The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep -- called "the bravest of all mountaineers" by conservationist John Muir -- was hovering on the brink of extinction when it was added to the endangered species list in 1999. Thanks to federal protection, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep now number some 350 animals -- up from as few as 125. Now, we have a rare opportunity to ensure the long-term recovery of this wildlife icon. The Bush administration is proposing crucial protections for its habitat in the eastern Sierra Nevada. While a major step forward, the administration's current proposal does not go far enough to protect this species' existing habitat areas or to safeguard the migratory routes that connect them.
» Please urge the Bush administration to strengthen its proposal so that the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep can once again thrive in its historic range.
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BOREAL BIRDS TAKE FLIGHT
With the arrival of autumn, millions of our most cherished backyard birds are leaving their nesting grounds in Canada's boreal forest to migrate southward. Have you spotted any yet this season? If so, please send us a note letting us know what kind of birds you've seen and why you look forward to their visits. Include photos if you have them. Then, we'll post a selection of the responses we've received on the BioGems website.
» Experience the sights and sounds of boreal birds.
WHALES NEED ANOTHER REPRIEVE
NRDC attorneys are headed back to federal court to restore a temporary injunction blocking the U.S. Navy from using deadly mid-frequency sonar, and inflicting harm on marine mammals, in nearly a dozen training exercises off the southern California coast. A federal judge granted NRDC's request for the sonar ban in August, but the Navy later appealed the decision. Nonetheless, we expect to prevail in the case, which demands that the Navy take significant steps to protect the region's blue whales, migrating gray whales and other marine mammals as it blasts thousands of square nautical miles of ocean with ear-splitting sound. We're arguing that the Navy should stay out of important whale habitat; power down its sonar during nighttime exercises or in other conditions of low visibility; and enforce adequate "safety zones" around its vessels.
JUDGE TOSSES OUT EVERGLADES MINING PERMITS
Capping a five-year legal battle waged by NRDC and our partners, a federal court has overturned permits issued by the Bush administration for a massive limestone mining project adjacent to the Florida Everglades. The same judge ruled in March 2006 that the Bush administration violated the law when it approved the destructive mining scheme, but that decision left the existing permits in place. Since then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allowed the mining companies to escalate their activities. The Everglades mining project would have bulldozed and dynamited 30 square miles of wildlife habitat -- including foraging grounds of the endangered wood stork. In recent years, BioGems Defenders sent more than 100,000 messages to federal officials protesting the mining scheme.
BIOGEMS DEFENDERS LEAD PROTEST OVER DRILLING SCHEME
BioGems Defenders sent tens of thousands of email messages in August opposing a destructive oil and gas drilling plan for Colorado's Roan Plateau. Due in large part to our outcry, the Bush administration extended the official comment period by two weeks and agreed to accept public comments on the controversial scheme electronically (as well as by postal mail and hand delivery). The Roan Plateau region is one of the most biologically diverse areas in Colorado -- home to elk, deer, cutthroat trout and many rare plants. Earlier last month, the House of Representatives passed an energy bill that would bar drilling in fragile wildlife habitat on the uppermost reaches of the plateau. The Senate-passed energy bill does not include such a provision, and NRDC is fighting to ensure these crucial protections make it into the final bill.
IN OR NEAR SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND OR NEW YORK? COME OUT FOR ENDANGERED FORESTS!
NRDC is co-hosting gatherings in San Francisco (Oct. 1), Portland, Oregon (Oct. 2), and New York City (Oct. 4) to focus attention on the illegal timber trade and mobilize support to stop it. Come hear Julio Cusurichi of Peru -- winner of the 2007 Goldman environmental prize for his work with NRDC to stop illegal cutting of mahogany in the Tahuamanú Rainforest BioGem -- as well as leading activists from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. For more information on attending these events, please email us at biogemsinfo@nrdc.org.
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