AmeriScan: May 20, 2002

• Planned Destruction of Smallpox Virus Canceled
  
• Lawsuit Halts Plutonium Shipments in Flawed Containers
  
• Federal Drought Emergency Declared in Arizona
  
• Drought Continues Across Much of U.S.
  
• Roadless Areas Called Crucial to Outdoor Recreation
  
• Maryland Passes Environmental Protection Bills
  
• BLM Honors Outstanding Volunteers
  
• Visit Natural Areas Via the Internet
  

Planned Destruction of Smallpox Virus Canceled

The decision was based on fears that terrorists could use smallpox as a biological weapon. The World Health Assembly, the decision making body of WHO, a United Nations agency, recommended that remaining smallpox stocks be used for treatment and vaccine research.

On Saturday, the 191 members of WHO reversed its 1996 order that all smallpox stocks be destroyed by the end of 2002. WHO had set a 1999 deadline for the elimination of the virus, but extended the deadline to this year due to U.S. and Russian objections.

WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland recommended that the destruction order be reversed last year, and WHO's 32 member executive board supported that recommendation at a January meeting.

No new date has been set for the destruction of the remaining two smallpox stocks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control holds one smallpox sample at a laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia. The Russian sample is held at a laboratory in Siberia.

On Friday, U.S. assistant surgeon general Kenneth Bernard told the World Health Assembly that smallpox research is crucial now that the "events of September 11 have underscored the extent that terrorists are willing to go to."

"In recent years, experts have come to see smallpox as a No. 1 deadly threat," Bernard said. "We regard the potential release of smallpox as a critical national security issue, not only for us but for the entire world."

Before a massive vaccination campaign eradicated the disease in the late 1970s, smallpox killed three to four million people each year. It was fatal in about one third of those who contracted the disease.

Lawsuit Halts Plutonium Shipments in Flawed Containers

In a memo from DOE headquarters, Jessie Roberson, the agency's assistant secretary for environmental management, informed Barbara Mazurowski, head of the Rocky Flats field office in Colorado, that the DOE would no longer seek to ship plutonium in controversial DT-22 containters.

Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) and attorneys for Earthjustice filed suit to halt the planned use of DT-22 canisters to truck plutonium from Rocky Flats, Colorado to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

The DT-22 is a 45 gallon container that the groups say cannot be certified for plutonium shipments because it fails the government's crush tests, and could rupture in a highway accident. The DOE had given itself a national security exemption to allow it to ship surplus plutonium from Rocky Flats in uncertified DT-22s.

The Roberson memo, a copy of which was sent to the environmental groups, halts that process. Roberson released a statement last week emphasizing that the DOE wants "to move forward, rather than engage in unnecessary and costly litigation from environmental groups."

"The DOE's reversal is good news and represents an important win for public health and the environment," said Marylia Kelley, executive director of Tri-Valley CAREs. "A major goal in filing the lawsuit was to prevent the Energy Department from hauling deadly plutonium across the country in unsafe, substandard containers. It looks like we have succeeded in that objective."

Tri-Valley CAREs learned of the plan to ship plutonium in the uncertified canisters in documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). On February 13, the organization, represented by attorneys from Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in federal court in San Francisco.

Additional documents obtained by Tri-Valley CAREs showed that the DOE also planned to ship plutonium in DT-22s to Savannah River. The group alerted attorneys for the state of South Carolina. On May 1, the governor of South Carolina filed a NEPA suit that included the DT-22 issue.

Some DOE engineers had raised internal objections to the use of DT-22s, according to documents received under FOIA by Tri-Valley CAREs.

If a truck carrying plutonium in the DT-22s "was hit by a train, the crush environment would occur," read one DOE document. If the truck were to be "hit from behind by a large, heavy vehicle, the crush environment may occur," the analysis concluded.

"It appears that our lawsuit, coupled with that of South Carolina, led to the new DOE decision to forgo using the DT-22," said Trent Orr, an Earthjustice attorney handling the case. "Over the coming days, we will be in negotiations with DOE's attorneys to clarify and resolve the remaining issues in our case and to ensure that the Department's memo is legally binding."

Federal Drought Emergency Declared in Arizona

"We have heard from your governor and congressional delegation first hand about the impact the drought has had in Arizona," Veneman said Friday. "This emergency assistance will help farmers and ranchers recover from these devastating effects and losses."

The declaration extends available disaster relief program to all state residents, and provides funds to address the economic losses suffered by farmers and ranchers.

"The drought is hitting Arizona particularly hard this year," said Governor Jane Dee Hull. "We are battling devastating wildfires, including the Indian fire near Prescott and our farmers and ranchers are suffering as well. We cannot stop a drought, but the federal declaration and appropriate funding will go far in mitigating its impact."

Following the emergency declaration announcement, Veneman joined Hull in touring the fire damage in the Prescott National Forest, where a fire destroyed seven homes last week.

"Federal, state and local firefighters are working to contain the fires and limit the damages," said Veneman. "It appears that dry conditions and high winds have made this task very difficult and we all appreciate the hard work and dedication of all those involved, including the countless firefighters and volunteers, who are helping to contain these fires."

Governor Hull requested the federal drought declaration on April 12, saying the economic harm from the drought was devastating. At a press conference on Friday, the Governor thanked Secretary Veneman for her prompt response.

Both ranchers and farmers are suffering economic losses due to the drought, the Governor said. For example, the Arizona Cattleman's Association estimates ranchers have been forced to reduce their herds by 20 percent.

Among the assistance now available to Arizonans are emergency loans to help cover crop, livestock and non-real estate losses. Under the Emergency Conservation Program, farmers and ranchers can get cost share funding for emergency water conservation measures. Under the Livestock Assistance Program, ranchers can purchase feed to replace forage for grazing.

More information is available at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/disaster/assistance1.htm

Drought Continues Across Much of U.S.

Preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show that the average temperature in the contiguous United States was the 9th warmest on record for the month of April, and the second warmest around the world since records began in the late 1800s.

Although April began with cooler than normal temperatures across much of the U.S., record warmth affected many cities from the Plains to the east coast during the middle of the month. For the month as a whole, temperatures were much above average in many states from Arizona to Florida and along the eastern seaboard as far north as Connecticut and Rhode Island.

A record warm April occurred in North Carolina, South Carolina and New Mexico and three other states - Florida, New Jersey and Rhode Island - had their third warmest April. The November-April 2001/2002 six month period was the record warmest in 16 states from Iowa to New England.

The record warmth was paired with below normal precipitation in parts of the U.S., leading to even drier conditions in some of the most drought stricken regions of the country.

Although a series of storms brought much needed rainfall to parts of the northeast and some improvement in drought from northern Virginia to Maine, the persistence of severe to extreme drought required the continuation of drought emergencies in many cities along the northeastern seaboard. Drought severity at the end of April was the worst since the extreme drought of the mid-1960's in parts of the region.

Around the globe, temperatures for land and ocean surfaces combined was 1.0 degree F (0.6 C) above the 1880-2001 long term mean, the second warmest April based on records since 1880. The warmest April occurred just four years ago during the last El Niņo episode.

Warmer than normal sea surface temperatures were observed throughout most of the equatorial Pacific during April. A weak to moderate El Niņo episode is expected to develop throughout the remainder of 2002.

Roadless Areas Called Crucial to Outdoor Recreation

The OIF's Business for Wilderness program released the report, titled "Protect Today, Play Tomorrow: The Importance of Roadless Area Conservation to Backcountry Recreation."

"The human powered outdoor recreation industry must protect precious wild forests from roads and other development in order to preserve recreation opportunities and maintain the economic viability of businesses and communities across the country," said Frank Hugelmeyer, president of OIF.

The report profiles nine recreation destinations located across the country from Georgia to California. Each location is housed within the 58.5 million acres of roadless areas covered by the Clinton era forest conservation policy known as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, issued in January 2001.

When President George W. Bush took office, the U.S. Forest Service placed the roadless rule on hold and issued weaker interim directives. Participants in the Business for Wilderness program are concerned that the elimination of the roadless rule could threaten the conservation of roadless recreation areas.

"Protect Today, Play Tomorrow" illustrates the geographic features and recreation opportunities in each of nine roadless areas, including the summit of Kearsarge North in New Hampshire, the alpine lakes in the White Cloud Mountains of Idaho, Arizona's Reef of Rocks and the mountain bike rides at Devils Gulch in Washington state. The report offers testimonials from local outdoor recreation business owners in these areas who support the roadless rule because their businesses rely on these special places.

"Roadless wild lands in southern Arizona are a significant draw for all kinds of economic activity that in turn provides a very large benefit to our local economy," David Baker, owner of The Summit Hut in Tucson, Arizona. "We have an opportunity to preserve and provide recreational activities that are becoming increasingly rare: those that can only occur in roadless wild lands."

The report describes how roads would change these landscape and decrease the quality of the recreation experience in these places. Without a roadless policy, some of these areas, such as the Los Padres National Forest in California, face the threat of roads for logging or oil and gas drilling.

Maryland Passes Environmental Protection Bills

"These bills allow us to take the next important steps to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and give citizens a voice in protecting the health of their communities," said Glendening. "As a result of our hard work, we are now protecting more land than we are losing to development and have been able to preserve one-million acres of precious open space for future generations. Working with the legislature over the last eight years, Maryland has become a national model for Smart Growth."

The bills in the Governor's environmental protection legislative packet that preserve Maryland natural resources and protect the environment include the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Protection Program, which overturns recent court decisions that undermined state laws protecting the Bay.

"It was imperative that we apply the Critical Areas law. There was a major loophole," said state senator Brian Frosh. "Without this bill you would see rapid development and the deterioration of the Critical Areas that would lead to serious environmental problems for the Bay."

The Atlantic Coastal Bays Protection Act extends protection to the coastal bays in growing Worcester County, affording them the same legal protections already in place along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

The Environmental Standing bill gives Maryland citizens and communities the legal standing to intervene when permits are being issued involving potentially hazardous materials. The Community Right to Know Law affords citizens the right to know what potentially hazardous materials are in their communities while providing funding for local emergency response groups.

Other bills in the Governor's package are aimed at strengthening air and water quality. The Air Quality Enforcement Act extends from one to three years the statute of limitations for the Maryland Department of Environment's enforcement of air and radiation violations. The Drinking Water Standards Act allows Maryland to maintain state standards as the federal government contemplates lowering national standards.

The Governor also signed the Commuter Benefits Act 2002, which will increase tax credits for businesses that provide incentives to employees who use transit or ride share and increase marketing of the program.

BLM Honors Outstanding Volunteers

The awards recognize exemplary volunteer contributions made in the year 2001 on behalf of the public lands. This work includes protecting archaeological and paleontological resources, restoring rivers and desert habitat, protecting caves and supervising thousands of additional volunteers in their projects.

"Your work is helping the BLM realize President [George W.] Bush's goal for every American to give an individual commitment of time, heart, and effort in service to America," said BLM Director Kathleen Clarke. "You exemplify the thousands of volunteers who work for our public lands every day."

A national panel of BLM and partner organization representatives selected the winners from nominations submitted by BLM state offices and national centers. Award recipients are chosen for "Making a Difference" in management and conservation of the public lands and their resources.

Each year, volunteers donate about 700,000 hours to the BLM, the equivalent of more than 400 work years. They perform a variety of jobs, from campground host to archaeologist to educator.

In many instances, volunteers serve as BLM's first point of contact with the public. The value of their work is estimated to exceed $11 million.

In some remote areas, campgrounds and other recreation sites would be closed were it not for volunteer assistance. The importance of BLM volunteers is rising as growing populations in the West place increased demands on the public lands.

Among the volunteers that will be honored at an awards ceremony on May 30 is Rose Foster, a BLM volunteer coordinator in California who recruited more than 1,200 volunteers for a variety of jobs, one of which resulted in the removal of 173 tons of trash from illegal dump sites.

Since 1995, Pete Fish of Ridgecrest, California, and his volunteer "Trail Gorillas" have undertaken major restoration work on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail during work events held twice each year. Leon Lesicka of El Centro, California, has been active for 20 years in protecting the southern California desert and, with his wife, founded Desert Wildlife Unlimited.

Kay Patteson of Salem, Oregon, helped establish Molalla RiverWatch and works with more than 550 volunteers to preserve the flora and fauna of the river and its tributaries. Chuck and Pat Williams of Las Vegas, Nevada, have been a driving force behind the success of the Friends of Red Rock Canyon organization, serving the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas.

The Southwest Region of the National Speleological Society, headquartered in New Mexico, has provided a reliable volunteer workforce for more than 40 years to help protect and manage the more than 1,000 caves under BLM management in southern New Mexico.

Visit Natural Areas Via the Internet

More than 2,000 photographs are now available online from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The collection of photographs is dedicated to fish and wildlife, wildlands and wildlife conservation efforts.

The copyright free images have been digitized and loaded into a searchable database and are available for downloading in high and low resolutions from a new web site at: http://images.fws.gov/

The pictures include a comprehensive collection of waterfowl and wildlife species, as well as shots of wildlife habitats. The library also includes unique images of wildlife management and scientific field activities involving a variety of species.

For a number of years, the USFWS has made prints and slides of photos available to the news media, publishers, and teachers and students in order to assist with news stories and projects dealing with wildlife.

"Making these collections available via the Internet will provide better public service and will be more economical and efficient than distributing hard copies of photos," said Robyn Thorson, assistant director of external affairs for the USFWS.

The site is searchable by subject, location and photographer, and the results appear in a grouping of low resolution thumbnail shots linked to higher resolution files suitable for high quality printing in nominal sizes.

Vacationers can now post their national park photos and memories in the new online National Parks Scrapbook, launched last week by Americans for National Parks at: http://www.americansfornationalparks.org/scrapbook

Americans for National Parks is a coalition working with Congress and the administration to address the funding needs of the parks. The coalition will share the entries posted in the National Parks Scrapbook with members of Congress and President George W. Bush as evidence of public concern and affection for the national parks, and as reason to protect them.

"We need everyone's support," said Americans for National Parks campaign director Jennifer Coken, "because there's just too much to lose."

Americans for National Parks argues that the budget of the National Park Service has failed to keep pace with burgeoning pressures from increased visitation, overdevelopment, motorized use, and air and water pollution. The Park Service's annual operations budget falls at least $600 million, or 32 percent, short of what is needed, the group says.