023OEC’s This Week in Trees (part 1)

This is getting pretty intense. I so much enjoy giving you access to info about all the world’s forest news. But where is This-Week-in-Trees heading? Is there enough time in my busy schedule to keep it going? Is funding from a major forest activist group available in exchange for having this service sent out in their name? Please reply with your thoughts on the future of this service? I really need your ideas about where to take this amazing learning experience that we’re sharing. Send me an email deane@efn.org I need to know who I need to reach out to and work with so this project can keep growing!

So here we go again: This week we have 42 news stories from: British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Northern Rockies, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Lebanon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Congo, Swaziland, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina, India, Madagascar, China, South East Asia, Malaysia, Australia

British Columbia:

1) Al and Nancy Greene-Raine’s 1999 promise to the St’át’imc Nation to, in the absence of First Nation support, abandon their ski city project in an archeologically and ecologically rich valley near Lillooet was apparently reversed August 15, when they filed a project extension permit with the BC government. The original ski resort application permit dictated that construction must commence by August 15, 2005 or the project would be terminated. Despite 15 years of sustained opposition from First Nations and the St’át’imc Chief’s Council, a protest camp at Melvin Creek permanently occupied since 2000, and mountains of correspondence documenting the archaeological, cultural, and wildlife values of Melvin Creek and surroundings, the Ministry of Environment granted a quasi-approval for an extension of the project timeline. In its bizarre ruling, Honourable Barry Penner’s Ministry of Environment, via the Environmental Assessment Office, ordered the Crown to engage in further consultations with First Nations before re-approval of the ski resort will be granted. However, the scope of such “consultations” was not and has not been clarified. The need for further consultations regarding Melvin Creek is puzzling because First Nations has clearly articulated their position on this issue for 15 years. “The suggestion that more dialogue on Melvin Creek is needed is at best disrespectful and at worst deceitful. When will this government recognize that no means no” said biologist Andy Miller. “Tens of thousands of pages of professional correspondence clearly indicate that this project should be killed” said Miller. http://www.wildernesscommittee.org

2) It’s pretty good, but not good enough, says president of the Carmanah Forest Society Syd Haskell about provincial ministries’ responses to recommendations from the Forest Practices Board While they need the participation of two ministries, he explains, only one has made a public show of co-operation in saving the sensitive and endangered ecosystems around Douglas firs on southeast Vancouver Island CFS is excited, he says, with the response from environment minister Barry Penner, who acknowledged the critical condition of these areas. Penner says steps will be taken to protect them While the board’s recommendations were targeted for the environment minister specifically (who’s responsible for protecting wildlife and habitats in B.C.), they also asked that all logging approvals be halted until the review is complete at the end of October. That’s the responsibility of the ministry of forests -and minister Rich Coleman hasn’t responded to whether or not the logging halt will happen “I’m looking for some statement on his part – some statement of interest – that the Minister of Forests really shouldn’t approve something now they know they’re critically in peril,” says Haskell The number one concern, he explains, is that only 10 per cent of said ecosystems are still on Crown land. The FPB says because of that, there is only a small window of opportunity to protect them. Haskell however, says there are a couple of pieces that are in negotiation for sale with the ministry now “The government’s got very little land and they should not be selling [it] off,” says Haskell Coleman however, did not return phone calls to The News about what the ministry’s intentions are regarding logging halts. Haskell says Coleman has also not returned calls to the CFS, who initiated the review through a formal complaint in April 2004 While CFS is already planning to make a separate complaint to the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals under their professional reliance bylaws in the foresters act, Haskell says they’re continuing to monitor decisions made, and could add more names to their list “If anything gets approved in the meantime.” http://www.pqbnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=50&cat=23&id=482589&more=

Washington:

3) Urgent Action Camp to Defend Old growth- Sept 2-5 In just a week, the chainsaws could be cutting some of Washington’s last old growth groves… Action Camp Rendezvous in the Forest Organizers and participants in the Rendezvous include: Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, Bellingham and Olympia Earth First!, Seattle Rainforest Action Group, Leavenworth Audubon Adopt-A-Forest, as well as local women and men of the mountains. ?????WHY????? Conservation Northwest Science and Conservation Director, Dave Werntz: “The Fischer Project, including the Rollin Rock timber sale, gives the big old trees to the timber industry and leaves behind a wasteland of logging slash and brush that fuels wildfires – placing old-growth forests and local communities in harm’s way. It’s a shame. The Forest Service could have pursued a balanced approach that reduced fire risk, got logs to local mills, protected public resources, and garnered broad community support. Instead, they chose a reckless path that threatens property, wildlife, and water quality.” – If you can offer a ride, if you need a ride, if you just want to chat, please drop Justin a line to let him know your status. Phone is best: (503) 261-3349, or email: justin.rr@gmail.com.

Oregon:

4) In the beginning, Jim Rogers didn’t think winning wilderness protection for a pristine rain forest tucked into the steep slopes of the Siskiyou Mountains would be so difficult. The idea had plenty of support, little organized opposition and would help protect a thriving salmon fishery. Eight years later, the former timber manager-turned-activist is no closer than when he started. But now Rogers sees a new chance for the proposed Copper Salmon Wilderness Area. He hopes to grab on to the coattails of a move to preserve land on Mount Hood and add the Southern Oregon site to the list. The last time Congress approved a wilderness designation for Oregon land was five years ago, protecting 175,000 acres of Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon. Supporters hope Congress will do the same for about 179,000 acres in the Mount Hood National Forest. Slipping Copper Salmon’s 11,000 acres into the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act would primarily protect the area against logging. The Elk River flows through the land and is one of the most productive spawning grounds for coho salmon in the lower 48 states. It also supports chinook salmon and steelhead. Here, 700-year-old Douglas firs and Port Orford cedars stretching 200 feet tall shade the mountainside, providing habitat for the endangered spotted owl and the marbled murrelet. It’s also home to one of the largest remaining stands of old-growth, disease-free Port Orford cedar, Rogers said. “The Elk River is a relatively intact, fully functioning natural ecosystem that is totally surrounded by intensely managed land,” Rogers said. “Only 5 percent of Oregon low-elevation coastal forest is protected. Reserves like the proposed Copper Salmon Wilderness hold the gene pools for countless species of plants and animals that have been lost in clear-cut land.” He didn’t always think that way. About 30 years ago, Rogers was a timber manager for Western States Plywood, responsible for building the logging roads that traverse the area and for harvesting thousands of trees. But he experienced a gradual conversion that began one day when he went walking along the Elk River with a friend who was a fish biologist and learned how the logging affected the rich spawning grounds. He helped get a wilderness designation for Grassy Knob, a similar area next to the proposed Copper Salmon site, and has turned his attention to this latest cause. “It’s what I am going to do until I die. When I worked for the timber industry, I wondered is this all there is? It just didn’t seem right,” he said. “I guess I prefer the idea of saving Elk River and dying penniless.”http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/112514027558120.xml&coll=7&thisp
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5) Pushing back hard at the Bush administration, Gov. Ted Kulongoski sued the U.S. government Tuesday for abandoning protections that had barred roads and logging in nearly 2 million acres of remote Oregon national forests. He argued that building roads in the isolated reaches that have escaped development so far would undermine the state’s water quality and wildlife, including troubled salmon runs. Kulongoski, a Democrat, joined with the Democratic attorneys general of California and New Mexico in the lawsuit. It asks a federal court to reinstate safeguards the Clinton administration had applied to 58.5 million roadless acres nationally just before leaving office in 2001. He said he would not submit a petition as the administration had called for. Instead, he will ask Bush officials to provide states a simpler and more certain way of returning protection to the roadless lands protected in 2001. “We feel the 2001 rule is widely and strongly supported by our citizens,” Marks said. “We don’t want to do it all again.” “The quickest way to provide permanent protection is through the development of state specific rules, not by resuscitating the 2001 rule,” Rey said. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1125485878296660.xml&coll=7

6) A Protest Rally to protect the Metolius River in the Deschutes National Forest from ‘salvage logging’ of the B&B fire and to Reopen the B&B arson investigation case is set for Tuesday, September 6 at 3 pm at the Capitol steps in Salem. The Bus named COOL will be bringing folks down from Portland and back after the rally. The Back 2 the WALL Players are preparing a colorful skits with lots of bells and whistles. Telephone calls are also needed to Governor Kulongoski to ‘Reopen the B&B fire investigation’ at (503-378-4582)

California:

7) Wednesday’s paper carried a piece about a lawsuit to stop the harvest of fire-damaged timber from the Power Fire near Bear Creek Reservoir, more properly known as Lower Bear River Reservoir. The suit was filed by the John Muir Project of the Earth Island Institute (now there’s a mouthful) and the Center for Biological Diversity, whatever that means. It seems to claim, in simple terms, that the U.S. Forest Service is showing no concern for Spotted Owls, Black-Backed Three-Toed woodpeckers or Hairy Woodpeckers. In short, the USFS doesn’t know what it’s doing and they, the John Muir Project of the Earth Island Institute (still a mouthful) does. This group seems to think that the spotted owls won’t know how to cope if 9,000 of the 16,000 burned acres are logged. I’ll bet that if we asked the owls they’d tell us that they have been around long enough to figure out how to live just fine in the 7,000 acres that are left. These people also claim that the woodpeckers are “associated with burned forests and need burned-out snags for habitat.” This brings a couple of questions to mind. Where were all of these woodpeckers living before the fire, Palm Beach? And, how many snags will it take to house them all? If all of the snags in 16,000 acres were occupied by woodpeckers, the downdraft from their wings would knock down their houses if they all took flight at once. I think that it’s time for common sense to begin playing a part here. This fire was caused by human error. Human error also played a large part in the spread of the fire. http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/opinion/opinionview.asp?c=167333

8) Esurance, the direct-to-consumer auto insurance company, announced its latest round of initiatives to help citizens of San Francisco, Chicago, and Tampa really “save some green.” John Swigart, Esurance’s Managing Director and CMO, stated, “Esurance is a young, rapidly growing company that probably sees the world a little differently than some of our competitors, particularly in terms of issues like safeguarding the environment. Our paperless customer experience helps us save on operating costs, savings that translate into lower rates for Esurance customers. Of course, Esurance’s paperless customer experience also helps save hundreds of trees a year. To demonstrate our environmental commitment, we’re very excited to work with great organizations in San Francisco, Chicago, and Tampa.” In San Francisco, Esurance has an ongoing partnership with Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), a non-profit organization that has planted nearly half the street trees in San Francisco. Esurance recently showcased FUF at a “save some green” event. The event, which was staffed by Esurance volunteers and featured Esurance’s hybrid claims vehicle, helped build awareness of FUF while also raising some additional funds for the organization. Kelly Quirke, Executive Director of Friends of the Urban Forest, stated, “Esurance is a great partner, enthusiastically working on our behalf. With our city’s government facing some tough financial issues, it is vital for organizations like ours to diversify funding sources. Having a supportive, energetic partner like Esurance makes this challenge a lot easier for us.” http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-29-2005/0004095387&EDATE=

Montana:

9) A project to log 26 million board feet of timber burned on 2,700 acres in the 2003 Snow Talon fire will be cut back after no one bid on the initial proposal. That lack of bidders is causing the Lincoln Ranger District to drop the helicopter logging aspect of the project and repackage this as a 6 million board-foot sale on about 1,000 acres by traditional logging methods. District Ranger Amber Kamps said she hopes that work can begin this winter. Kamps said there seemed to be a lot of interest in the sale, and forest service officials were surprised when no one put in a bid. She said potential bidders gave three reasons for not making offers on the sale. “First, the direct words from the producers is that the product was just too far gone. It’s been two years since the fire and there was too little merchantability. This fire burned hotter than any other in 2003, so it lost its value quickly. That’s probably the single biggest factor,” Kamps said. Adding to the loggers’ reluctance was that 60 percent of the volume was to be done with helicopters, which is a significant expense and the timing can be problematic with the helicopters being called in to fight wildfires. In addition, loggers told Kamps they were hesitant to bid on the project because it might be tied up in court. Last May, three environmental groups filed a formal “notice of intent to sue” the Helena National Forest over the project. http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/08/31/helena_top/a09083105_01.txt

10) Yellowstone’s grizzlies need more than Yellowstone Park; they also need millions of acres of surrounding national forest. This land has seen some oil and gas development as well as logging and road-building through the years, but the big question is what will happen in the future. The grizzly by nature will eat almost anything, has a long memory and is mighty inquisitive. This is fine, except that almost all Yellowstone grizzlies die because humans kill them. Once a bear develops a taste for a picnic basket or unprotected human garbage, that bear has a bullet with its name on it. But the issue always comes down to habitat. Are we willing to make room for the grizzlies, or do we have a plan that asks bears to read road signs and imaginary lines on a map? More than a third of the habitat currently used by Yellowstone’s grizzlies gets not a jot of protection under the government’s delisting plan. The government wants to maintain Yellowstone’s current bear numbers, but it won’t try to protect the more than 2 million acres beyond the park. Even the habitat the federal government assures us it will protect is unraveling. Yellowstone’s grizzlies rely heavily on one key food source, the seed cones of whitebark pine. In good years, whitebark pine produces lots of seed cones, feeding the bears and keeping them in the high country away from trouble. In years when the whitebark pine cone production falters, grizzlies produce fewer cubs, have many more conflicts with humans, and are killed by humans at an unsustainable level. Unfortunately, whitebark pine is under attack from a foreign disease called blister rust, mountain pine beetles and a warming climate. That orange hue increasingly seen in Yellowstone’s forests is not a good sign for bears. The upshot? More dead bears every year. The agencies’ response? We’ll monitor the decline of whitebark and figure out what to do when the crash occurs. http://www.tidepool.org/original_content.cfm?articleid=172543

Northern Rockies:

11) More than 100 people attended the daylong event at Lake McDonald Lodge on Aug. 18. The conference featured short presentations on a number of different research projects taking place in the Northern Rockies. Topics ranged from the role of avalanches in shaping the landscape to the competing concepts of “wilderness” that were evident during the early history of Glacier National Park. University of Montana biologist Richard Hutto offered one of the day’s more spirited talks, giving an impassioned lecture about the biological importance of burned forests. Hutto, director of the university’s Avian Science Center, has been studying the effects of burned areas on bird populations for almost two decades. When people see a fire-ravaged landscape, they typically think it’s been destroyed, Hutto said. However, one of the long-term consequences of fire is that it creates a forest mosaic — a random, large-scale mix of tree ages and vegetation types that provides critical habitat for flora and fauna alike. “Fire is the single most important disturbance agent in the Northern Rockies,” he said. “So much of the [habitat] variety we see is the product of fire. If we’re interested in maintaining that variety, we have to be interested in maintaining the disturbance process that created it.” Since 1988, Hutto and his students have analyzed about 60 different burned areas, trying to determine the “biological significance” of forest fires. The measuring stick they used to answer this question was birds. Researchers compared the number of birds and variety of species seen or heard in burned areas versus other habitat types. “We’ve detected well over a hundred species of birds in burned forests, and more than half nest there,” Hutto said. “These areas are not biological deserts.” Even some common species, such as robins, are much more abundant in burned areas than in any other habitat type, he said. Other species, such as black-backed woodpeckers, are “relatively restricted to burned forests.”
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2005/08/29/news/news02.txt

Colorado:
12) A 13-member bipartisan state group that will help determine the future of Summit County’s (and the rest of Colorado’s) roadless areas is starting to take shape, with several prominent Colorado officials acknowledging their appointment to the roadless review task force. At issue is what types of uses – if any – will be allowed in roadless areas, including logging, energy extraction and recreation. The topic is not yet high on the radar screen locally, said Summit County Manager Ron Holliday. For now, it’s wait and see, he said. Critics of the rule charged that it was presented as a top-down order, without adequate input from local interests. But conservation groups supporting roadless protection pointed to the record number of public comments that poured in at each opportunity, always overwhelmingly in support of roadless protection. Local input will be accepted in the upcoming round of rule-making, although the task force recommendations are non-binding. Gov. Owens will consider the task force results and then make a recommendation to the Forest Service. “I’m hoping that we’ll be able to make unanimous recommendations,” said member Young. He also called on the Forest Service to start the process by offering a detailed briefing on the status of Colorado’s roadless areas. http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20050829/NEWS/108290025

Wisconsin:

13) The state Department of Natural Resources had proposed logging sections of the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest along Highway K, which opponents argued threatened the scenic integrity of one of northern Wisconsin’s prettiest drives, the 11.7-mile Rustic Road between Boulder Junction and Star Lake where coniferous and hardwood forests reach high across the road to form a cathedral-like overhead. After the first objections were raised, the DNR and other state officials negotiated a revised plan that would still call for logging, but which would implement a 50-foot no-cut buffer along the roadway. Logging opponents said that was still not adequate to protect the scenic drive and asked for a 200-foot buffer. Residents of homes along Highway K raised the loudest concerns, but their protest was joined by others who were familiar with the road from vacations in the north. More than 1,000 signatures were collected on an on-line petition. “Highway K is one of my favorite drives,” wrote one. “Beauty has value,” said another, while an Illinois visitor called Highway K “The northwoods drive in Vilas . . . please leave as is.” That didn’t happen. The logging has been completed, and Highway K came through just fine. Who says there’s never good news in the paper? “It looks very nice now,” he said. And it should for the long term. Heitz said that another positive outcome of the debate is that the final draft of the proposed new master plan for the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest for the first time addresses the issue, saying such routes should be “managed to protect and enhance the scenic beauty of the Rustic Road corridor.” The road’s more than 1,000 friends should be happy to hear that. http://www.jsonline.com/dd/destwis/aug05/351972.asp

14) Today Gov. Jim Doyle and The Nature Conservancy are expected to announce the acquisition of this 971-acre stretch of land west of Land O’Lakes, which includes the state’s largest, privately owned old-growth forest. The Nature Conservancy, an international non-profit group dedicated to conservation, is receiving a $2.1 million grant from the state Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, a public-private partnership, and will have to raise an additional $1 million on its own. The land’s current owners, the Rahr family, have also knocked more than $1 million off the price of the land to ensure that it is preserved in its natural state. The Rahrs are originally from Manitowoc, where they brewed beer and made malt. The family’s connection to the land stretches back to the day Reinhardt Rahr set eyes on the property during a fishing trip. He tracked down its owner, and in 1885 bought the first piece of property on Tenderfoot Lake.Wisconsin’s old-growth forest, vital in providing a rich ecosystem for wildlife, has declined steadily. By the early part of the 20th century, most of northern Wisconsin had been logged.Today the state’s old-growth forest is a mere one-tenth of 1% of its original size, said Matt Dallman, The Nature Conservancy’s director of conservation for northern Wisconsin.”Of all of the properties I’ve seen in northern Wisconsin,” he said, “this property most represents what northern Wisconsin looked like 100 years ago. . . . It’s really unique, essentially a living library or museum of Wisconsin’s heritage.” The land is forested with large hemlock and yellow birch, some 200 to 300 years old, and includes nearly 4 miles of undeveloped lakeshore on the Mirror, Roach and Tenderfoot lakes. Moreover, the land will form a natural corridor with the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan, allowing large mammals more room to roam without peril from highways and human conflicts. http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/aug05/351847.asp

Minnesota:

15) Estimating values of “goods” that are never sold is difficult. Take, for example, the new U.S. Forest Service re-estimate of the recreational value of national forests, which dropped to $11 billion from $111 billion, a huge revision. Critics in conservation organizations charge this is a Bush administration move to cook the books in favor of more logging. Forest Service officials respond that the devaluation results from more accurate information about the numbers of forest visitors and their spending in neighboring communities. The earlier, higher estimate derived from a 1995 study that assumed 800 million visits to forests per year by 2000. Surveys taken for the newer study indicate the number is closer to 200 million, including 4 million visits to five national forests in Minnesota, of which Superior is the most important. Stepping back from the particulars, the controversy illustrates the broader challenge of valuing unpriced amenities like a day spent hiking, fishing, hunting or bird-watching in northern Minnesota, or the historically clear skies over the Four Corners area where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet. If we throw up our hands and say that estimating such values is impossible, we will inevitably use these resources badly. Our society will be poorer and worse off than if we make a good estimate. The values to society of clean air or of days spent in forests certainly are not zero. If we fail to assign such things any value when we calculate how much we should reduce pollution or how much timber the Forest Service should sell while fostering recreation, we will pollute and log excessively. The well-being of Americans will suffer. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/business/12487578.htm

Virginia:

16) Once a year, NFPA hosts our national convention in a different part of the country to invigorate the statewide and national effort to protect and restore national forests. We selected Virginia because of the tremendous threats to Virginia’s forests and the strong forest protection campaigns underway. The convention also serves to unify and provide coordination to the national forest protection community. This year’s convention will focus on how organization’s can protect their forests through the market place, forest watch and ecologically based restoration. We will also hike through the George Washington National Forest and learn about the threats to this remarkable forest. BUY RAFFLE TICKETS HERE! Help support the National Forest Protection Alliance, Win great prizes including backpacks, gift certificates, outdoor gear,clothing and dozens of other quality prizes.Only $5 per Ticket Or purchase by check: Just send a check to NFPA, 1420 Early Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902. We will send you a receipt of purchase and fill out tickets for you.The raffle drawing will take place at our Annual Convention, Saturday, October 22. No need to be present to win. Prizes will be mailed to the winner. https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/NFPA/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=876

Georgia:

17) Chattahoochee National Forest officials are considering whether to ban off-road vehicles in an area that was designated specifically for that purpose. The Anderson Creek Off-Highway Vehicle trail system, about 20 miles east of Ellijay and north of Amicalola Falls State Park, has been closed since fall 2003 because all-terrain vehicles caused extensive damage to the area’s soil and water. “We went in and did a lot of erosion control work and reseeding of vegetation,” said deputy district ranger Tina Tilley. “Now we’re trying to evaluate whether the closure should be permanent. “The soils in that area make it very difficult to maintain trails. There are a lot of seepages and underlying springs.” One of 13 off-highway vehicle areas in the Chattahoochee and Oconee forest system, Anderson Creek has about 5 miles of authorized trails and about twice that many “user-created” or illegal trails. “Back in the mid-1980s, we had a number of OHV areas where you could ride anywhere you wanted, but we quickly realized that was a bad idea,” said Larry Luckett, engineering and recreation staff officer for the Chattahoochee-Oconee national forests. “In the late 1990s, we changed the rule so you could ride only on authorized trails. Anderson Creek was the last area to be converted to that policy, and by then it was a mess. “It has a number of logging roads, which are much wider than the usual ATV trails. And there’s too much uncontrolled access coming off private land.” http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20050829/localnews/9932.shtml

18) The good news: Georgia’s forests have rebounded from excessive logging a century ago, and two-thirds of the state is now covered in trees. The bad news: Metro Atlanta loses 53 acres of forest to development every day, and once those areas are paved over, they never will be replanted. “State of the Forest 2005,” a report released earlier this month by the Georgia Forestry Association, shows that Georgia’s privately owned forests are healthy but face some daunting challenges. “Urban sprawl and development is an especially grave problem in North Georgia. It drives up property taxes and puts pressure on landowners to sell,” said Steve McWilliams, vice president of the association, which represents individuals and companies who earn income from forest products. At issue, he said, is Georgia’s archaic tax structure. “Most other states tax property based on its current use,” McWilliams said. “But unlike any other Southeastern state, Georgia continues to base the ad valorem taxation of forest land on its ‘highest and best use.’ In other words, if the land could earn more with a shopping center on it, that’s the rate at which it will be taxed.” Land values in Georgia’s fastest-growing counties have increased 100 to 200 percent over the past few years, according to the report. “When landowners plant trees on their property, they may not earn any income from it for 20 to 25 years,” McWilliams said. “Yet they’re expected to pay high taxes every year, until eventually they can’t afford to keep it in trees.” http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20050828/localnews/9576.shtml

Florida:

19) If the park has a distraction, it’s the 1,200-foot row of 125 varieties of mango. Some are as smooth as butter, others fibrous, and the flavors range from lemony to buttery. During the summer mango season, visitors can eat the succulent ripe fruit that drops to the ground until their stomachs bulge and their hands and clothes are stained in sweet, tangy juice. “That’s how we like to have people leave,” Rollins said, smiling. The 35-acre garden, owned and operated by Miami-Dade County Parks, is billed as the only tropical botanical garden of its kind in the United States with more than 500 varieties of fruit, vegetables, spices, herbs and other plants. “It provides a real opportunity for the public to see a vast array of tropical fruits that you normally wouldn’t normally come across,” said Michael Davis, a plant pathologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences based in Homestead. That includes coffee, cashews, olive trees, a vineyard of Muscadine grapes, a virtual forest of bamboo and a patch of papyrus, the first paper. There’s also lotus flowers, a symbol of enlightenment, and the knotted, dense lignum vitae or “tree of life” – which was used to treat syphilis in Europe during the age of Christopher Columbus, though ineffectively. “It didn’t really cure anything,” Rollins said, “but it was so disruptive that it distracted them for a while.” http://news.tbo.com/news/MGB6O5O6YCE.html

USA:

20) “President Bush has a vision for cooperative conservation and he has set hard-driving goals to make that vision a reality. His ideas are supported by decades-old wisdom. In fact, the great conservationist Aldo Leopold, even before he coined the term “land ethic,” wrote in the 1930s of the need for cooperative conservation on America’s farms. He used that very term. He argued that the future of conservation depended on private landowners and that looking too much to government for solutions could be a distraction. Leopold used a metaphor from his hunting experience. He was an avid bird hunter who owned hunting dogs all his life. He once had a dog named Gus and when it couldn’t find pheasants, it would find meadowlarks and pretend like it was a great thing-you know how dogs get, all excited and proud. Similarly, I worry that those who look to government-imposed solutions become caught-up in finding the meadowlark and miss the pheasant. Allow me to explain what I mean. On national forest land, timber production is about 15 percent of what it once was. Some would celebrate the decline in timber production, thinking it represents improved conservation. But, they miss the bigger picture, the overall declining health of our forests, as fires and insect outbreaks take their toll. Sadly, some have been so distracted by the meadowlarks that real opportunities for cooperation and genuine stewardship are sometimes missed.” — Mike Johanns, Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture, Innovations In Land and Resource Governance, White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation – St. Louis, MO – August 29, 2005 http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/08/0335.xml

Canada:

21) Feeling powerless in the face of Alberta’s ecological and social
disasters? Join us at ECOAction – a camp dedicated to providing you
with the resources to create change. The Eco-Action camp is a four-day environmental camp. It will bring trainers from across North America to share skills, initiate discussion and to push for action. Trainers at the camp will come from groups like Greenpeace, the Ruckus Society, Forest Ethics, the Rainforest ActionNetwork and Global Exchange. This camp is open to everyone that wants to participate and change their world. Workshops at the camp will include sessions on environmental issues specific to Alberta, and skill-teaching sessions.