WILD

Conservation-Rancher Parternship Assists Northern Jaguars

In a press release on 15 Feburary, Sky Island Alliance biologist Sergio Avila  commented:  “Northern jaguars are a reality and they want to stay. Jaguars don’t recognize political boundaries; instead they choose robust prey populations, open space and safe corridors. This healthy feline represents our chance to recover this species in the region.” Carlos R. Elias, co-owner of the El Aribabi ranch located just 30 miles south of the US/Mexico Border in the Mexican state of Sonora, is working closely with the Sky Islands Alliance as part of the Northern Mexico Conservation Program.   This conservation-rancer collaboration partnership celebrated last week, when a jaguar ... Read More

Tranboundary Wildlife Corridor in Australia

A press release last Friday from the government of the Northern Territory of Australia officially announced its commitment to a transboundary conservation project with South Australia - part of the Eco-Link program. “This wildlife corridor will cover about 1.4 million square kilometres – connecting both public and private land – to provide a continuous refuge of native habitat,” Mr Rann (SA premier) said. “It is designed to help a huge section of Australia’s native flora and fauna survive and adapt to the threats of fire, drought and other fallouts of climate change,” Mr Henderson (NT Chief Minister) said.  More information can be ... Read More

BC Government Vows to Ban Mining in Flathead River Valley

On Tuesday afternoon, as we were sitting in a creative meeting on some long-term goals for WILD, Harvey Locke, WILD's VP for Conservation Strategy, noticed that his phone continued to ring.  Recognizing that perhaps the many calls were an indication of something important, he stepped away from our meeting.  A few moments later we heard whoops and hollers of excitement. We knew something was up, and hoped for the best.  When Harvey returned, we listened with great anticipation as he described the breaking news from British Columbia.  In just a few short hours, he said, it was anticipated that Lt. Governor ... Read More

Last of the Wild – Overview of wilderness in Europe by PAN Parks

This week PAN Parks released a new publication "Last of the Wild: Overview of the status and monitoring of some wilderness related species in the NATURA 2000 Network," which presents the current status of iconic species such as the lynx, brown bear, wolf, ibex and others to help further protection of habitat for these species and advocate for large-landscape scale conservation efforts in Europe.   The general conclusion of the publication is that wilderness is good, and interconnected wilderness is even better -- which aligns with WILD's new vision "At Least Half Wild."  Read More

50th Anniversary of the US Wilderness Act

[caption id="attachment_9349" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ahklun Mountains and the Togiak Wilderness within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Alaska."][/caption] I recently got an email from a colleague, bringing to my attention that the 50th Anniversary of the US Wilderness Act is coming soon!  Sure, you might say that 4 years is really not all that soon....but in order to plan a celebration in equal magnitude to the importance of the Wilderness Act - we'll need some time to start preparing!  His email read: "The Wilderness Act of 1964 was a milestone in American History and will celebrate its' ... Read More

Can We Stop Trying to Control Nature?

[caption id="attachment_9116" align="aligncenter" width="353" caption="Author James M. Glover"][/caption] This post is an excerpt from an article from the International Journal of Wilderness (April 2000, vol.6 no.1 ) by James M. Glover.  I think you will enjoy his insight into what it means to control nature, and if indeed we can protect land without controlling nature. Scientists in particular are uncomfortable with the wilderness idea because it seems so subjective, soft, and nonquantifiable. —Reed Noss Read More

The Politicians Take the Stage in Copenhagen

One day remains in the UN’s climate talks in Copenhagen. Negotiators have been working around the clock in a desperate race against time to resolve outstanding issues and rise above the many controversies that have wracked these talks. From the secret Danish proposal, which to the dismay and anger of developing countries has continued to hover in the background of the negotiations, to the sometimes violent demonstrations outside the Bella center, to the eviction of NGOs from the negotiating process – a disgrace, all the more so in the country where the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation ... Read More

A Second Chance

Essay by Kevin Hood, Wilderness Steward, USFS, Juneau Alaska “Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” Thus remarked President Teddy Roosevelt as he beheld the Grand Canyon. He championed preserving this natural wonder and granted it a protected status to preserve its integrity. His voice reflected a blossoming sentiment in America: some areas should be set aside for us to appreciate in their natural state. Read More

Our National Parks – America’s Best Idea!

Tomorrow evening, Wednesday September 23rd, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA), will pay tribute to America's national parks with an evening of musical performances, film clips and live presentations by director/co-producers Ken Burns, writer/co-producer Dayton Duncan, and several individuals who appear in the film: "Our National Parks: America's Best Idea." The festivities will take place in Central Park (New York), and are open to the public at no cost (first come first-served).   Musical performances include Carole King, Eric Benet, Gavin DeGraw, Jose Feliciono and Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas and Peter Yarrow. "Our ... Read More

Into the Big Empty: Wyoming’s Red Desert

6 Million acres, 50,000 pronghorn, 100 years of struggle to protect it all. Journey into Wyoming's Red Desert, a little known wilderness the size of Denali National Park that brings the steppes of Mongolia to America's backyard. Here, energy companies vie for the desert's riches in a world of 50,000 pronghorn, herds of wild horses and some of the most unforgiving landscapes of the West. There are 15,000 natural gas wells planned for the Red Desert in addition to the 5,000 that already exist. Left unchecked, these changes will make the Big Empty one of the most densely drilled regions of ... Read More