Columbian ground squirrel munching on vegetation in Glacier National Park

 
Photo by Flickr member Christine Haines (chaines9)
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Fishing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota (Flickr: Greg Walters)

The provision, known as the “Border Bill” in H.R. 2578 creates a ‘non-compliance’ zone that waives more than a dozen bedrock conservation and environmental laws on federal public lands within 100 miles of any U.S. land border. The laws the Customs and Border Protection could circumvent and ignore include the Endangered Species Act, Wilderness Act and National Environmental Policy Act.

Waiving these critical environmental protections could expose wildlife habitat to road construction, fencing, air strips, and other disruptions—permanently tarnishing and altering millions of acres wildlife depend on to thrive.

The 100 mile zone includes some of our most cherished public lands: National Parks that attract millions of visitors each year, Wilderness Areas that contain some of the best fishing our country has to offer, and National Forests that are sanctuaries for wildlife. See some of these special places in the map below.

Conservationists, hunters, anglers, and communities on both borders are opposing this far reaching piece of legislation. Even the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) views the bill as unnecessary and reckless.

Are any of your favorite National Parks or Wilderness Areas in the 100-mile zone?

 Speak up for elk and other wildlife near our country’s borders by telling  your Representative to Vote NO on HR 2578.

Land impacted by the Border Bill (PEW Environment Group)

A view of Montana’s landscape along Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park

Photo by Flickr member chaines9
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Glacier National Park has almost a thousand species of wildflowers, some resilient enough to grow in harsh conditions. Photo by Christine Haines.

Explore the Outdoors!

Enter a city, state or zip code to search for parks, campgrounds, and other wild places with NatureFind.

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

National Bison Range (photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service)

Anyone who knows me or works with me at NWF’s National Advocacy Center in Washington, DC knows that I am a proud Montanan.  I was born and raised in the Big Sky State and when I am lucky enough to flee the city and visit home, I am constantly reminded of the natural beauty we are at risk of losing because of a rapidly warming planet.

The mountainsides that were once a sea of green are turned brown from bark beetle infestation; communities and forests are at even greater risk from more frequent and intense fire seasons; and the glaciers in Glacier National Park that I enjoyed as a child will soon become a thing of the past.

It is with all of this that I am dumbfounded by the idea that anyone from Montana would actually promote global warming.  But this is, in fact, the case.  State Rep. Joe Read (R-HD 15) has introduced a bill in the Montana State Legislature to deny global warming and, if that were not enough, declare that global warming is a good thing!

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
NEW SECTION. Section 1.  Public policy concerning global warming.

(1) The legislature finds that to ensure economic development in Montana and the appropriate management of Montana’s natural resources it is necessary to adopt a public policy regarding global warming.

(2) The legislature finds:

(a) global warming is beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana;

(b) reasonable amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere have no verifiable impacts on the environment; and

(c) global warming is a natural occurrence and human activity has not accelerated it.

(3) (a) For the purposes of this section, “global warming” relates to an increase in the average
temperature of the earth’s surface.

(b) It does not include a one-time, catastrophic release of carbon dioxide.

Leaving aside the mountain of evidence supporting that global warming is happening and it is due to human activity, to purport that global warming is “beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana” goes against all reason and evidence.  Montana is on the forefront of the impacts from a changing climate and has a great deal to lose if we turn a blind eye to the problem.

According to the US Travel Association, tourists spent $3.1 billion in the state in 2008 alone and supported the creation of 29,400 jobs – representing 6.6 percent of the state’s total non-farm employment.  In 2009, approximately 4.2 million people visited the National Parks in Montana, and 2 million visited Glacier National Park alone.

Meanwhile, we are losing the glaciers in Glacier National Park at an astounding rate, with the likelihood of them disappearing altogether in the next decade swiftly becoming a reality.  This does not benefit the welfare and business of Montana.

What’s even more astounding is Rep. Read’s own district (see the blue ’15′ on this map) covers communities on the front lines of these impacts.  His district surrounds Glacier National Park and I can’t imagine they would be too happy if tourist revenues dropped-off because there were no longer glaciers to be seen, or the park was on fire more than usual.  His district is in the heart of the Flathead National Forest, which is currently a prime area of concern for infestation of Mountain Pine (bark) Beetle.  I’d like to see him explain to his constituents how these impacts are beneficial to their businesses.

It is my hope that others in the state legislature see this bill for what it really is; a front for oil and coal interests in the state to push policies that only benefit their bottom-line.  Global Warming is a serious problem that will take a great deal of resolve, energy, and investment to address.  But, I choose to believe that Montanans are willing to do what is right and necessary to protect our state and ensure future generations are left to enjoy the wonders and beauty that define Big Sky Country.

For more on what you can do locally to protect wildlife for our children’s future, visit the National Wildlife Federation’s Northern Rockies Regional Center based in Missoula, MT or on the web.

Global warming continues to wipe out Glacier National Park’s namesake:

Warmer temperatures have reduced the number of named glaciers in the northwestern Montana park to 25, said Dan Fagre, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He warned the rest of the glaciers may be gone by the end of the decade.

And it’s not just an environmental risk — it could be an economic disaster:

Smaller glaciers and warmer temperatures could lower stream flows, which in turn prompt fishing restrictions and hobble whitewater rafting businesses, said Denny Gignoux, who runs an outfitting business in West Glacier. Tourism is a $1 billion a year industry in the area.

“What happens when all these threats increase?” Gignoux asked. “We’re losing a draw to Glacier.”

Learn more in a new report from the Rocky Mountain Conservation Organization & Natural Resources Defense Council, Glacier National Park in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption.

Photo via Flickr’s Don Pugh

From Mount Rainier to the Everglades, our national parks exist because of our past commitment to conservation.

Now we’re being called on again to make sure our national parks make it to the next generation.

This Thursday, Oct.1, Americans from coast to coast will be calling their U.S. senators to urge for a climate and clean energy bill that protects our parks, public lands and the many other wonders of the natural world that we cherish.

As climate change is already impacting our wildlife and landscapes, America’s outdoor and nature enthusiasts are raising the voice for their protection.

Let us know if we can count on you to make the call too.

Former deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett put it well:

“As conservation islands, our parks were a triumph of foresight. But islands they no longer are. Their continued protection requires conservation partnerships — partnerships to address conservation challenges that transcend park borders.”

And it’s true. What you do in your life has an impact on our national parks, even the ones that are thousands of miles away from where you live.

So, tell your friends and family that this Thursday, October 1, is the day to speak up for our national parks and demand a cleaner and healthier natural world.

Let us know that you can make the call by leaving a comment below this post and telling us which cherished landscape or national park will be inspiring you to make the call.