Wild & Scenic Places Reports

Quietly Paving Paradise	2009-04-16
America’s roadless national forests are treasured pieces of our common landscape and heritage. Pristine forests have provided generation after generation of Americans with clean air and water, and opportunities to experience the beauty of the great outdoors. Furthermore, these forests represent some of the last suitable habitat for many species of wildlife.
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Measure 49: Addressing the Threat of Measure 37 Development to Oregon Farms	2007-10-18
Oregon is a state deeply connected to its farmland. Oregon has 40,000 farm businesses, primarily family-owned. And urban Oregonians are increasingly connected to local agriculture as they express ever-stronger interest in locally-grown foods. Unfortunately, Measure 37 claims propose to develop housing on more than 500,000 acres of farm land, nearly 40% more than the largest amount of farm land lost in any 5-year period since 1982. On average, Oregon lost about 165,000 acres of farm land in each five-year period between 1982 and 2002â€”Measure 37 claims thus total more than three times the average amount of land lost in a five-year period.
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Measure 49: Protecting Oregon's Wine Country	2007-09-26
More than 100,000 acres of Oregon's best potential vineyard lands are currently under claims for development of subdivisions, gravel pits, and other projects because of Measure 37. These developments constitute a serious threat to Oregon's $1.6 billion wine industry. Measure 49, a ballot measure before Oregon voters on November 6, would protect these high-value vineyard lands, as well as other farm and forest lands, from damaging development.
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Saving America's Arctic: Dispelling Myths about Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 2005-09-23 _Saving_Americas_Arctic_.pdf	2005-09-23
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is truly one of America’s last wild places. It contains no roads, trails, or structures, so you must fly, boat, or walk to get there. It is a pristine habitat, one that supports large populations of migratory birds, caribou, muskoxen, all three species of bear, wolves, Dall sheep, and snow geese. The annual migration of the 129,000-member caribou herd evokes images of the long-gone buffalo herds of the Great Plains.
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Our Natural Legacy: The Value Of America's Roadless National Forests	2004-11-20
After decades of scientific inquiry, 600 public hearings, and a record 1.6 million comments, the Clinton administration enacted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in January 2001 to protect 58.5 million acres of wild national forest land from most commercial logging and road-building. The Roadless Rule ensures that our national forests will continue to provide clean drinking water for millions of Americans, wildlife habitat, endless recreational opportunities, and other important values. The rule also allows the U.S. Forest Service to address the estimated $10.3 billion backlog in needed roads maintenance instead of using taxpayer dollars to build new roads.
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Oregon's Environment At Risk: The Local Impacts of the Bush Administration's Environmental Policies	2004-04-16
On April 22, 1970, America celebrated its first Earth Day, demonstrating a national and truly bipartisan outpouring of concern for cleaning up the environment. According to some recollections of that day, "So many politicians were on the stump on Earth Day that Congress was forced to close down. The oratory, one of the wire services observed, was 'as thick as smog at rush hour.'" 1 In the decade that followed, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and other laws that form the cornerstone of our country's commitment to protect the environment and public health.
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