Ground Truth Blog
Fishers Released in North Cascades
With a little help, fishers are returning to the Pacific Northwest. Last week, six of the carnivorous, cat-sized weasels were released in the North Cascades of Washington state, where they are listed as an endangered species. The animals, including five females and...
Legislation Considered to Allow Pipeline in Appalachian Mountains
Backers of a 600-mile natural gas pipeline are attempting a legislative end run around a court ruling last summer that prohibited the pipeline from crossing beneath the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. In August, a three-judge panel invalidated two permits for the...
Space Project To Measure Planet’s Forests
The world’s forests are about to get a close-up. Tomorrow, a laser-shooting instrument is scheduled to blast into space for a rendezvous with the International Space Station, with the goal of taking precise measurements of the height, mass and structure of forests...
Court Strikes Down Four Tongass Logging Projects
Conservationists yesterday scored a major victory for preserving old growth in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, as a federal appeals court ruled that the Forest Service must scrap plans for four logging projects. The ruling comes after a 10-year legal battle staged...
A Few Trails in Columbia River Gorge Reopen
The Forest Service has reopened a six-mile stretch of road and several hiking trails in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon, a year after the Eagle Creek Fire burned 50,000 acres. However, several popular trails, including in a designated...
Bill Removing Protections for Wolves Passes House
On a largely party-line vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed legislation that would remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves, with the exception of Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest. Republican Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin...
House Democrats Pledge Vigilance on Environmental Issues
Vows from Democrats in the House of Representatives to provide robust oversight of Trump administration policies will extend to environmental issues, key lawmakers said after their party took back control of the chamber on Tuesday. In a press conference yesterday,...
Old-Growth Logging Proposed for Tongass
Forest Service officials today released a draft decision that calls for carrying out large-scale old-growth logging on Alaska’s Tongass National Forest over the next 15 years. As much as 235 million board feet of timber could be cut on Prince of Wales Island....
Utah Seeks Roadless Rule Exemption
Utah is joining Alaska in seeking a state-specific exemption from the Trump administration to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. With the backing of the state’s Republican governor, Gary Herbert, Utah officials plan to submit a petition to the Department of...
Feds Shelve Oil and Gas Leases—For Now
Faced with criticism from top Colorado officials, the Trump administration last week backed away from plans to open nearly 150,000 acres of public land in the state to oil and gas drilling. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Michael Bennet, both Democrats, had...
Facts on Fire
Do facts matter at all? Last week, during a cabinet meeting, President Trump lambasted California officials for leaving the state’s forest “a mess.” He said that “California ought to get its act together and clean up their forests.” He accused them of leaving “old...
FSEEE Featured in Magazine Article on “Backpack Tax”
Faced with a growing backlog of maintenance projects on public lands, support may be growing for a “backpack tax” as a way to generate funds for cash-strapped public agencies. The idea is to place excise taxes on gear such as climbing equipment, outdoor wear, and,...