Subject: Proposed NCA for the Peloncillo Region: Trying to Preserve Wild Land
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:07:40 -0600
Albuquerque Journal
June 15, 1997
TRYING TO PRESERVE WILD LAND
Mike Taugher Journal Staff Writer
WILD NEW MEXICO: A Delicate Balance
* Conservationists and biologists are working together on a plan to design vast nature reserves
Think of those most lightly touched of western lands — the national parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas — as islands in a sea of civilization.
To a growing number of conservationists and biologists, that’s exactly what they are.
And in the field of conservation biology, where scientists agree that steps must be taken to preserve biodiversity, the view is that those islands are not only necessary but may have to be expanded for the survival of numerous plant and animal species.
Conservationists and biologists are working together on a plan to design vast nature reserves around these protected islands.
The Wildlands Project is highly ambitious, if not radical, because it would remap chunks of North America from a conservation biologist’s point of view. Today, it has a small paid staff based in Tucson and a budget of about $500,000, mostly from grants and some individual donations.
Co-founded by Dave Foreman, an Albuquerque resident who in 1980 co-founded the radical environmental group Earth First!, the Wildlands Project shows how over the last few decades wilderness advocates have shifted some of their emphasis on wilderness as a place for scenery and recreation to wilderness as a place for preservation of plant and animal species.
“A lot of this stuff, it’s always been there. It’s just that as we become more and more aware of the extinction crisis going on and the importance of wilderness in preserving that, the ecological values became more and more emphasized,” said Foreman, who has long since disassociated himself from Earth First! because “they turned into a bunch of left-wing, counter-culture radicals.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, wilderness advocates concentrated on high mountain areas that were typically pretty, attractive to users of the outdoors and where wilderness designation was not too objectionable to commercial interests, Foreman said.
The result was that wilderness areas were designated in scenic, high-altitude areas that were beautiful but not necessarily rich in trees, minerals or grazing land.
“We’ve done a really good job of protecting alpine tundra but we’ve done a really poor job of protecting riparian areas. Most of that is due to a recreational bias. Part of it is entirely a practical matter. There hasn’t been a lot of conflict over alpine tundra, but there has been a lot of conflict over riparian areas,” Foreman said.
One of the Wildlands Project’s first proposals would be in southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico.
In its preliminary form, the “Greater Gila Sky Islands” reserve would encompass 40,000 square miles, roughly half of which would be in Mexico. Within that area would be wilderness core areas, buffer zones around those cores and corridors connecting the core areas. Land-use restrictions in the buffer zones would be less restrictive than in the core areas.
The organization for the most part is keeping its cards close to the vest, but it plans to release detailed maps for the Greater Gila Sky Islands project in about a year.
“This is going to be a very political thing in the future,” said Jack Humphrey, program coordinator for the Sky Islands Alliance, an organization formed to design the biological reserve.
“This is the most ambitious thing the conservation movement has ever thought about, and it’s in its infancy still,” he added. “If it takes 200 years, it takes 200 years. This land isn’t going anywhere.”
Humphrey pointed to the bison that were shot after they migrated out of Yellowstone National Park as an example of the need for such designs. Many of those bison were shot because of ranchers’ fears that they might bring disease to their cattle. The Wildlands Project’s cores, buffers and corridors would take into account the space bison need.
The idea is to design natural areas for the benefit of animals requiring the most space — bears, wolves, bison and jaguars, for example. Conservation biologists call those “umbrella species.” The theory on which the Wildlands Project is based says that protecting those species will result automatically in protection for other plant and animal species.
The theory is that if animals at the top of the food chain are protected, the lower species also should flourish. That theory, Foreman and Humphrey said, never has been tested.
Once the maps are completed, wildlands supporters would try to implement the plan by purchasing private land or conservation easements on private land, by influencing planning processes for public lands and through congressional action, for example.
“In some cases it’s going to be just a tweaking of a management plan. In other areas, it’s going to take wilderness designation,” Humphrey said.
As proof that the Wildlands Project may not be as pie-in-the-sky as it seems, supporters point to an effort in Florida to protect about half of that state’s land for wildlife. The state Legislature there appropriated $3 billion for the effort, according to Wildlands Project supporters.
Supporters say they may have an advantage in western states that doesn’t exist in Florida: There is a lot more public land out here.
*NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
document.getElementById(“MsgContainer”).innerHTML=’FYI\x3cbr\x3e\x3cbr\x3eNote\x3a forwarded message attached.\x3cp\x3e \x0d\x0a \x3chr size\x3d1\x3eBe a better friend, newshound, and \x0d\x0aknow-it-all with Yahoo\x21 Mobile. \x3ca href\x3d\x22http\x3a\x2f\x2fus.rd.yahoo.com\x2fevt\x3d51733\x2f\x2ahttp\x3a\x2f\x2fmobile.yahoo.com\x2f\x3b_ylt\x3dAhu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ \x22 target\x3d\x22_blank\x22\x3e Try it now.\x3c\x2fa\x3e\x3cblockquote\x3e–Forwarded Message Attachment–\x3cbr\x3eFrom\x3a jfkeeler\x40vtc.net\x3cbr\x3eTo\x3a \x3b\x3cbr\x3eSubject\x3a Proposed NCA for the Peloncillo Region\x3a Trying to Preserve Wild Land\x3cbr\x3eDate\x3a Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19\x3a07\x3a40 -0600\x3cbr\x3e\x3cbr\x3e\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a\x3cmeta http-equiv\x3dContent-Type content\x3d\x22text\x2fhtml\x3b charset\x3dunicode\x22\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cmeta name\x3dGenerator content\x3d\x22Microsoft SafeHTML\x22\x3e\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a\x3cstyle\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fstyle\x3e\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\x3cfont face\x3d\x22Comic Sans MS\x22 size\x3d2\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eEvery once in awhile it\x27s good to reach back into the past and pull up some \x0d\x0ainformation that may have previously slipped by unnoticed.\u00a0 So here\x27s an \x0d\x0aarticle – originally published in the Albuquerque Journal in June of 1997 – that \x0d\x0aneeds to be repeated.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the article can not found on the web, \x0d\x0ait was written before such items got posted to the internet.\u00a0 I still have \x0d\x0athe original article if you care to\u00a0view it\x21\x21 \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eThe newly proposed National Conservation Area \x28NCA\x29 for the Peloncillo \x0d\x0aMountains has its roots in this article.\u00a0 I was sending this information to \x0d\x0aa gentleman I met yesterday and thought I\x27d better pass it along for your review \x0d\x0atoo.\u00a0 Perhaps it will lend some understanding as to what is being planned \x0d\x0afor our area. \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3ePlease note the Wildlands Project, as stated in this article, calls for \x0d\x0ausing conservation biology….\u00a0 \x26quot\x3bThe idea is to design natural areas for \x0d\x0athe benefit of animals requiring the most space — bears, wolves, bison and \x0d\x0ajaguars, for example.\x26quot\x3b\u00a0 Conservation biologists call these \x26quot\x3bumbrella \x0d\x0aspecies.\x26quot\x3b\u00a0 The theory on which the Wildlands Project is based claims that \x0d\x0aprotecting these species will result \x26quot\x3bautomatically in protection for other \x0d\x0aplant and animal species.\x26quot\x3b \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eThe Wildlands Project, as published in 1992, calls for \x26quot\x3bwilderness areas\x26quot\x3b \x0d\x0ato become the \x26quot\x3bcore areas\x26quot\x3b – home to \x26quot\x3bunfettered life, free from industrial \x0d\x0ahuman intervention …. Vast landscapes without roads, dams, motorized vehicles, \x0d\x0apowerlines, overflights, or other artifacts of civilization\x26quot\x3b that must be \x0d\x0adesigned to \x26quot\x3bsave biodiversity.\x26quot\x3b\u00a0 Although the land-use restrictions in the \x0d\x0abuffer zones and corridors \x26quot\x3bwould be less restrictive than in the core areas\x26quot\x3b, \x0d\x0athe plan does call for these areas to be managed by federal agencies to protect \x0d\x0atheir \x26quot\x3bwilderness qualities\x26quot\x3b.\u00a0 Within the preserve design would be \x0d\x0a\x26quot\x3bwilderness core areas\x26quot\x3b, with \x26quot\x3bbuffer zones around those cores and corridors \x0d\x0aconnecting the core areas\x26quot\x3b. \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eThe Wildlands Project is based on the concept that large preserves such as \x0d\x0a\x26quot\x3bthe \x26quot\x3bGreater Gila Sky Islands\x26quot\x3b are needed to protect large \x26quot\x3bumbrella \x0d\x0aspecies\x26quot\x3b.\u00a0 Initially,\u00a0it was planned\u00a0to \x26quot\x3bencompass 40,000 square \x0d\x0amiles, roughly half of which would be in Mexico\x26quot\x3b.\u00a0 Just a few years later \x0d\x0athe preserve design had grown to \x26quot\x3b70,000 acres\x26quot\x3b.\u00a0 It\x27s anybody\x27s \x0d\x0aguess\u00a0how many acres\u00a0it has morphed\u00a0into today. \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eThe Wildlands Project, as acknowledged in this article, is a \x26quot\x3btheory\x26quot\x3b folks \x0d\x0a- an experiment that will be performed on us, the local landowners\x21\x21 \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eI\x27ve attached the map for the proposed \x26quot\x3bPeloncillo Coordinated Management \x0d\x0aand Protected Area Planning Boundary\x26quot\x3b.\u00a0 It came with the \x26quot\x3bExecutive \x0d\x0aSummary\x26quot\x3b for the NCA.\u00a0 If you\x27d like to read the executive summary, drop \x0d\x0aDavid Hodges, Sky Island Alliance, a note\x3a\u00a0 \x3ca href\x3d\x22mailto\x3adhodges\x40skyislandalliance.org\x22\x3edhodges\x40skyislandalliance.org\x3c\x2fa\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eFeel free to pass this along\x21\x21\u00a0 I believe everyone who will be \x0d\x0aimpacted by this agenda should get a heads up on what the Sky Island\x2fNature \x0d\x0aConservancy is proposing for our area.\u00a0 Unfortunately, in my humble \x0d\x0aopinion, all the NCA will do is take away the private property rights of the \x0d\x0apeople living within its boundaries.\u00a0 Everyone needs to know what is being \x0d\x0aplanned for their property. \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eWhy do I include the Nature Conservancy\x3f\u00a0 In my opinion, they are \x0d\x0ainextricably involved in this planning process.\u00a0 Other areas all over our \x0d\x0anation are already being impacted by this HUGE agenda. \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eDo your homework.\u00a0 If you would like to read what a NCA did for \x0d\x0alandowners in California – please read this article\x3a\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \x3ca href\x3d\x22http\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.rangemagazine.com\x2farchives\x2fstories\x2ffall99\x2fstrange_equality.htm\x22 target\x3d\x22_blank\x22\x3ehttp\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.rangemagazine.com\x2farchives\x2fstories\x2ffall99\x2fstrange_equality.htm\x3c\x2fa\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eMaybe it\x27s time for a congressional investigation into how the Wildlands \x0d\x0aProject is being used to determine land-use planning in the New Mexico and \x0d\x0aArizona, as well as the other states in our nation. \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eJudy \x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3eThe underlines and emphasis were not in the original article.\u00a0 These \x0d\x0ahave been added by me.\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x3c\x2ffont\x3e\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\x3cfont face\x3d\x22Comic Sans MS\x22 size\x3d2\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3chr\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp class\x3dEC_MsoNormal style\x3d\x22\x22\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eAlbuquerque \x0d\x0aJournal\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp class\x3dEC_MsoNormal style\x3d\x22\x22\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eJune \x0d\x0a15, 1997\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3ch2 style\x3d\x22\x22\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eTRYING TO \x3cem\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3ePRESERVE\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fem\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3cem\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eWILD\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fem\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3cem\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eLAND\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fem\x3e\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fh2\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp class\x3dEC_MsoNormal style\x3d\x22\x22\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eMike \x0d\x0aTaugher Journal Staff Writer\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eWILD \x0d\x0aNEW MEXICO\x3a A Delicate Balance\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x2a \x0d\x0aConservationists and biologists are working together on a plan to design vast \x0d\x0anature reserves\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eThink \x0d\x0aof those most lightly touched of western lands — the national parks, wildlife \x0d\x0arefuges and wilderness areas — as islands in a sea of \x0d\x0acivilization.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eTo \x0d\x0aa growing number of conservationists and biologists, that\x27s exactly what they \x0d\x0aare.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eAnd \x0d\x0ain the field of conservation biology, where scientists agree that steps must be \x0d\x0ataken to preserve biodiversity, the view is that those islands are not only \x0d\x0anecessary but may have to be expanded for the survival of numerous plant and \x0d\x0aanimal species\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eConservationists \x0d\x0aand biologists are working together on a plan to design \x3cu\x3evast nature \x0d\x0areserves\x3c\x2fu\x3e around these protected islands.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eThe \x0d\x0aWildlands Project\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e is \x0d\x0ahighly ambitious, if not radical, because it would remap chunks of North America \x0d\x0afrom a conservation biologist\x27s point of view. Today, it has a small paid staff \x0d\x0abased in Tucson and a budget of about \x24500,000, mostly from grants and some \x0d\x0aindividual donations.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eCo-founded \x0d\x0aby Dave Foreman\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e, \x0d\x0aan Albuquerque resident who in 1980 co-founded the radical environmental group \x0d\x0a\x3cu\x3eEarth First\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x21, the \x3cu\x3eWildlands Project\x3c\x2fu\x3e shows how over the last few \x0d\x0adecades wilderness advocates have shifted some of their emphasis on wilderness \x0d\x0aas a place for scenery and recreation to \x3cu\x3ewilderness as a place for \x0d\x0apreservation of plant and animal species.\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x26quot\x3bA \x0d\x0alot of this stuff, it\x27s always been there. It\x27s just that as we become more and \x0d\x0amore aware of the \x3cu\x3eextinction crisis\x3c\x2fu\x3e going on and the importance of \x0d\x0awilderness in preserving that, the ecological values became more and more \x0d\x0aemphasized,\x26quot\x3b said Foreman, who has long since disassociated himself from Earth \x0d\x0aFirst\x21 because \x26quot\x3bthey turned into a bunch of left-wing, counter-culture \x0d\x0aradicals.\x26quot\x3b\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eIn \x0d\x0athe 1960s and 1970s, wilderness advocates concentrated on high mountain areas \x0d\x0athat were typically pretty, attractive to users of the outdoors and where \x0d\x0awilderness designation was not too objectionable to commercial interests, \x0d\x0aForeman said.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eThe \x0d\x0aresult was that wilderness areas were designated in scenic, high-altitude areas \x0d\x0athat were beautiful but not necessarily rich in trees, minerals or grazing \x0d\x0aland.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x26quot\x3bWe\x27ve \x0d\x0adone a really good job of protecting alpine tundra but \x3cu\x3ewe\x27ve done a really \x0d\x0apoor job of protecting riparian areas\x3c\x2fu\x3e. Most of that is due to a recreational \x0d\x0abias. Part of it is entirely a practical matter. There hasn\x27t been a lot of \x0d\x0aconflict over alpine tundra, but there has been a lot of conflict over riparian \x0d\x0aareas,\x26quot\x3b Foreman said.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eOne \x0d\x0aof the Wildlands Project\x27s first proposals would be in southwestern New Mexico, \x0d\x0asoutheastern Arizona and northern Mexico\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eIn \x0d\x0aits preliminary form, the \x26quot\x3b\x3cu\x3eGreater Gila Sky Islands\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x26quot\x3b \x3cu\x3ereserve\x3c\x2fu\x3e would \x0d\x0aencompass \x3cu\x3e40,000 square miles\x3c\x2fu\x3e, roughly \x3cu\x3ehalf of which would be in \x0d\x0aMexico\x3c\x2fu\x3e. Within that area would be \x3cu\x3ewilderness core areas\x3c\x2fu\x3e, \x3cu\x3ebuffer \x0d\x0azo\x3c\x2fu\x3enes around those cores \x3cu\x3eand corridors connecting the core areas\x3c\x2fu\x3e. \x0d\x0a\x3cu\x3eLand-use restrictions in the buffer zones would be less restrictive than in \x0d\x0athe core areas\x3c\x2fu\x3e.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eThe \x0d\x0aorganization for the most part is keeping its cards close to the vest, but it \x0d\x0aplans to release detailed maps for the Greater Gila Sky Islands project in about \x0d\x0aa year.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x26quot\x3bThis \x0d\x0ais going to be a very political thing in the future,\x26quot\x3b said Jack Humphrey, \x0d\x0aprogram coordinator for the Sky Islands Alliance, an organization formed to \x0d\x0adesign the biological reserve.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x26quot\x3bThis \x0d\x0ais the most ambitious thing the conservation movement has ever thought about, \x0d\x0aand it\x27s in its infancy still,\x26quot\x3b he added. \x26quot\x3bIf it takes 200 years, it takes 200 \x0d\x0ayears. This land isn\x27t going anywhere.\x26quot\x3b\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eHumphrey \x0d\x0apointed to the bison that were shot after they migrated out of Yellowstone \x0d\x0aNational Park as an example of the need for such designs. Many of those bison \x0d\x0awere shot because of ranchers\x27 fears that they might bring disease to their \x0d\x0acattle. \x3cu\x3eThe Wildlands Project\x27s cores, buffers and corridors would take into \x0d\x0aaccount the space bison need\x3c\x2fu\x3e.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eThe \x0d\x0aidea is to design natural areas for the benefit of animals requiring the most \x0d\x0aspace\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e — \x0d\x0abears, \x3cfont color\x3d\x22\x23ff0000\x22\x3ewolves\x3c\x2ffont\x3e, bison \x3cfont color\x3d\x22\x23ff0000\x22\x3e\x3cu\x3eand \x0d\x0ajaguars\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2ffont\x3e, for example. Conservation biologists call those \x26quot\x3b\x3cu\x3eumbrella \x0d\x0aspecies\x3c\x2fu\x3e.\x26quot\x3b \x3cu\x3eThe theory\x3c\x2fu\x3e on which the Wildlands Project is based \x3cu\x3esays \x0d\x0athat protecting those species will result automatically in protection for other \x0d\x0aplant and animal species\x3c\x2fu\x3e.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eThe \x0d\x0atheory is that if animals at the top of the food chain are protected, the lower \x0d\x0aspecies also should flourish. \x3cu\x3eThat theory\x3c\x2fu\x3e, Foreman and Humphrey said, \x0d\x0a\x3cu\x3enever has been tested\x3c\x2fu\x3e.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eOnce \x0d\x0athe maps are completed\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e, \x0d\x0awildlands supporters would try to \x3cu\x3eimplement the plan by purchasing private \x0d\x0aland or conservation easements on private land,\x3c\x2fu\x3e \x3cu\x3eby influencing planning \x0d\x0aprocesses for public lands\x3c\x2fu\x3e and \x3cu\x3ethrough congressional action,\x3c\x2fu\x3e for \x0d\x0aexample.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x26quot\x3b\x3cu\x3eIn \x0d\x0asome cases it\x27s going to be just a tweaking of a management plan\x3c\x2fu\x3e. In other \x0d\x0aareas, it\x27s going to take wilderness designation,\x26quot\x3b Humphrey \x0d\x0asaid.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eAs \x0d\x0aproof that the Wildlands Project may not be as pie-in-the-sky as it seems, \x0d\x0asupporters point to an effort in Florida to protect about half of that state\x27s \x0d\x0aland for wildlife. The state Legislature there appropriated \x243 billion for the \x0d\x0aeffort, according to Wildlands Project supporters.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cu\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3eSupporters \x0d\x0asay they may have an advantage in western states\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fu\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0athat doesn\x27t exist in Florida\x3a \x3cu\x3eThere is a lot more public land\x3c\x2fu\x3e out \x0d\x0ahere.\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fb\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e \x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bfont-family\x3aVerdana\x22\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3chr\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x3cspan\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cspan style\x3d\x22font-size\x3a10pt\x3bcolor\x3ablack\x3bfont-family\x3aArial\x22\x3e\x3cfont face\x3d\x22Comic Sans MS\x22\x3e\x2aNOTE\x3a In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any \x0d\x0acopyrighted material\u00a0 herein is distributed without profit or payment to \x0d\x0athose who have expressed\u00a0a\u00a0prior interest in receiving this \x0d\x0ainformation for non-profit research and\u00a0educational purposes only. For more \x0d\x0ainformation go to\x3a \x0d\x0a\u00a0http\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.law.cornell.edu\x2fuscode\x2f17\x2f107.shtml\x3c\x2ffont\x3e\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fp\x3e\x3c\x2fspan\x3e\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x3c\x2ffont\x3e\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e\x0d\x0a\x3c\x2fblockquote\x3e’;
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