Fwd: Stop a Mine, Save a Bear -- NRDC's Save BioGems News, November 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: NRDC BioGems News <biogemsnewsletter@savebiogems.org>
Date: 2011/11/14
Subject: Stop a Mine, Save a Bear -- NRDC's Save BioGems News, November 2011

If you have problems viewing this email, read BioGems News online   Hello, Anne! Thanks for being an NRDC BioGems Defender! Join Us! "This is where I want to be." -- from our Facebook wall BioGems Update A BIG thank you to BioGems Defenders who sent more than 55,000 messages in support of wilderness designation for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. » See the timeline of victories we've won. To Do Even More You can support NRDC's BioGems campaign to save these and other threatened wild places. » Donate Stop the Montanore Mine from Destroying Grizzly Habitat The Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem in northwest Montana is one of the last sanctuaries in the lower 48 states for the imperiled grizzly bear. It's estimated that only 20 to 40 grizzly bears remain in this isolated area, but their survival is now threatened by a proposal for a copper and silver mine in the Kootenai National Forest. If built, the mine would generate 13 million gallons of polluted mine water each year and would destroy approximately 27,000 acres of grizzly habitat -- enough to push this population to the brink of extinction. We need your help to send a strong message to the Forest Service to reject the Montanore mine permit. » Take action to stop the Montanore mine today. In the News   RARE PORPOISE SPOTTED IN BAJA CALIFORNIA Nine vaquita marinas were recently spotted in the Upper Gulf of California, home to as few as 150 of these small porpoises. The sighting highlights the importance of our years of work to protect the last remaining habitat of the vaquita marina, which is rarely seen in the wild. Back in 2009, the Mexican government agreed to place protections on vaquita habitat -- due in part to an outpouring of 30,000 letters from BioGems Defenders. The government also limited fishing in the Upper Gulf. Those conservation efforts have led to the removal of 247 fishing boats and 329 fishing permits from vaquita habitat. COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF PATAGONIA DAMS In a disappointing setback, the Court of Appeals in Chile has ruled to uphold the environmental approval of HidroAysen's proposal to build five mega-dams on Patagonia's Baker and Pascua Rivers. The project was approved by regional authorities in May and immediately appealed by citizen groups, local mayors and members of Parliament, claiming that the environmental impact assessment was deficient and flawed. The Court of Appeals' ruling means that construction on the dams can proceed while the case goes to the Supreme Court. We'll continue to keep you updated. GLOBAL EFFORT AIMS TO STOP TRADE IN POLAR BEAR PARTS NRDC has launched an intensive two-year global effort to permanently ban the commercial trafficking of polar bear parts. Scientists fear that two-thirds of the world's polar bears may become extinct by 2050 due to climate change, but some countries continue to allow the hunting of polar bears for sport and their parts to be sold on the international market. To add insult to injury, the trophy hunting lobby is appealing a victory we won in June when a federal court ruled that polar bears deserve life-saving protections under the Endangered Species Act. NRDC is heading back to court to defend that decision. We also celebrated a victory last month when a judge ruled against Safari Club International -- a trophy hunting organization -- and its claim that the polar bear's threatened species listing should not automatically ban the import of polar bear parts. The Fish and Wildlife Service listed polar bears as a "threatened" species in 2008. MORE BAD NEWS FOR WOLVES The Interior Department has proposed removing wolves in Wyoming from the endangered species list. The federal agency's decision to remove Wyoming's wolves from the list will give the state wide authority to manage wolves, even though Wyoming's wolf management plan is weak. Following their removal from the endangered species list, for example, wolves in most of Wyoming will receive "predator" status, which means they can be shot, trapped or killed by anyone at any time. Wolves in the northwest corner of the state, however, will receive more protections. NRDC opposes giving Wyoming management authority with such a terrible management plan in place. Throughout the rest of the Northern Rockies, wolves are not faring much better -- public hunts in Montana and Idaho have killed more than 100 wolves so far this fall. Action Insider   SAVE THE SPIRIT BEAR COAST We're ramping up our campaign to protect some of the world's last Spirit Bears in the coastal rainforest of Canada's British Columbia. A proposal to build a pipeline to transport 500,000 barrels a day of dirty tar sands oil would cut through the heart of Spirit Bear habitat. Take action here. CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH NRDC'S GREEN GIFTS This holiday season, send gifts to all your loved ones that bring joy AND save the environment! Visit our Green Gifts store. Photo credits: Florian Schulz (grizzly bear). Getty Images (Baja). Charlie Russell (spirit bear). » To read this newsletter on the BioGems website, go to http://www.savebiogems.org/newsletter

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