conservation

Orangutans Struggle to Survive as Palm Oil Booms

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:17:33 -0400

by Beh Lih Yi

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia - Cinta, a baby orangutan found lost and alone in a vast Borneo palm oil plantation, now clings to a tree at a sanctuary for the great apes, staring intently at dozens of tourists.

She is one of the casualties of the boom in palm oil -- used extensively for biofuel and processed food like margarine -- which has seen swathes of jungle felled in Borneo, an island split between Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Cost of Palm Oil

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:47:24 -0400

by Ben Lilliston

"The day the (palm) seeds arrived in our country on the plane, I wondered, `what are these seeds?'" Matilda Pilacapio told us at a meeting in late September. Pilacapio is a human rights advocate from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea and she stopped by our Minneapolis office on the way to a meeting with Cargill—the largest palm oil importer in the U.S.

Killing the Wolf at the Door

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:23:59 -0400

by Jay Stevens

Earlier this month a judge cleared the way for wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana, ruling it would not irreparably harm wolf populations.

Faced With Water Woes, California Increases Conservation With Graywater Systems

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:04:51 -0400

by Kelly Zito

Pam Hartwell-Herrero is making sure she washes her family's clothes when the olive tree, rhubarb and coffee berries in her front yard look thirsty.

Why?

Hartwell-Herrero and a team of fellow water conservation enthusiasts recently installed a "laundry to landscape" graywater system at her 1960s Fairfax bungalow. It took most of a day to attach a special valve, punch a hole in her garage wall and set up the pipes leading from her washing machine to the garden.

But now, every time Hartwell-Herrero fires up a load of whites, the plants perk up.

Group Calls for End to National Forest Logging

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:36:50 -0400

by Tom Mitchell

RICHMOND - A Vermont group has called on the Obama administration to end logging and road building in undeveloped areas of the White Mountain National Forest and other federal woodlands to protect some of the last pristine public lands across the country.

"Americans have waited eight ... years to see our last pristine forests protected ..." said Mollie Matteson, a Vermont-based conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.

US Calls for More Action to Restore Chesapeake Bay

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:47:16 -0400

by Timothy B. Wheeler

Declaring the Chesapeake Bay a national treasure that needs urgent help, the Obama administration unveiled sweeping plans Thursday for jump-starting restoration efforts, including proposals to crack down on pollution from farming and development in the six-state region that drains into North America's largest estuary.

Wildlife Groups Seek Halt to Polar Bear Trade

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:17:37 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2009

Wildlife Groups

The International Fund for Animal Welfare, Humane Society International, and Defenders of Wildlife have urged the United States to lead the way to end international commercial trade in polar bears, including hides, trophies, rugs and other polar bear parts. The United States has an opportunity to submit a proposal to stop the trade at next year's meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The meeting is set for 13-25 March in Doha, Qatar.

Restoring Coastal Barriers Vital for Region

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:14:39 -0400

by Mary Kelly

The first major hurricane of the Atlantic season, Hurricane Bill, developed into a dangerous Category 4 storm and served as a stark reminder that many of our coastal areas remain deeply vulnerable to severe damage from hurricanes.

Coalition Calls for Faster Restoration of Wetlands Destroyed by Now-Closed Mississippi River Gulf Outlet

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:28:24 -0400

A coalition of advocacy groups this morning called on the federal government to double its efforts to restore the wetlands, marshes and barrier islands that help protect the Gulf Coast from hurricanes.

Appeals Court Reinstates US Roadless Area Conservation Rule

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:47:12 -0400

SAN FRANCISCO, California - Nearly 40 million acres of roadless national forests are again protected from new road building, logging, and development by a decision today of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstating the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

The decision came in a case brought by four states and 20 environmental organizations against the Bush-era U.S. Forest Service rule that required state governors to petition the federal government for protection of roadless areas on national forests in their states.