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Wild Alert:
3/12/01
In January, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
proposed a new policy to keep the "wild" in wilderness.
It would supersede the current, antiquated policy that fails to reflect
the agency's duty to protect wilderness character. Your comments
are needed by March 19 to support and strengthen this policy, and to
turn back internal and external assaults from wilderness opponents. Take
action at
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/refuges/wildpolicy.htm
BACKGROUND
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manages nearly 21 million acres
of wilderness on 70 wildlife refuges in 26 states. These
wilderness areas protect a range of wildlife habitat and wilderness
character, from the rugged coastal islands of the Alaska Maritime
Refuge, to the stark beauty of the Sonoran Desert at Cabeza Prieta, the
lush, steamy swamps of Okefenokee, and the forests of the Maine coast.
A STRONG, NEW POLICY
Across the board, the FWS's policy is a vast improvement over the
existing agency manual. It is rare in the way it eloquently and
poetically captures the meaning of wilderness character. The draft
policy also emphasizes that humility and restraint must guide the
management of wilderness. It correctly emphasizes that wilderness
is a place where nature is permitted to take its natural course, stating
that FWS wilderness will be managed to "maintain components of
natural biological diversity such as wildlife populations with natural
densities, social structures, and dynamics."
The policy also contains an excellent description of and mandate to
protect solitude in wilderness. And it provides for sound
mechanisms to inventory and protect the wilderness character of
wildlands that Congress has not yet designated as wilderness. All
of these improvements deserve strong support.
SOME STRENGTHENING NEEDED
Some improvements could be made to strengthen the policy. For
example, nearly 90% of all FWS wilderness is in Alaska, and special
provisions related to Alaska must not be permitted to degrade wilderness
character there. By law, snowmachines, motorboats, and airplanes
are allowed as *transportation methods* in Alaska wilderness, but only
for "traditional activities."
Further, such access may be subject to agency regulation. FWS's
policy
should provide a narrow definition of "traditional activities"
that is
modeled on the National Park Service's definition. The policy
should omit language suggesting that motorized entry could be routinely
allowed for almost any general public access within Alaska wilderness.
The policy should also be strengthened to ensure that alteration of
habitat, biological resources, or ecological processes is not allowed
within FWS wilderness except in extremely limited circumstances, such as
to protect or recover threatened or endangered species or to alleviate
negative impacts to wilderness character caused by human influence.
TAKE ACTION
Please tell the Fish and Wildlife Service BY MARCH 19 that you support
the agency's draft stewardship policy with some modifications.
Send your comments from
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/refuges/wildpolicy.htm
or write, fax, or e-mail the agency directly.
Tell FWS you SUPPORT the draft policy's:
- definition of wilderness character, its emphasis that humility and
restraint must guide the wilderness stewardship, and its description of
and mandate to protect solitude in wilderness.
- direction for managing wilderness so that components of natural
biological diversity are maintained and natural processes can take their
course.
- requirements concerning inventorying and protecting the wilderness
character of wildlands that Congress has not yet designated as
wilderness.
Ask the agency to make the following MODIFICATIONS to the policy:
- provide for a narrow definition of "traditional activities"
-- modeled
on the National Park Service's definition -- allowing for the use of
certain motorized equipment in Alaska wilderness which does not include
recreational snowmobiling.
- ensure that alteration of habitat or ecological processes is not
allowed
within wilderness except in extremely limited circumstances, such as to
protect or recover threatened or endangered species or to alleviate
negative impacts to wilderness character caused by human influence.
Send your message to:
National Wildlife Refuge System
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 North Fairfax, Room 670
Arlington, VA 22203
Fax: 703-358-2248
E-mail: Wilderness_Policy_Comments@fws.gov
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For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
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