Thank the Obama Administration--NRDC's BioGems News, February 2009‏

	Utah's Redrock Wilderness Interior Secretary cancels lease sales in Utah's Redrock Wilderness In a stunning victory for our western wildlands, President Obama's Interior Department has announced that it will cancel 77 oil and gas leases in Utah's Redrock Wilderness. These leases were issued by the Bush administration during its final days in office. NRDC and our environmental partners challenged the giveaway in December, and succeeded in winning a temporary restraining order blocking the sale. The Interior Department's announcement means that more than 100,000 acres of Utah wilderness will be protected from oil and gas drilling, including lands next to Arches and Canyonlands national parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon -- areas rich in ancient rock art and other cultural artifacts. The decision also signals that the Obama administration will likely be more willing to work with NRDC in protecting our last remaining wildlands. » Send a message of thanks to the Obama administration for putting our natural heritage before oil and gas profits.

In the News
	THREE NEW ENDANGERED PLACES NAMED TO BIOGEMS LIST NRDC has added three wildlands imperiled by development and other threats to its BioGems list: the Carrizo Plain National Monument in central California, the Peace-Athabasca Delta in Canada and Costa Rica. Big Oil has its sights set on the Carrizo Plain National Monument, home to the kit fox and other rare California wildlife. In Canada's boreal forest, an increase in tar sands production may be devastating for the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the world's most important nesting grounds for more than one million birds. Costa Rica is known as a global environmental leader, but its protected areas and natural riches are under pressure; and NRDC is working with the government to meet its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2021. » Learn more and take action at SaveBioGems.org NRDC HEADED TO COURT TO PROTECT WOLVES Earlier this month, NRDC headed to court to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on its "License to Kill" rule, also known as the 10(j) regulation. Under this rule, which was put in place by the Bush administration, states like Wyoming, Montana and Idaho would be permitted to kill wolves for the purpose of protecting herds of elk and deer -- even in areas where elk and deer populations are booming. As a result, more than half the wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies could potentially be killed while they're still on the endangered species list. We'll be sure to keep you updated in our legal fight to protect the wolves of the northern Rockies. HUGE MINING PROJECT BLOCKED IN FLORIDA EVERGLADES NRDC prevailed in the latest round of a six-year legal fight to protect the Florida Everglades, one of our former BioGems, from a massive mining project. The proposed limestone mines -- the initial phase of a proposed 22,000-acre mining complex -- would destroy huge areas of wildlife habitat and contaminate a major drinking water source for south Florida residents. A Florida district court ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers violated both the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act when it issued the permits for the mines. We will continue to work with local partners to ensure mining does not threaten the Everglades in the future.

Action Insider

NEW WILDLIFE PAGES ON THE BIOGEMS WEBSITE As you can see, the newsletter has a different look, to reflect our newly redesigned Save BioGems website. If you haven't already, click through to the site to explore a host of new interactive features. We've also added three new Wildlife features to reflect our campaigns to protect bison, wolves and polar bears. Let us know what you think about the new Wildlife pages by writing to biogemsinfo@nrdc.org.