic eff�ts; however, Kyoto woukl atleil!itbe�stanfotus. NL 264, 11/7/0'5 13 e /ea l t ob- �o : � t � 5 av : g�f!�::� � mm/year:::: � from\9hos�.9J..2005 � (thars atotalof3.6 ••· ,.••lflv• f••tlllack loopa "''"''"' i worltl cllmat• to fir• flpplll• pol11t :�n�u!!t��X:��}����·��t ���:�� 1�01 i with attendant Global warming has been worsening mark edi)' OVtr rKtnt drcadts, but now the� is <"vi- ;�����:t�!��� • ��Most� of us are aware of the likelihood of major r e e ti i � :;,=�:;�f:��n�'"���.;'��! . tl - lers creases:::t; will no long<"l' be gradual and near lintar, � - will,however,�!s�: �� �:notbe .-x�pt.!;·I�::J���� Acidification�� �� of but suddtn and dramatic - a �runaway� climate the oceans (through uptake of ucess COJwill nario. This isdut to positive f�dh.ld< loops � affect marine ecosystems in numerous ways. that�remost tvident intht Arctic. one omportant onebeing calafication that isrs Smct" 1978. tht polar ictcap shrunk by has sential tosuch Dfganismsas mollusks and cor �; more than a million square milts of sea ire als. have disappeartd in lrss than a quarter ct"ntury, h an area th<" siu of Tuas plus Arizona. This is not • ��a: u h s e just a short-term anomaly. but a cltar downward �"s[�� �:�t�:��r.i��:7es��� d , t � � s trend. Bad as this rate of loss has been. the most e - ; a �� � ·a � recent acreleration hasbetn "stunning." Figurrs numero��::r �J����usand complex� �: :�tobe�� elaborated;� = here:t" released near thtendof Septemberby NASA and (onee�ample: at•c risein temperature isprt· the National Snow and Ice Data Center have re· dicted toreduce wateravailability byl()%ina rt'CCrd vealtd a minimum in extent of Arctic sea ���n�� � }:J';r,��� ����e�����}�������� ea n- This minimum follows four consecutive years fectio<.>sdiseases } ofbelow·average icecover alall�sons. The start • There is good evidence thM the severity of ma e i e ' u�� jorstorms isalready increasing. As reported in ,�r era;!�n t� n , u f SCIENCE. of Sept. 16, two groups of scientists, the�! \ low�:� summer�� covers� that normally�� :' �� occurs� dur· while finding nolon$·\e�mtrend inthe numb.!r ingthe winterhas not happened duringthese past ofstorms per year. dodfmda sharp incrtMein fouryurs. the severity of storms. Globally, during the The uplanation may be found in positive feedbackloops. The initial warming (greenhouse � ��� �� ;;o ��h� fi';!�;r:,�� :,::t effe<:t) set$ off a chain of events that causes in '""· creasedwanning-- above and be)'Ond thatdueto the grttnhousedfe<:t. Sea ice renects uptoSO% ofthesun's energy bilck into space, whereas dark 10, OAK RIDGE: TCWP CDMMINTS open ocean absorbs illot more energy. As the ON ED·8 ASSI!SSMI!NT : ;o� d , vicious:����hcycle. Feed-back ;; ���:situatioru;�;��·;:!��'1have been TCWP has commented on OOE'$ Environ identified on land to. Thus, melting of tht per mental Assessment (EA) of the propoM lands. tributarystreams, andsteep slopes. for ffiOiil exciting and productive years for TCWP m addition to th�BORCE. Theselands tonlain largestand ofdeep forest-interiorhabitat thatis a _ ';:��� themost §ignificanterologocal value ofthospor· ���hours (almost ���7/24!)�: with �!'In�� the greatest7t��� �!��devotion �: ti onofBlackOakRidge. ltisahabitatthatJOme a� intelligence. Not only has she delegated songbirds requireforbreeding.. andthatis rap wtsely, butshe has handled a huge number of is idlydtsappearing from ourlandscape. Acrord sues on her own,. writing knowledgeable letters ingto thedraftEA, ED-{;contains17� acres of or commel"lts, attending meetings or hearin�s. thishabitat type, partofan 863-acrecontiguous andestablishingmeaningfulcontacll;. Heradv1� tract thatis mostly inthe BORCE on strategies TCWP should pursue has been in· • The environmental impact of constructing anew fallible - always informed by unassailable facts, 30-fl wide boundary-patrol roadshould bedis clnr thinking. and by her wis.dom about human cussed in theEA. While thedraftEA projects e hing.. she's just the constroction ofsuch aroad asa directout· ��:�,;:,� :�':.�:k ���J come oftheED-{i conveyance, itdoesnotshow ::���lamso grateful that she will be staying on itslikelyrouteor evaluate itsenvironmentalim thtBoard! (Lee Russell) pact. TOVPopposesconstroctionofsucha road. lf located alongthepri'SI'ntly drawn 1 OD. Upcotrrlll• •cfl"ltl•• western boundary of ED-6, it would a-osssteep (ContribuWd bySandra Goss) ridges ands�Nam tributaries. Construction /Foradd1tional i"form11tio" o� a�yo{llrt Jis�dn.oe-�IJ. wouldcause erosion (with advei"S(!effectson the ctlii S11ndraK.Gos.!m865-522-38Q9 watomhed). would affect wildlife habitat. and 01"t-maii: SIIndr�sandralcgoss.com woulddestroythe forestedbuffer betweenthe i o t R � � � r � n i !;:as noted���:�;�in the� �:�EA,such�����protect:����ionis��adequately��� covered by e�isting resources, TC joint Additional points made in our comments f g N : concern the EA's failure to show location of bio- i i � ; �. i logically sensitiv� areas and of endangered or continuing��� � our;� �-�work0� to� remove� ���� e�otic;�� invasive\t� threatenedplants 1nED-6. plants.The Barren.. located behind JeffersonJunior High School in Oak Ridge, is one of only a few ce dar barrens in East Tennessee. The area issubject 11. TCWP NEWS to invasion by leather-leaf viburnum. autumn olive, :nimosa. Nepal grass, and multiflora rose We will work to remove the shade-producing 11A. S•ndr• ll•• • n•w •·m•ll •ddr••• plants, so that prairie grasses can getthe sun they [email protected] require for growth. Volunteers should arrive m the Jefferson 11B. ZOO� Bo•rd, Nomln•tln. Comm. junior High parking lot at 9:00, with sturdy The following were elected unanimously at our shoes. loppers, gloves, andwater. Oct. ISAnnual Meeting· President: Jimmy Groton Vice President: Frank Hensley IQVpHntjdayppewThursday [)ro:mllfr 8 ?ill-9iX)p.m Treasurer: Charlie Klabunde Jenny Freeman and Bill Allen k«p up a Secretary: Caro!Grametbauer holiday trad1tion of hosting TOVP"s Annual Dire-ctors: e t a rty TimBigelow LarryPounds �::���� � a� Mary Lynn Dobson Liane {Lee)Russell ��:>'friendly, withopportuni :re tv to�reHect:�onandlaugh!:� � RalphHarvey EdwardSonder overthe ytar's accomplishments. Cindy Kendrick Jenny and Bill's house isat371 East Drive, Nominating Committee: Oak Ridge. Attendees are asked to bring an ap )eanBangham Frank Hensley petizeror dessert to the function. Drinks will be Marion Burger furnished. Be sure to RS VP (yes .a.rno)by De cember4at86S.482-5980or� 11 C. 'o' Cindy: d••P •'•tltudo As we are nearing the end of Cindy Ken· drick's three years as TCWP president. lwantto express my d«pest gratitude for what she has contributed toourorganizationand to thepwtec tion of Tennessee's precious nah.Jral enviwn ment. These have certainly been thr« of the Nl264, ll/7/05 15 Participants should meet at 9:30 a.m. (ESD Following afineboxlunch,consumed in the inthe Oak Ridge FoodCity parkingloton Jllinois bright, dearsunshineoutsidethehistoricRugby Av� .. or at 10:15 (CST) in the Burgess Falls park building. attendees chose from twohikes:Colditz ing lot. AftertouringBurgess Falls, wewi\l cara Cove/NorthrupFalls,or BurntMill Bridge. It van to Cumberland Mountain State l'ark restau couldn't havebeena morebeautiful fallday rantfor lunch atapproximately l:OOCST 11E. Auction ol c•no• to ll•n•llt TCWP 11 G. tl•l•ct•d TCWP •ctlon• Marion and Charlie Burger are generously •Inc• NL 262 {July-Octob•T) donating acanoe to be auctioned off to benefit [Contibutedby Cindy Kendrickl TOVP!!! Here arethe particulars· Mfj'tjng&orranized;md/m anended Dagger lake canoe. \5 ft. "Reflection" TCWP Annual Meeting modet green/gray, oak/wicker seats, like Water Issues. Service, and Mailing Com mitt� (multi newcondition. Hasbeen hanging in a dry plemeetingsand worksessions) basement since \994, not counting about TCWP Board (monthly meetings) five excursions. Includes two paddles. A lntergroupstrategy sessiononObed/Emory water photo of the canoe will be posted on the quality TCWP website Tennes�e Forests Council (TFC) Steering Committee Minimum bid. $325. Bidding opens Mon (meetingsandconference calls) day, November 14. Contact Marion or Tennessee Forests Councilpublicseminar on sustain· Charlieat (865) 483-9407 between8 amand able forestry 8 pm to place a bid ($25 increments, Alliance for the Cumberlands Steering Committee please). check thecurrent bid. or for infor (meetings and conference calls) mation or inspection. Bidding closes at 8 TI\'RA Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy pmon November 23 Symposium presented at ORNL on preservation of Obed andBig South Fork Gettranquil transportacrm;s picturesque late-fall Exhibits (4) at ORNL for Community Shares Campaign lakes. and simultaneously support TCWP"s work Se.:ret City Hiking Day. planning meeting to protect them and other natural treasures! HabitatConservationPian informationa[meeting Many thanks tothe Burgers for thisgenerous do Environmental groups' meeting with Paul Sloan, TDEC nation! WaterPollution Control, to discuss coal-miningis sues 10F. R•poTt on p••' •ctltlltl•• OfficeofSurfaceMining publicsroping meetingon ri streambufferzoneEIS National ;b [i� �b� �1, bc;;;� ;�e�1on TCWP newsletter workshop Help*WorthjngtonQ:mrteryJ Community Shares Circle of Change Committee The annual work day at the Worthington CommunityShares annual campaignkickoff Cemetery Ecological Study Area (behind Elza Community Shares Combined Federal Campaign kick- Gate Park) had 19 participants. There was much off breakfast removal of WISteria and other exotic_ mvaswe HeritageConservationFoundationstate bill signing at plants. Though the dry weather hindered plant Burgess Falls ing. some water-tolerant ptants were put in by Norris Dam State Park Town Hall Meeting the beaver pond. Thanks toSunhght_ Gardens for Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Global Warming contributing the plants, to TVA staffers Mark C i e McCreedy and Wesjames for helping to coordi· OOE �� fnr� ������t� �����:��fe� of land par(�!I nate this year's event, and to TV A's Natural HeTI ED6 � tageProgramforloaning us weed wrenches Turkey Creek Wetland Advisory Committee lstters/Cpmmrn ts Armual Meetingwa jns formativeaod fun Letters toWamp, Frist, and Alexander opposingdrill· About 30 folks enjoyed the October 15 An ingin the ArcticNationai WildlifeRefuge nual Meeting at Historic Rugby. The program, Letter to TVA opposing N!CkaJack land swap which was focu�d on the Cumberland$, featured Comments on EA for DOE transfer of land parcel ED6 two speakers. (1) Alliance for the Cumberlands totheCityofOak Ridge Executive Director Katherine Medlock spoke on Letter to DOE-ORO 1\-lgron transfer of land parcel ED6 the National Heritage Corridor feasibil tothe City ofOak Ridge ity/suitability study now under way. (2) O k ? LettertoTDEC advocatinginclusionofCrossvillein Ridge National Laboratory Corporate Fellow Vtr EPAPhasell stormwater contro[s ginia Dale summarized astudy of themost destr Letters to Governor Bredesen and TDEC Commissioner ableecological outcomes io the northemCumber n staff in support of lands � �� . �{a� ;·:��;h��� ��L�� tC:t��t NL264, 11/7/0S 16 Re