Great Outdoors Month is a perfect time for kids to get out in nature (flickr | Jonf728)

Thankfully, enjoying the Great Outdoors is an exception to that rule.  Today is the start of Great Outdoors Month, as officially proclaimed by Republican and Democratic Governors alike.

President Obama issued his proclamation today as well, just as he’s done the last three years, and as George W. Bush did before him.

With Great Outdoors Month underway, it’s time to think about how YOU plan to celebrate.

Here are my Top 5 Ways to Celebrate Great Outdoors Month!

1. Take a hike!  Tomorrow (June 2nd) is National Trails Day and there are thousands of events happening all over the country.  In 2012, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of this event hosted by the American Hiking Society.
2. Saturday, June 9th, is National Get Outdoors Day with family-friendly events planned all across the country and supported by the U.S. Forest Service, the American Recreation Coalition and other partners.
3. Find nature close to home using the NWF Nature Find tool.  Just enter your zip code and find green spaces close to home and activities for the whole family.  Or use the NWF Activity Finder to get ideas for outdoor fun in your own backyard.
4. Join us for the Great American Backyard Campout on Satuday June 23rd.  Join a community event or create your own and be sure to register your event online!
5. Back to the election year stuff: Talk to your Members of Congress, Governors, State Legislators, Mayor, City Council, School Board and other elected officials about the importance of outdoor play and education for our children’s health and wellbeing.  Email your Members of Congress and ask them to support the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act and the No Child Left Inside Act.

However YOU decide to celebrate Great Outdoors Month, please share it with us by posting a comment on this blog!

Bighorn Sheep on Wild Horse Island

My favorite wildlife species on the island are the bighorn sheep.  Catching a glimpse of the majestic, curved horns on a ram makes a tough hike totally worth it.  The males are large, occasionally getting up to over 350 lb with horns that can weigh up to 30 lb.

Once numbering in the millions, this iconic wild western species had crashed to only several thousand in the early 20^th century.  Today, bighorn sheep populations represent only 70% of historic levels.

Bighorn sheep protections are under threat once again—this time from Congress.  National Wildlife Federation and Idaho Wildlife Federation’s efforts to protect bighorns scored a major victory earlier this year, but some in Congress are trying to reverse that success.

A “Bad Bighorn Sheep Rider” may find its way into a package of appropriations bills which is being negotiated right now.  The policy rider would reverse an important Forest Service decision to close much of Idaho’s Payette National Forest to domestic sheep grazing where conflicts with bighorns exist.

Protecting and rebuilding Bighorn Sheep populations depends upon effective separation from domestic sheep, according to extensive research and field experience by  wildlife managers and researchers from throughout the West (including Idaho Wildlife Federation and the Nez Perce).

If this bad wildlife rider passes, it would set a precedent that would ensure that bighorns will continue to die off across the west.  Entire herds are at risk of disappearing for the benefit of a couple ranching interests.  Not to mention the rider would jeopardize big hunting and outdoor recreation dollars bighorn sheep generate for western communities.

Rob Fraser, President of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, laid out what is at stake in a recent guest opinion article:

“Bighorn sheep are an icon of Idaho and vitally important to sportsmen and all Idahoans who cherish wildlife and the rugged fabric that makes the state special. We can’t take what we have in Idaho for granted and let politics trump science, forcing our land managers to do nothing while domestic sheep roam alongside wild bighorn sheep. The loss of native bighorn sheep populations such as those in the Salmon River Mountains would denigrate the legacy of wildlife diversity for future generations.”

Keep checking Wildlife Promise for more information on all the different harmful policy riders that could make it into the appropriations bills.

Smokey the Bear on the job...but not for long, if one member of Congress gets his way (Wikimedia Commons)

This week, that’s being targeted for elimination as part of the House Republicans’ YouCut program, led by Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN).

YouCut, a year-old attempt by Majority Leader Eric Cantor and colleagues to cut government programs as selected by public internet voting, designates the Forest Service ‘green school’ curricula as an example of “issue-oriented advocacy” that is “inappropriate” for public funding.  This is at a time when Republican and Democrat governors nationwide have opted in to the U.S. Green Ribbon Schools Award Program. Odd, no?

Aside from the idea that teaching kids about the world and their impact on it (and helping their schools save money through energy efficiency measures to boot) is “inappropriate,” here’s the funny part: the drive to defund Smokey’s family is being led by a Congressman from a state that has suffered 1,126 wildfires claiming about 12,875 acres of land so far in 2011 alone (PDF). Maybe he’d like the Great Smoky Mountains to more aptly live up to their name (they and Cherokee National Forest both happen to be highly forested and subject to significant fires).

The U.S. Forest Service’s conservation education programs include efforts to get kids outdoors, healthy and connecting with the natural world.  Do we really want to say farewell to Smokey Bear at a time in our nation’s history where kids spend less time outdoors than any generation in human history?

Take Action to Save Smokey

If the conservation education program ‘wins’ the vote and the cuts are eventually enacted by Congress, the “Starve Smokey” effort would likely completely eliminate the (already cash-strapped) Conservation Education office at USFS.

If you think Congress should leave Smokey alone and recognize the importance of conservation education, sign the Twitter petition in defense of Smokey or post the following on your Facebook wall:

Dear U.S. Representative @Scott DesJarlais: Please keep Smokey the Bear and his family off the federal budget chopping block. He’s not to blame for the budget problems our country faces today.

Great Outdoors America Week

Streams stocked with brook trout, forests with foraging bears and trees housing cerulean warblers add an interesting mix of wildlife to the George Washington National Forest. There are also lakes, rivers, valleys, mountains and plenty of opportunity for recreation and relaxation. But, all of this natural splendor could be corrupted by the natural gas drilling process known as fracking.

The U.S. Forest Service is proposing a ban on fracking in this great outdoor public space. Take action to protect brook trout and other wildlife from fracking in George Washington National Forest. Developing energy is important and necessary for our way of life, but so is protecting wildlife for future generations. Say no fracking way to fracking in public lands and wild places.

As cherry blossoms pop up all over Washington, D.C. and as winter is soon to be a distant memory, my immediate thought is my mother encouraging my brother, sister and I to go play outside until the night falls.  However as we face a changing economic, political, and social environment, it seems that swinging on trees, playing in fields, and collecting bugs and worms to make “delicious” mud pies is not the “norm”  for the future generation of kids. Given this scary reality, I personally see the true value in programs that promote time outdoors for children, and hope that one day, it will not just be me urging my kids to get outside, get dirty, and learn something in nature, but the larger community as well.   

PhotoLibrary.com

The US Forest Service is a major force contributing to a growing national movement to bring kids to nature—and nature to kids.  On April 4^th, 2011, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $1 million in cost-share funding for children’s programs furthering USDA’s commitment to connect young people around the nation with America’s great outdoors.  This announcement comes at the heels of President Obama’s unveiling of the America’s Great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations report which encourages active, outdoor lifestyles.  Similarly, Let’s Move Outside!, was launched nearly a year ago as the outdoor component of the comprehensive initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama aims to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. 

Now in its fifth year, The More Kids in the Woods program is a competitive funding program for partnership projects that engage kids in active, meaningful learning experiences that get kids outside. Projects focus on reaching diverse youth and serving under-served populations, using outdoor activities and nature-based learning to create meaningful and lasting connections to nature and to advance children’s health.  This year each region of the Forest Service also has a new Children’s Forest initiative!  All of these programs help kids to make the connection between healthy forests, healthy communities and their own healthy lifestyles.  In 2010, funded projects reached more than 15,000 young people.

“The value of these programs and partnerships for youth must not be underestimated,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “Young people are tomorrow’s stewards of our public lands, and we must invest in building lasting and meaningful connections between our youth and America’s great outdoors.”

Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty

National Wildlife Federation’s continuing efforts to protect bighorn sheep have scored a major victory.

In March of 2010, NWF joined with partners in Idaho including the Nez Perce tribe and the Idaho Wildlife Federation to provide comments to the Payette National Forest as it prepared an update to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement regarding the effects of domestic sheep grazing on bighorn habitat.

As a result, the Forest Service announced their decision to close much of Payette National Forest to domestic sheep grazing where conflicts exist.

The Forest Service cited “the preponderance of scientific literature” that shows that when domestic sheep come into contact with wild sheep, bighorns contract diseases and die in large numbers.

Prior to the mid-1800s, bighorn sheep were abundant throughout the West, with numbers estimated at 1.5 to 2 million. Large declines occurred because of overharvest, habitat loss, competition for forage, and disease transmission from domestic sheep that grazed in bighorn sheep habitat.

Today, bighorn populations have declined more than 70% from historic levels.

Payette National Forest Outcome To Be Important Precedent

Local wool growers have disputed the decision through a formal appeals process. National Wildlife Federation and its partners have also filed an appeal in an effort to support the Forest Service, calling for even stronger measures to protect wild bighorn sheep.

Instead of phased implementation, for example, bighorns and domestic sheep should be separated immediately while we develop more robust monitoring and evaluation directives and other mechanisms that encourage population growth and sustainability. This battle is likely to move into the legal realm, and by filing an appeal now, NWF and its allies will ensure that we have the legal standing to intervene effectively.

This is shaping up to be a key, precedent-setting legal contest with many other states watching carefully, as the outcome has the potential to influence how bighorns are managed on public lands throughout the West.

NWF Helping Nez Perce Monitor Bighorn Sheep

National Wildlife Federation has also provided equipment and resources, such as funding for GPS collars, collaborating with the Nez Perce tribe so they can more effectively monitor bighorn movements on the Payette National Forest and Hells Canyon.

Much of the tribe’s research has informed past decisions impacting bighorn sheep on federal lands. The tribe has been able to demonstrate with geographic accuracy, the range of specific populations. Building the Nez Perce’s capacity to monitor these animals will ultimately help buttress the Forest Service’s decision and provide useful data to the Idaho Department of Game and Fish in support of ongoing management efforts.

It’s as beautiful as it sounds.  And these important wildlife habitats extend beyond the boundaries of Yellowstone, to the surrounding Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest, creating an expansive and un-fragmented habitat for wildlife in northern Wyoming.  But right now in Wyoming, this landscape and the moose that live there are being threatened.

The Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP) is proposing to drill 136 new oil and gas wells in parts of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Wyoming Range mountains in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming were protected in 2009 from any future oil and gas development.  However, the legislation that protected this vital habitat doesn’t prevent existing lease-holders from putting new oil and gas wells on the land that they leased.

Now, 12,000 acres of crucial winter habitat for moose may be lost if the Forest Service doesn’t take action to protect this vital wildlife habitat.

Protecting these lands is important for many reasons—for wildlife, for visitors, for sportsmen and other people who enjoy the outdoors—for keeping certain areas intact for generations to come. But I believe that Dan Smitherman with Citizens for the Wyoming Range explains it the best:

“Citizens for the Wyoming Range is not opposed to energy development, and we understand that PXP has a legal right to make its proposal, but we believe that responsible drilling means that some places are too special to drill. We think the Upper Hoback is one of those special places. Congress recognized this when it passed the Wyoming Range Legacy Act and withdrew these lands from future oil and gas leasing. The Legacy Act created a market-based solution for existing leases and we urge PXP to sell and retire its leases in the spirit of the legislation.”

How can you help?

The Forest Service is taking public comments on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for PXP’s proposed drilling operation.  The document explains that 12,000 acres of crucial winter habitat for moose would be lost, as well as outlining negative impacts to mule deer, elk, and cutthroat trout that depend on this habitat for survival.

The deadline for public comments is March 11, 2011.  So even if you’ve never been to  Yellowstone National Park or northern Wyoming, that doesn’t mean you can’t help protect the picture-perfect scenery, and the wildlife, like moose, that call it home (and who knows—you too may one day have an opportunity to enjoy its beauty!).

Take Action!

Tell the Forest Service to adopt the No Action alternative to protect crucial winter habitat for moose and halt oil and gas drilling on this vital area for wildlife.