Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet
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Gray Wolves in Peril
An independent panel of scientists just reported that the new proposal to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list was not based on the "best available science." Now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening the comment period on its proposal, and it needs to hear from you. Nearly 40 years ago, the listing of the gray wolf as endangered gave them a second chance. If the federal government takes those protections away, it will jeopardize the gray wolf's comeback. Take action to protect the gray wolf. KXL: Not in Our National Interest Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry called climate change "perhaps the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction." Three days later, a Nebraska judge sided with landowners and struck down an unconstitutional law that gave the governor power to approve the Keystone XL pipeline route. And in a meeting with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, President Obama gave no ground to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper when pressed to approve KXL. The State Department's final environmental impact report confirms that Keystone XL fails President Obama's climate test. Time is running out. Tell the administration that KXL is not in our national interest. Off the Beaten Path -- On a Budget Get the biggest bang for your buck on one of the Sierra Club's daring new international excursions:
Frackgate In an unexpected move, pro-fracking Ohio governor John Kasich suddenly announced that he opposes fracking in state parks. Why the change of heart? After the Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club helped uncover a PR strategy memo outlining how the state and the natural gas industry were in cahoots to discredit citizens' groups that are concerned about fracking, the governor went on the offensive. The devil is in the details, though, and Ohio state parks aren't the only place the natural gas industry wants to frack. Read more about Governor Kasich's frack attack on his state's public lands. A Hangout on Getting Out Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune and Sierra Club Outdoors director Stacy Bare will host a Google hangout tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, February 26) at 1:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 p.m. ET to talk about the importance of getting outside. Got questions, comments, or insights you'd like to share? Come back to this link on Wednesday. Photo: Henrik Kam Baby on Board Are you expecting or celebrating a recent arrival but still hankering to run, hike, and climb? Here's some gear to help you maintain your wilderness mojo through pregnancy and beyond. Boundary Issues A multinational corporation is seeking permission for an open-pit sulfide mine on national forest lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Lake Superior. If approved, the mine will pollute the largest of our Great Lakes, threaten clean water and wildlands, and endanger public health for generations to come. State and federal agencies are taking public comments about this dangerous proposal until March 14. Take a stand for the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Great Lakes. Uniting to Repair America "The Sierra Club is 100 percent committed to creating an economy that is 100 percent powered with clean energy." So said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune in his keynote address at the seventh annual Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference -- "where jobs and the environment meet" -- brings together labor, environmental, business, and civic leaders in a unified mission to repair America's infrastructure, create good jobs, and tackle climate disruption. Read more and check out the Sierra Club's new report, Workers, Communities, and the Clean Energy Economy. DIY Recipe Stand Got an old cutting board and 20 minutes to spare? Follow our step-by-step instructions to make a crafty iPad holder for your kitchen counter. Photo: Lori Eanes Artist or Activist? As a photographer working in Africa, Nick Brandt saw the effects of poaching firsthand. "Initially I wanted to create a last testament for these extraordinary animals in these extraordinary places," said Brandt. "What I didn't imagine is that the destruction of those animals would escalate to the degree that it did." Rather than simply watch his subjects disappear, he decided to do something about it. Find out how one artist raised an anti-poaching army to protect animals in Africa. Photo: Nick Brandt, Courtesy of Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, New York Monumental Choices Earlier this month, Dan Chu, director of the Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign, took Highway 1 up the California coast with his wife to a stunning area known as Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell recently visited the area, accompanied by local residents and Sierra Club supporters who want to see these lands designated as a national monument. In January, Jewell visited the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks area in New Mexico, another area ripe for such designation. President Obama appears poised to act. Read more about these spectacular lands and how you can help protect them. 1. Alan Weisman on his new book, Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? 2. Chris Steinkamp from Protect Our Winters on how Olympic athletes are taking a stand against climate change. Subscribe to Sierra Club Radio. |