Award-winning Florian Schulz will present the stories and images from his Arctic adventures. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, in partnership with the Alaska Wilderness League.

7:30 to 9:30 pm, Friday, March 22
Pittsburgh Zoo Education Center
Wild Place 1, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Florian Schulz is a photographer with a strong conservation vision. He spent almost two years traveling from northern Greenland to northwest Alaska, photographing amazing animals, including spectacular images of a mother polar bear and her cubs, and other wildlife who call this harsh habitat their home.

The evening will feature Florian’s presentation, a silent auction to support the Alaska Wilderness League, and a dessert reception. After the presentation, Florian will be available to sign copies of his book “To the Arctic.” A guided tour of our polar bear exhibit is also included.

Registration is by mail only. Click HERE for a registration form.
$15 members/$20 non-members.   Includes dessert reception.

Tionesta Natural Area. Photo by Kirk Johnson

As President Obama declared September as Natioanl Wilderness Month, conservationists and wilderness advocates await action by Congress on no less that 27 wilderness bills stalled in committee. If no action is taken before January, this will be the first time since 1966 without any additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System, a system created by the Wilderness Act signed in September 3, 1964 by Lyndon Johnson. (more…)

Photo: Allegheny Defense Project

The innocuously named Conservation and Economic Growth Act (H.R. 2578) is branded by environmentalists as a collection of extreme anti-conservation proposals that would undo decades of land protection measures. Two of the fourteen provisions in the bill are especially harmful; Title III would transfer old-growth stands in the Tongass National Forest to a native-owned corporation for harmful clear-cutting, and Title XIV would remove some 36 protection laws from federal lands within 100 miles of the US borders. The latter measure would affect wilderness protection on the Allegheny NF. On June 19 H.R. 2578 passed the House 232-188 with Dems. Critz and Doyle voting Nay, and the White House expressing opposition. PLEASE URGE SENS. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey to vote against the Conservation and Economic Growth Act.

We Pennsylvanians are fortunate to live in a state with such beauty and opportunity for outdoor adventure. Just how fortunate is the topic of a special report in the Summer 2012 issue (pdf) of the Sylvanian, the Pennsylvania Chapter’s online newsletter. A variety of writers describe what Pennsylvania’s wildness means to them and how that wildness is threatened.

Photo: Allegheny Defense Project

On April 17, the House passed H.R. 4089, the so-called Sportsmen’s Heritage Act. Viewed as a ‘Trojan horse’ by conservationists, the bill would severely roll-back decades of federal law that protect our public lands, including the Wilderness Areas in Allegheny National Forest. The bill moves to the Senate and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey will be a key vote. PLEASE CONTACT Sen. Casey’s office and urge him to vote against HR 4089. Read more. (more…)

The Allegheny Defense Project (ADP) is holding its 18th Annual Fall Gathering at Tracy Ridge in the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) September 16-18. This is a family-oriented event with camping, hiking, workshops, music, food and fun! Please RSVP so food can be planned accordingly (ADP will asking for donations for each meal, ca $15 for the weekend) Meals are vegan and vegetarian, but feel free to bring your own veg or non-veg supplies to supplement.

Camp will be set up on Friday September 16th in a group camp area at the Tracy Ridge Campground in the ANF (see map ). The camping area is on the west side of FR 321 between Rt 346 and Rt 59.

More information is available here or by contacting Mary at mbelitkus at alleghenydefense dot org

Tionesta Research Natural Area old-growth forest.
Photo by Kirk Johnson, FAW.

A fresh move is afoot in Congress to open up unprotected roadless areas in public lands for mining and drilling. In April Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced a bill to release for mining and drilling all inventoried roadless areas on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service. That would include areas of Allegheny NF contained in the Citizens Wilderness Proposal. (more…)

Tongass NF, SE Alaska

Allegheny National Forest north of Pittsburgh is about half a million acres of land that has been logged, covered with roads, and drilled for oil and now gas. In SE Alaska is a national forest that is still largely wild. It is Tongass NF, the nation’s largest forest of almost 17 million acres, and part one of the world’s few remaining temperate rain forests. Efforts to ban logging on the Tongass started in earnest in the 1950’s when the US Forest Service signed a 50-year contracts with pulp companies. In 1994 those contracts ended, but the USFS continued to plan for logging in its land management plan of 1997. That plan was overturned in court in 2001 and Pres. Clinton approved the National Roadless Rule. In 2003 Pres. Bush exempted the Tongass from the Roadless Rule.

Earthjustice and NRDC filed suit and on March 4 a federal judge in Anchorage removed the Tongass exemption to the Roadless Rule, thereby protecting 9.5 million acres of wild, roadless areas on the Tongass. Conservationists are waiting to see if the Obama administration will appeal this court ruling.

An overnight backpacking trip through the proposed Minister Valley Wilderness Area is planned by Friends of Allegheny Wilderness for the weekend of March 5-6. This outing will give hikers a fine sense of wild, roadless nature of this eminently qualified prospective addition to America’s National Wilderness Preservation System.

Photo by Luke Bobnar.
Camping last winter in
Hickory Creek Wilderness Area.

The hike will begin Saturday morning at the Minister Creek campground, and will primarily use the seven-mile Minister Trail loop, taking us north to the North Country National Scenic Trail and the popular triple forks area. We may do some off-trail hiking as well, depending on the consensus of the group. Saturday evening we will stop along the way to make camp before dark, likely at triple forks.

To RSVP, or for more information, contact Kirk Johnson at info@pawild.org or 814-723-0620.

Photo courtesy of the Natl Sierra Club

On December 2, 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower’s Secretary of Interior, Fred Seaton, established the 8.9 million-acre Arctic Range for its wilderness, wildlife, and recreational values by executive proclamation. In 1980, with passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the size of the Range was doubled and renamed the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Today the ANWR is seen by the Dept. of Energy as a prime area for oil and gas development. Although only 8 percent of the ANWR’s 19.6 million acres is presently eligible for exploration, that 8 percent is along the Beaufort Sea coastline that is critical for the biological health of the whole refuge.

As conservationists across the country celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the ANWR, they are calling for President Obama to provide stronger protection of this ‘jewel of the north’ by establishing National Monument status to the whole acreage of ANWR. PLEASE SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT OBAMA!

The Pennsylvania Wilderness Coalition was recently formed to work for the addition of more areas Allegheny National Forest ANF). Curently there are only two areas that are in the National Wilderness Preservation System; Hickory Creek Wilderness (8,600 acres) and the Allegheny Islands Wilderness (totaling 400 acres). These two existing areas represent a little less than 2 percent of 513,000-acre ANF.

1920 photo of remnant old growth in what is now the Hearts Content Scenic Area.
Photo courtesy of the US Forest Service.

The six founding member organizations in the Coalition are: Campaign for America’s Wilderness; Friends of Allegheny Wilderness; Izaak Walton League; Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited; Sierra Club, Pennsylvania Chapter; and The Wilderness Society. (more…)

After many years of struggle, in 1964 LBJ signed the act that established the National Wilderness Preservation System. Today the system includes 756 areas (109,492,591 acres) in 44 states and Puerto Rico.

In all of Penn’s Woods, only the Allegheny Islands (368 acres) and Hickory Creek (8,663 acres) have been set aside as wilderness areas. Proposals to add additional areas in the Allegheny National Forest meet strong opposition from logging and drilling companies. That might sound familiar to anyone who watched Ken Burns’ recent National Parks series on PBS.

The Friends of Allegheny Wilderness and The Wilderness Society will hold a workshop regarding the expansion of wilderness on the Allegheny NF.

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 10:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m.

Where: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy headquarters, 800 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh PA 15222.

Who Should Come: Anyone with an interest in our state’s wild forests with a desire to leave them intact for future generations — no experience or special knowledge needed. Topics addressed will include grassroots organizing, working with the media, and communicating with elected officials and other key decision-makers.

Please R.S.V.P. with Kirk Johnson of Friends of Allegheny Wilderness at (814) 723-0620 or kjohnson at pawild dot org.

On March 25 Congress passed a great public lands bill that includes the addition of more than two million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System.  The omnibus bill was a composite of more than 100 separate proposals to protect wilderness areas, rivers and national parks.

After the earlier vote in the Senate, the House voted 285 – 140 in favor of passage. Thirty-eight Republicans voted for the bill, including Reps. Dent, Gerlach, and Platts from Pennsylvania, but unfortunately Rep. Tim Murphy again voted Nay.

Of interest to us locally is the addition of over 37,000 acres of Wilderness in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest. The existing Dolly Sods Wilderness area is extended in the north; Roaring Plains area is added; Otter Creek is expanded, as is the Cranberry Wilderness area; and Spice run and Big Draft areas are added way down in the southern part of the states.

We hope that in the near future Congress will add the proposed areas in Allegheny NF to the about 8,600 acres already protected as Wilderness.
(more…)

In January the US Senate voted 73-21 in favor of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S22).  This comprehensive bill would protect lands, waters and cultural sites throughout the nation, including wilderness designation for more than 2 million acres of spectacular lands in California, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Michigan, Virginia, and nearby West Virginia. The bill would also make official the National Landscape Conservation System, which is the Bureau of Land Management’s version of the National Park System.

Despite the overwhelming support in the Senate, when the House considered the same bill March 11, it was defeated 282-144– a failure because a two-third vote of 283 was needed for passage. Local Democrats all voted in favor. Rep. Tim Murphy of Mt. Lebanon chose not to join Pennsylvania Republican colleagues Dent, Gerlach, and Platts, to vote Yea, but instead he voted Nay.

According to the New York Times:

“House Democratic leaders had brought the bill to the floor under suspension of the rules, as a way to keep the opposition from altering the legislation through amendments. But getting two-thirds remained dicey. Democrats tried to persuade Republicans (and conservative Democrats) that the bills were gun-friendly by the insertion of an amendment that would have prohibited any effort to close lands in the omnibus to hunting and fishing, but many Republicans still believed the legislation did not include enough gun rights protections.”

ACTION: Constituents in the 18th Congressional District are urged to Fax or Email Rep. Murphy, express their regret at his vote, and ask him why he chose to vote Nay when a Yea would have tipped the balance.

NOTE: According to Congressional Quarterly, March 12, the Senate will revisit an omnibus federal lands bill next week, in an apparent effort to work around parliamentary obstacles that have held up the measure in the House.