| WELCOME When news broke that BP was shutting down key pipelines at Prudhoe Bay to deal with leaks caused by severe corrosion, staff members at The Wilderness Society were hardly surprised. Oil companies have shortchanged maintenance for decades, and spills in the Arctic oil fields are almost daily occurrences. But they seldom get the attention this shutdown did. Eleanor Huffines, our Alaska Regional Director, along with other TWS staffers, worked long hours talking with dozens of reporters to press home our message that the Prudhoe Bay debacle demonstrates the risks of allowing oil companies to drill in the incomparable Arctic Refuge or Teshekpuk Lake. Moreover, it's high time that Congress gets serious about investing in real, lasting solutions to America's energy woes -- alternative energy, conservation and energy efficiency. You can hear Eleanor talking to Diane Rehm at:http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/06/08/10.php#11326 Read our factsheet about Arctic oil spills at: http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Arctic/Spilling.cfm Kathy Kilmer
Director, Electronic Communications
The Wilderness Society
Inside Story New Parks Management Policy  Last week, the Park Service released final policies for management of America?s national parks, and they reflect public demands that conservation remain the top priority. The WildAlert community played an active role in this effort, sending tens of thousands of comments to Interior last fall and again this past spring. Conservation has been at the core of park management since 1916, when Congress passed the National Parks Organic Act creating the National Park Service. But political appointee Paul Hoffman began to recast the management policies in order to promote more off-road vehicle use and other harmful activities. The draft policies created a firestorm of criticism. The final policies released last week confirm the National Park Service's predominant mission of long-term preservation, thereby maintaining the foundation for protecting the parks' air quality, wilderness, natural quiet, and other resources. Learn more:
http://www.wilderness.org/NewsRoom/Release/20060831.cfm Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
News How Have Wilderness Bills Fared this Congress? No fewer than 26 wilderness bills have been introduced in the 109th Congress, but just three have passed into law (Ojito/NM; Cedar Mountain/Utah; Caribbean/Puerto Rico). There's still a chance for this Congress to designate additional wilderness areas. In fact, The Wilderness Society will help to host a cadre of activists who will be in Washington next week to encourage passage of wilderness bills in eastern states. Learn more about the bills at:
http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/ Inspector General Investigates Possible Land Use Plan "Fix" The U.S. Department of Interior's Inspector General has opened an investigation into allegations that Utah Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials may have made commitments behind closed doors to "fix" new land-use plans to assure more oil and gas and other development on wilderness-quality lands in the state. Read more here.
Support the Wilderness Society - Help Stop September Sale of Alaska Wildlands - Donate Today  The fate of a stunning tract of public land in Alaska is going to be determined as soon as September 27, when it is scheduled to be leased to the oil and gas industry. The lives of millions of wild animals are at stake. We still have time to keep the Teshekpuk Lake region undisturbed. The Wilderness Society is doing all it can. But we urgently need your support. Help us raise $15,000 by September 23 and save this critical habitat from destructive oil and gas development. Click here to make your tax-deductible donation before the deadline. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Words To Inspire "I've been through legislation creating a dozen national parks, and there's always the same pattern. When you first propose a park, and you visit the area and present the case to the local people, they threaten to hang you. You go back in five years and they think it's the greatest thing that ever happened."
-- Rep. Morris Udall, Too Funny to Be President, 1988
The Wilderness Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving American wilderness. Our mission is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, wildlife, beauty, and opportunity for recreation and renewal provided by pristine forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains. As a subscriber to WildAlert, you join more than 300,000 Wilderness Society members and supporters in our efforts to protect and restore America's wild places. | 
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