Thursday, June 5, 2008

Outcomes of ILCP's Wyoming "Rave"

World Class Photographers Focus Lenses on Threatened
Upper Green River Basin and Wyoming Range

June 2, 2008

Twelve preeminent nature photographers from all corners of the globe converged at a critical environmental crossroad in Wyoming's Upper Green River Valley, May 19th through May 21st to create a visual statement about beauty and the beast of energy development.

The International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) took their cameras and packs on a 72 hour expedition called a Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE), scouring the region by air and by ground capturing images that told the story of the good, the bad, and the ugly of a landscape on the brink of further industrialization.


Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin has recently seen some of the most intense pressure for gas exploration and development in the United States. Current development has already diminished air and water resources, wildlife, and the very health of local citizens. Among other disturbing effects, drilling has resulted in a 46 percent decline in the mule deer herd in places in the region, and sage grouse have seen breeding population declines due to displacement from natural gas fields. But this landscape still contains areas of high scenic and ecological value, including the Wyoming Range, which the public is trying to safeguard from future exploitation.

"Citizens throughout Wyoming are beginning to question the no holds barred rush to industrialize everything in sight," said Peter Aengst of The Wilderness Society. "This RAVE can help fuel that opinion shift by showcasing the impacts of this rush and highlighting those signature areas which can still be spared."

The RAVE culminated Friday with the Rich Clarkson Photography at the Summit Workshops exhibit at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, WY. Students from the Summit had the opportunity to participate in the RAVE and exhibit their work along side ILCP photographers. ILCP photographers included Tom Mangelsen (USA), Jack Dykinga (USA), Balan Madhavan (India), Cristina Mittermeier (Mexico), Matthias Breiter (Germany), Daniel Beltra (Spain), Wendy Shattil (USA), and many others. ILCP partnered with Rich Clarkson Photography at the Summit Workshops, The Wilderness Society, The Upper Green River Valley Coalition, The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Eco Flight, Lighthawk and others on this effort.

"Photography is a witness to history and the RAVE is the tool that allows us to provide our joint testimony in the court of public opinion. As photojournalists, we are the bearers of that witness. Our hope with this Wyoming RAVE is not to judge or criticize, but to capture simple moments eloquently and to translate them visually so that universal human experience is recorded for future generations to see and judge for themselves one image at a time,"
said Cristina Mittermeier, Executive Director of ILCP.

RAVE is a trademarked initiative of the ILCP meant to address the challenge of modern conservation, which often needs an immediate supply of images, words and research to answer threats of imminent disruption. For more information on recent RAVEs, please visit the ILCP website (www.ilcp.com)

Contacts:
Cristina Mittermeier, Executive Director ILCP 703.341.2821
Jenny Nichols, Project Manager ILCP 703.341.2707
Peter Aengst, The Wilderness Society 406.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Action Alert! Save the Poudre

For those of you in the Colorado area and more specifically, northern Colorado - the information below will be of interest to you. The future of the Poudre River is in the hands of folks proposing dam construction as well as those opposing it. Get informed, get involved and decide for yourself what the appropriate course of action should be.

Quoting from a recent publication by the Colorado chapter of the Nature Conservancy:

"What we lose, we lose forever.
What we save depends on what we do.

ACTION ALERT
SAVE THE POUDRE
www.savethepoudre.com
Dear Save the Poudre Supporters and Friends,
The Poudre River needs your help NOW!
The public hearings on the NISP/Glade Reservoir Project are coming soon and we need you there! Please plan to attend, learn about the issues and
speak up about your concerns. Show the Army Corps of Engineers just how important the Poudre River is to you by attending.
The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) ends on July 30th and these are the only public hearings scheduled.
You may never have another opportunity like this to speak up in such a meaningful way on behalf of the Cache la Poudre River.
Save the Poudre Coalition will provide handouts with talking points and speaking tips at each hearing. Just show up!
1. Mark your calendar now to attend a public hearing. (Get there early for good seats.)
Mon. June 16, 2008 ? Ft. Collins
4:00 ? 6:00 pm Open House, 6:00 pm Public Hearing
Hilton Hotel
425 West Prospect Road
Note: Ft. Collins? area residents are especially encouraged to attend on this date.
Map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/425+W+prospect+fort+collins+co/
Tues. June 17, 2008 - Ft. Collins
4:00 ? 6:00 pm Open House, 6:00 pm Public Hearing
Fort Collins Senior Center
1200 Raintree Drive
Note: Parking is limited and the meeting room is small. Get there early for good seats.
Map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/1200+raintree+dr+fort+collins+co/
Thurs. June 19, 2008
6 pm Open House, 7 pm Public Hearing
University of Northern Colorado University Center
2045 10th Avenue
Map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/2045+10th+Avenue+greeley+co/
2. Contact the Army Corps of Engineers with your written comments.
· Send written comments to request that the Army Corps of Engineers extend the public comment period from 90 days to 180 days.
The EIS is about 1200 pages long including technical reports and took 3 years to prepare. The public needs/deserves more than 90 days
to study these documents.
· Send written comments on the draft NISP Environmental Impact Statement with your concerns about the impacts the project
will have on the Poudre River. For more information on the project and the draft EIS, please visit
www.savethepoudre.org and https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/od-tl/eis-info.htm.
· All written comments can be mailed, faxed or emailed and should be addressed to:
Mr. Chandler J. Peter
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Denver Regulatory Office
9307 South Wadsworth Blvd.
Littleton, CO 80128-6901
Fax: (303) 979-0602 / Email:
chandler.j.peter@usace.army.mil.
For more information and a packet on how to review and respond to the DEIS, please contact me at the address or phone below.
Sincerely,
Gina C. Janett
Save The Poudre Coalition
ginaciao@frii.com
www.SaveThePoudre.org
970-493-4677