SALT LAKE CITY — Community, Tribal and environmental groups today filed a motion to intervene in a third federal lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s new public lands rule, which creates a framework for the agency to manage 245…
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Legal intervention launched to defend federal public lands conservation rule from ND, MT, ID lawsuit
BISMARCK, N.D. — Community, Tribal and environmental groups today filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit from the states of North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s new public lands rule, which creates a…
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Our legal fight to prevent the proposed Wolf Creek resort continues as we seek a rehearing before the 10th Circuit Court.
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Help shape the future of winter recreation on the Rio Grande National Forest. Learn how to participate in the over-snow-vehicle planning process today!
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The Pillage at Wolf Creek is an ill-conceived fantasy of an out-of-state billionaire, who railroaded his vision through the federal bureaucracy without regard for the environment and communities it impacts.
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We oppose exploratory drilling and uranium mining in Slick Rock Canyon for these reasons. We ask that you deny the local county permit.
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Please join the San Juan Citizens Alliance in showing our support for BLM’s new public lands rule on Conservation and Landscape Health. The new rule emphasizes the importance of conservation on federal public lands and creates and refines tools to…
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) just released its Draft Big Game Resource Management Plan Amendment (plan) which covers 8.3 million surface acres and 4.7 million acres of mineral estate extending to every Colorado BLM Field Office and to every corner of…
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This summer the San Juan Citizens Alliance teamed up with Ecoflight for a flyover of the Southern San Juans. EcoFlight is a nonprofit organization that educates and advocates for the protection of remaining wild lands and wildlife habitat using small aircraft.…
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 14, 2023 DOLORES, Colo.— Forest advocates sued the U.S. Forest Service today for violating environmental laws when it approved a nearly 23,000-acre timber sale that would cut large, century-old ponderosa pine trees and threaten wildlife in…
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Please join the San Juan Citizens Alliance in showing our support for BLM’s new public lands rule on Conservation and Landscape Health. The new rule emphasizes the importance of conservation on federal public lands and creates and refines tools to…
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2022 A Federal District Court Thursday once again rejected plans by the would-be developers of the Village at Wolf Creek to gain access across national forest lands for the ill-conceived project. Senior Federal Judge Christine…
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After a whirlwind year, it’s time to take stock of some conservation gains over the past 12 months. We often ride a teeter-totter of conservation policy, down one year, up the next, but overall many a cherished landscape across the…
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This week the Biden administration took action to safeguard lands surrounding Chaco Canyon from impacts associated with encroaching oil and gas extraction. The Department of Interior announced a two-year moratorium on new oil and gas leasing within the 10-mile zone…
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Our work protecting the lands and forests across the San Juan Basin is ever-changing. Here is a quick summary of what we’re working on right now: Bootjack Ranch/Valle Seco Land Exchange The Decision Notice for this sordid and coordinated effort…
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One of the most remarkable features of Southwest Colorado is the spectacular canyon carved by the Dolores River. On those occasions when an abundance of snowpack blesses our region, adventurers can enjoy floating through 100 miles of a wild canyon…
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A festering land exchange controversy near Pagosa Springs is emblematic of larger questions about public lands and private demands. It is the latest in a series of exchanges whereby wealthy landowners covetous of adjacent national forest lands contrive a means…
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Yet another Texas billionaire has set his sights on acquiring roadless national forest lands and wild river corridors. The Proposed Valle Seco Land Exchange would hand 175 acres of wilderness-caliber roadless lands adjacent to the South San Juan Wilderness to…
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President Biden’s new administration brings forth the opportunity to pivot management of public lands and waters from enhancing extraction to instead promoting protection. Biden’s newly confirmed Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, promises a refreshing perspective both as our nation’s…
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The territory bordering the Piedra River as it leaves the San Juan Mountains and emerges into lower elevation lands has long been of interest to peoples who lived in and travelled through these lands. The endemic forests, grasslands and streamside…
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The Colorado Wilderness Act has been reintroduced, but in order to pass it needs the support of Colorado's Senators. Take action today and ask Colorado Senators Michael Bennet & John Hickenlooper to support the Colorado Wilderness Act!JTNDZGl2JTIwaWQlM0QlMjJhQW90ZGRTcnVuJTIyJTNFJTBBJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwJTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwdHlwZSUzRCUyMnRleHQlMkZqYXZhc2NyaXB0JTIyJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZkZWZhdWx0LnNhbHNhbGFicy5vcmclMkZhcGklMkZ3aWRnZXQlMkZ0ZW1wbGF0ZSUyRjMyZmRjZmU0LTNjM2QtNGQ4My05ZTUxLThiNDlmZWNiNWM0NiUyRiUzRnRJZCUzRGFBb3RkZFNydW4lMjIlMjAlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0UlMEElM0MlMkZkaXYlM0U=
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The Colorado Wilderness Act was reintroduced in Congress today! First introduced in 1999, the wilderness bill proposes protections for 660,000 acres of Colorado's most spectacular canyon and desert wildlands, like the Dolores River Canyon. New wilderness protections are strongly supported…
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Congress reconvenes this month with major unfinished business around land conservation legislation of great significance to Southwest Colorado. After decades of analysis and consideration, last year bills advanced through the U.S. House of Representatives to enact wilderness and other protective…
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Since we couldn't see everyone in person this year, we made a video to show you what our staff has been up to & update you on some of our top campaigns! Check it out!
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It’s really no surprise that Colorado’s highest peaks attract the greatest attention from human visitors, smart phone cameras, Wilderness designations, and more – they are awe-inspiring and photogenic. However, most of us have come to know that the “lower and…
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BLM’s Continued Assault of our Public Lands Next Target: Chimney Rock National Monument and the HD Mountain Roadless AreaThe Colorado State office of the Bureau of Land Management is furthering its interest in industrializing public and private lands surrounding Chimney…
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Photo: John Fielder Help Secure New Wilderness in Colorado Contact Colorado’s elected representatives to thank them for their strong support of public lands and ask that they do everything in their power to pass the CORE Act and the Colorado…
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A Montana judge recently ruled the head of the Bureau of Land Management had illegally served as the agency’s director for more than a year. That’s a big deal, seeing as it is the nation’s largest land manager. In Colorado,…
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SJCA believes that responsible management of our public lands protects our communities’ heritage, supports healthy wildlife and their habitat, sustains a strong and self-reliant economy, and preserves our quality of life for generations to come. To help our members and…
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Once again, the HD Mountains face new threats from oil and gas development, this time from a proposal for a massive methane gas compression and processing facility. The proposal for the El Toro facility has numerous flaws, not least of…
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As Congress nears the finish line this year, the fate of conservation legislation dealing with a million acres in Colorado is left hanging. The House of Representatives has now twice passed both the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act and…
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Purgatory has shown an interest in developing the Ice Creek lift pod (at the eastern extent of greater Hermosa Park) area for many years and sought to include it an element of their Master Development Plan (MDP) during its creation…
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Purgatory Resort is pushing its expansion dreams by resurrecting the Ice Creek Lift Pod, a regretful proposal that was purposefully dropped from its 2008 Master Development Plan (MDP) due to the concerns of degrading Canada lynx habitat. Unfortunately, Purgatory is…
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The HDs are under siege. Again. The San Juan National Forest is proposing to approve an 8.6-mile natural gas pipeline that cuts across a portion of the HD Mountains Roadless Area. In doing so, the Forest Service intends to simply…
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It wasn’t the several contiguous weeks of working from my home “office” that motivated me to journey to the HD Mountains (between Bayfield and Chimney Rock National Monument); rather it was the need to see firsthand yet another set of…
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By Diana Vernazza Here in Southwest Colorado, the weather is beginning to turn warmer, the rivers are rising and trees slowly leafing out. The first butterflies of the season are looking for nectar, and the birds are noisily building nests.…
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Photo: National Park Service In our original blog, ‘Why Restore Wolves to Colorado, we briefly discussed the top five reasons wolves should be reintroduced to the state. Now, we’re digging deeper into each of those arguments. You can also check…
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a new plan for trails around Silverton that sacrifices backcountry quiet and wildlife viewing in favor of more motorized trail use. Most dramatically, BLM wants to open an additional motorcycle route through…
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Photo: John Fielder Last week, the Bureau of Land Management finalized plans to open millions of acres of southern Utah to energy development, oil and gas drilling, coal mining and a variety of other extraction activities. These were the…
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Conservationists pursue protective designations like wilderness or wild and scenic rivers to help ensure the undeveloped character of cherished places is guaranteed into the future. It’s a bulwark against the creeping industrialization that often threatens to consume the quiet valleys…
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Photo: National Park Service In our original blog, ‘Why Restore Wolves to Colorado,’ we briefly discussed the top five reasons wolves should be reintroduced to the state. Now, we’re digging deeper into each of those arguments. You can also check…
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Breaking: The House Natural Resource Committee passed the Colorado Wilderness Act! This bill would advance protections sorely needed to safeguard some of Colorado's most breathtaking wild areas, like the lower Dolores river area. The Act is in alignment with recent polling…
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Photo: National Park Service In our original blog, ‘Why Restore Wolves to Colorado,’ we briefly discussed the top five reasons wolves should be reintroduced to the state. Now, we’re digging deeper into each of those arguments. You can also check…
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Background Bighorn sheep are an iconic species of the American West. They call some of our country’s most rugged and remote landscapes home. Their cultural, ecological, aesthetic and economic value has made bighorn sheep a vital part of North American…
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We know that meaningful and permanent public lands protections take time. Lots of time. Lots of stakeholders are at the table and compromises are hashed out over years, not weeks. Often times such efforts are framed by politicians as being…
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Photo: Jack Brauer Really, it isn't a surprise to most of us that the majority of Western Slope voters support our public lands and want them protected. For those who are skeptical, this recent poll clearly shows widespread support for…
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This week marks the 10th anniversary of long-simmering efforts to obtain added wilderness protections for the high ranges of the San Juan Mountains. Back in 2009, then Rep. John Salazar first introduced the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, legislation aimed…
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons In our original blog, ‘Why Restore Wolves to Colorado,’ we briefly discussed the top five reasons wolves should be reintroduced to the state. Now, we’re digging deeper into each of those arguments. You can also check out Part…
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The summer brought a whirlwind of change to America’s bedrock environmental laws, or at least the rules that implement those laws. The Trump administration has made no secret of its disdain for environmental rules that might impede the interests of…
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In our previous blog, ‘Why Restore Wolves to Colorado,’ we briefly discussed the top five reasons wolves should be reintroduced to the state. In this and future blogs, we’re digging deeper into each of those arguments. Blogs by Gary Skiba,…
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As Colorado fills up with people and our forests evolve in response to a changing climate, what happens to our renowned wildlife? Can we make space for migrating game herds and dispersing species? With more traffic, U.S. Highway 160 and…
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In New Mexico, oil and gas operations release more than 1 million metric tons of methane every year into the atmosphere. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, this has the same short-term impacts as 22 coal-fired power plants or 28…
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Conservation advocates routinely harp on the single-minded focus of the Trump administration exhorting resource exploitation on our public lands. In case that just sounds like hyperbole, recent real-life examples help illustrate the reality of the Department of Interior’s energy dominance…
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We made a video about who we are and what we do! A big thanks to Sean Owen of No Special Abilities Productions for making this happen. Of course, it's impossible to get everything we do into a short...
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Photo: Tom Sykes The Forest Service has rescinded its approval to use chainsaws in Weminuche and South San Juan Wildernesses! We were surprised last month to hear about Regional Forester's illegal approval to use motorized equipment in the form of…
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Photo: National Park Service Chain Saws in Wilderness Update June 4th, 2019 Background On May 7th the Forest Service unexpectedly, and without any public notice or input, announced it would allow chain saws in the Weminuche and South San Juan…
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Photo: Fish and Wildlife Service Wolves have long stirred strong emotions in this country and still do. The idea of bringing wolves back to Colorado generates passionate support as well as die-hard opposition. Yet from an ecological standpoint, wolves belong…
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Clean off those 'No Pillage' bumperstickers*, because here we go again. If you've lived in the area for long, you know the Village has a decades-long history. The short story is that a billionaire from Texas has long wanted to…
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Below is our press release detailing our arguments against the Forest Service's recent secretive approval allowing for chainsaws to be used in the Weminuche and South San Juan Wildernesses starting June 1. We're asking the court to reverse the decision.…
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The Forest Service’s recent decision to approve using chain saws to cut out downed trees in wilderness areas might strike some as no big deal. But for longtime advocates for the wilderness concept generally, and supporters of the Weminuche and…
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“This lease sale is just another example of the BLM putting the cart before the horse. We’ve been waiting for years for the BLM to complete its Resource Management Plans for the Greater Chaco. But the agency continues to allow…
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Photo: Alex Pullen OK, here we go again. Many of you joined us in submitting protests this last fall on the draft decision to provide road access to the Village. And for good reason. It's not surprising they went ahead and…
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It is completely indefensible to continue to lease parcels in Greater Chaco to oil and gas without having a plan in place to ensure protections for air, water, public health, and the rich history embedded in the landscape. TheBureau of…
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Photo: Jason Hatfield Fans of Utah’s spectacular redrock country can savor congressional action this week that advanced protections for a million acres of the incomparable San Rafael Swell, and one of the Colorado Plateau’s longest wild river segments through Desolation…
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Photo: Jack Brauer Senator Bennet and Representative Neguse are breathiing new life into the decade-long campaign to permanently protect iconic, yet vulnerable, alpine landscapes in the San Juan Mountains. Next week, they're introducing a new bill, the Colorado Outdoor Recreation &…
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Photo: Alex Pullen, Future home of would-be Village at Wolf Creek Good News! You probably aren't new to this decades-long controversy over the proposed Village at Wolf Creek development. And even so, it can be hard to follow all the…
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Photo: Wikipedia Commons We've been advocating for wildlife, quiet use and watershed protections within the Rico West Dolores Travel Management Plan for a decade. Many of you have joined us in demanding that the region be managed for the those…
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The Trump administration unabashedly promotes energy dominance above all else on America’s public lands. But even knowing that, it’s hard not to be astonished by the latest onslaught to prioritize oil and gas development on our national forests. We are…
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Recently, Senator Gardner told a group gathering in Norwood, Colorado that he wouldn't stand in the way of the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act moving forward. We're looking to him now to make to good on his commitment to move…
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Our beloved Animas River has taken a shellacking the past few years, the most recent insults a combination of record low flows and wildfire induced mudslides. The Animas might be the blaring alarm bell for our society’s failure to act…
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Are we doomed to the zombie Village at Wolf Creek endlessly stalking the San Juan Mountains? No matter how many times apparently dead, it seemingly staggers back to life, lurching with a blank gaze and lifeless arms in its 30-year-long…
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This. Is. Crazy. The developers of the would-be Village at Wolf Creek will stop at nothing. We know that. But we really do expect the Forest Service to manage public lands in the public interest and not cave to the…
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Big Picture As we breathe a collective sigh of relief after the prolonged and mostly gentle rains that calmed the fire and cleansed the air over June 16-17, we can begin to assess the 416 wildfire from a couple steps…
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Their tactics no longer surprise us, but they do still get us fired up! We recently discovered that the would-be developers of the Village at Wolf Creek, despite losing a sweeping court case on the issue last spring, sent a…
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As most of you know, the Alliance has been working for over a decade to secure greater protections for Greater Chaco - it's water, air, cultural resources and the health and safety of native communities living there today. We have…
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Photo: Jason Hatfield With spring full bore upon us, it’s hard not to cast an envious eye toward the high country and start daydreaming about alpine wildflower hikes. One favorite destination for many is Ice Lake Basin outside Silverton, one…
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Photo: Alex Pullen Wow, we weren't really expecting this. We've been fighting the proposed Village at Wolf Creek for well over a decade now. As you likely know, in order to develop the 8,000-person city atop Wolf Creek Pass, the developers…
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Photo: Jason Hatfield We're thrilled to announce that Senator Bennet has introduced the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, a bill born from years of diverse stakeholder engagement to protect vulnerable high country regions of the San Juan Mountains. The bill,…
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It might be easy to chuckle at the silliness of the conspiracy theorists convinced the United Nations is scheming with La Plata County to forcibly relocate rural folks into urban housing centers. Easy, unless you’re the county commissioners bearing the…
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Was 2017 a challenging year? Hell yes. And that's why our work is so critical. We’re here because public and environmental health doesn’t always get prioritized over corporate interests. We’re here because wildlife, water and a stable climate don’t have…
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Last week’s events punctuated by the Trump administration’s cavalier abandonment of a century’s worth of American conservation practice is greatly discouraging. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wiped out more than 1 million acres of protected landscapes in two national monuments in…
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"Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit." Edward Abbey It seems so obvious that we should preserve at least some small part of this planet to remain relatively untouched by humans and our destructive…
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With the onset of winter, it’s never too early to daydream of next year’s adventures. Nowhere compares with the raw, spontaneous wildness of Alaska’s primeval landscapes teeming with abundant caribou and grizzly bears. In particular, the aptly named Arctic National…
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Last week, the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee passed a bill to prevent presidents from creating national monuments. It would severely limit the future preservation of many remarkable places similar to those we now take for granted – such…
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We're taking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to court over their March 2017 lease sale. In order to explain why the Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO) March 2017 lease sale is worthy of a lawsuit, we need to take a step…
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You may have heard that back in May a federal judge ruled in our favor in our court case against the land exchange that would have allowed the Pillage at Wolf Creek to be finally built. Judge Matsch agreed with us…
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Last week, along with millions of other Americans, we anxiously awaited Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke's recommendation on the fate of over 2 dozen National Monuments. Although his recommendation reportedly made it to President Trump's desk, the proposed future for some…
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Last opportunity to speak out for quiet-use trails in Rico/West Dolores! Striving for strong protections for the Rico/West Dolores area has been a priority of San Juan Citizens Alliance for nearly 10 years and we will continue our persistence. However,…
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“The budget request before us today is downright offensive. I can’t square this with your rhetoric about returning EPA to its core responsibilities. Nothing was spared. EPA’s core is hollowed out...These cuts aren’t an intent to rein in spending, they…
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Waiving rules to prevent methane pollution. Stripping wetlands of protection under the Clean Water Act. Throwing out restrictions against strip-mining mountaintops and dumping the spoils into streams. The Trump administration has an ambitious agenda to eliminate protections for air, water…
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We just couldn't let it slide. There were too many egregious, and frankly illegal, errors in the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) process that resulted in approval of Siverton Guide's proposed heli-ski permit expansion. Despite hundreds of public comments against the…
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What's Happening with the Master Leasing Plan? You may remember that last December it was announced the Bureau of Land Management Will Pursue a Master Leasing Plan! San Juan Citizens Alliance staff and members worked hard last year to ensure that such…
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WE WON! Judge Matsch's decision validates nearly every complaint we had regarding the Forest Service's botched attempt at an Environmental Impact Statement. They shirked their responsibility to assess the impacts of development and disregarded significant public input. Your input. In a…
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We’re in uncharted waters. A presidential administration just launched an overarching attack on more than 11 million acres of previously protected landscapes. The Trump administration’s new initiative to overturn national monuments designated over the past 20 years is unlike anything…
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This is unprecedented. Here at the Alliance, we are not unused to setbacks. It’s part of the work we do. But right now the scale of setbacks is jarring. The President has initiated a process that could strip million of…
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Just in time for my first week on the job, returning to the role of Executive Director at SJCA, I was greeted by a new presidential administration’s assault on Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM). Déjà vu all over…
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In March, we were forced to file a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) to see the public comments on the Silverton heli-ski expansion. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Gunnison Field Office refused to provide public access to the…
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News flash: The Dalai Lama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, just weighed in on the proposed expansion of heli-ski terrain around Silverton. Really? Truth be told, no. But have you ever noticed how the Dalai Lama is a veritable tour…
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We were forced to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) last week. Why? Because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Gunnison Field Office refused to provide access to the public comments we requested. This is not normal by the way. We…
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By: Chris Talbot-Heindl, Communications & Membership Manager, Rocky Mountain Wild Canada Lynx and Ski Resorts In late December, we all watched in awe as a Canada lynx lumbered across Purgatory Resort amid astonished skiers in broad daylight. For some, it was…
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We submitted final arguments in our latest battle to protect Wolf Creek Pass last Friday. The lawsuit, filed together with Rocky Mountain Wild and San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, seeks to reverse the Forest Service's 2015 decision to approve a land exchange, providing…
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A prehistoric granary in Bears Ears National Monument. Photo by Josh Ewing/Courtesy Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. A century of bi-partisan conservation Established in 1906, the Antiquities Act is one of our country’s most important conservation tools. Born out of necessity…
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Photo Attribution: Jeremiah LaRocco via Flickr (License) “It is, Pitch is most proud to say, the antithesis of the glitz and glamor he sees across Colorado's ski country.” Seth Boster1 If you rely on sipping on a pumpkin latte…
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Photo: Alex Pullen By Chris Wilkins I’ve learned a lot of things serving on the SJCA board – how a non-profit budget works, how many acronyms there are in the government, how LONG everything takes in the environmental world. It…
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Although the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is tasked with managing our public lands for multiple use, fossil fuel extraction has long dominated public land use policy. Over the last couple of years we've worked hard to encourage the Tres Rios…
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By Mark Pearson, Former SJCA Executive Director and Current Board Member Like you, I’ve been captivated by the wild landscapes of the San Juans and southwest Colorado for many years. That’s why I quickly gravitated to San Juan Citizens Alliance…
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Photo Credit: Amy Grogan The stewardship of our commonly owned lands is a balancing act tightly linked to the missions of the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as they allow and encourage multiple uses of our…
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Area threatened by existing oil and gas development (yellow) on top of public lands (blue) in Northwest New Mexico. See oilandgasthreatmap.com for interactive map. You can’t drive through Northwest New Mexico and Southwest Colorado and miss our region’s oil…
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Photo Credit: Ecoflight In the past week, I have had the opportunity to speak with some truly inspiring people, and get this: a few were politicians. I know, sounds improbable, right? This election season, the words “politician” and “inspiring” seem…
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Are they still trying to build that Village at Wolf Creek? Yes. And we’re still fighting it. In fact, we just filed an opening brief in the U.S District Court of Colorado as a part of our most recent lawsuit to…
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Comments Due on the Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan Didn't we already do that? Yes, yes we did! Dozens of stakeholders (including us) patiently and persistently carved out a proposal to protect the watershed that led to the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection…
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As the father of a 3-year-old boy, I’ve become an expert on the topic of momentum. You see, my little guy has yet to cross paths with a hill he doesn’t want to race down. Grassy, rocky, dirt, paved –…
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Spring 2016 Newsletter Our spring 2016 Newsletter is now online! Click the image to check it out - it has updates on our Four Corners Power Plant, Dolores River and Colorado Oil and Gas campaigns. We'd love to hear what you think. Click…
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Photo: Mark Pearson In mid-May the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auctioned off rights to drill on the only remaining unleased parcels in the HD Mountains. The bidding companies, provided anonymity by the BLM, paid $5,200,000 for 10-year development rights…
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So, you probably know we’re suing the Forest Service over their decision last year that paves the way for Red McCombs’ long-dreaded Village at Wolf Creek. Maybe you also know that our partners filed 2 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)…
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This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
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“It is one of the best elk hunting experiences … people wait upwards of ten years to actually get the tag … and it would be forever changed to have a population center in literally a world class elk unit.”…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
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“It makes me feel like bad decisions keep following bad decisions.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a remote landscape in southwest…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
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“There’s a sense of… disgust and outrage with our federal agency employees who know better.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
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Our attorney’s dug through the “Wolf Creek Files” and what they found confirmed our worst fears: The National Forest Service was in collusion with developer Red “B.J.” McCombs, again. We're sharing the evidence with you. Ever had the desire to read through…
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“Where is that balance between economic development and sustainability, and preservation of the ecosystem?” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a remote…
This is the first in our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post will explain, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. WHO:…
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“I think that the only hope we have to preserve this area is by the gathering of community to fight with political power.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at…
It’s 3 weeks into January and here at the Alliance we're finally taking a moment to clear the papers off our desks, breathe, and reflect on the past year. We started 2015 knowing there were thousands of people in the region…
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Dan Olson, Executive Director of San Juan Citizens Alliance, was interviewed this morning on KDUR’s Off the Rim about the evidence of collusion and efforts to destroy and hide documents pertaining to the Wolf Creek development. Check it out. Read the…
Our attorney's dug through the "Wolf Creek Files" and what they found confirmed our worst fears: The National Forest Service was in collusion with developer Red "B.J." McCombs, again. Emails show the agency concealed and destroyed information about the "Village at Wolf…
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This is a great short video by our friends at Backcountry Hunters and Anglers on the standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. It’s an important sanctuary, particularly for birds, and belongs to each of us.
This holiday season I’d like to propose a corollary to Durango’s well-loved buy local movement: give local. December is a month awash in fundraising requests, and let’s face it: being on the receiving end can get tiresome. But let’s face…
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Video debut! We're proud to reveal our new 3 minute video on our 30-year fight to protect Wolf Creek Pass from a massive development! The fight isn't over, but we need your help. Watch, act, share. Learn More and Take Action...
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We just finished our latest newsletter and it's heading to your mailbox this week! It covers our work on regional ozone, protecting Chaco from rampant oil and gas development and our commitment to ensuring permanent clean up of the Animas…
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We’re about to finally discover what the Forest Service has been hiding for over a year and a half. ------------ Ever had the desire to read through and analyze 69,701 pages of correspondences and reports? No? That's okay, we're doing…
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Let’s talk numbers. 22: inches of fresh snow Wolf Creek Ski Area reported as of Wednesday morning. 69,701: pages of public records opponents of the Pillage at Wolf Creek just received from the federal government. 2: over-caffeinated lawyers reading those…
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“Isn’t that over? Wasn’t McCombs’ deal approved?” I keep hearing this, despite the fact that San Juan Citizens Alliance, and Friends of Wolf Creek partners, continue fighting tooth and nail (in three lawsuits) to prevent the construction of a massive…
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The Forest Service is stalling again. Last month, partner organization Rocky Mountain Wild (RMW) won a lawsuit against the Forest Service for inappropriately withholding public documents that RMW requested in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) concerning the proposed development…
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In June nearly 40 artists convened on top of Wolf Creek Pass to celebrate its beauty and draw inspiration from the landscape. The over 70 pieces that resulted from the art day day are arriving at the Taylor Raymond Gallery…
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We have some excellent news. The fight for Wolf Creek Pass continues, but today we took a great step forward. The Forest Service has not been transparent with the public about the "Village at Wolf Creek" project. Today we are thrilled to…
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We've been getting a lot of compliments on our new and improved newsletter. The format is a little (OK, a lot) different than the last time we put one together (some two years ago...) and you'll be proud to leave it on…
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As many of you know, last month we filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Forest Service's decision to approve a land swap that facilitates the long-threatened Pillage at Wolf Creek. Although the land will likely be exchanged later this week, we've signed…
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Renewable Energy? Yay! Clean Air? Of course! Resilient landscapes? Bring it on. Master Leasing Plans? Huh? The work we do isn’t often glamorous: it’s complex and technical, but really important. Master Leasing Plans (MLPs) fall squarely into that category.…
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Last Friday night I camped on our national forest lands to the east and just below Wolf Creek Pass. Before snuggling into my sleeping bag, I bid a goodnight to the couple dozen elk grazing amongst the ponds and wetland…
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We've been telling you that the process the Forest Service used to approve the land exchange, which paves the way for the Pillage at Wolf Creek, was highly flawed and illegal. After sifting through tens of thousands of documents released through…
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Thank you to Danny Ledonne at Emberwilde Productions for this great video!
It's time. Time to take action on Wolf Creek. (not that we haven't been taking it all along... but you know what I mean.) Next week we are sending a delegation to Washington, D.C. to meet with our elected officials…
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For months people have been asking: “What can I do to help save Wolf Creek Pass?” Well, here’s a very immediate and concrete request. Next week, representatives from a number of community groups will be visiting officials in Washington, D.C.,…
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Our very own Jimbo explains how the Forest Service limited it’s scope and violated policies in approving the land exchange. Dan Dallas tries to defend the process and his decision to approve the land exchange allowing for a 10,000-person city…
Is the fight for the future of Wolf Creek over? Has the community effort to protect this wild, unique and beloved landscape been in vain? After all, the U.S. Forest Service did just sign a Record of Decision (bureaucracy-speak for…
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By law Environmental Impact Statements are intended to be robust and transparent. Very little in the nearly 30-year saga of the proposed Village at Wolf Creek Pass has met those expectations. Sadly, 2015 has been no different. Today the Forest Service amended and…
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Photo Credit: Mark Pearson The entire Dolores River Canyon below McPhee Reservoir is a special place to be sure. Anyone that has had the opportunity to explore the corridor via boat, foot, horseback, bike or vehicle, knows this to be…
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You may remember that back in March we filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to protect the Greater Chaco Region from illegal and rampant oil and gas development. As that works its way through the courts,…
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This post is the third in a four-part series on the King Coal Mine in Hesperus written by guest contributor Lauren Pope. Read Part I, and Part 2: The Impacts. Ridiculous Revival At a time when world changing technological advances - hybrid cars,…
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Where would the outdoor industry be without the public lands on which we explore, dream and play? The Conservation Alliance, comprised of such iconic companies as Patagonia, Osprey Packs and REI, actively protect the wild and protected landscapes on which…
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I want you to envision a day with me; it’s the day that bulldozers begin ripping apart Wolf Creek Pass to build Texas billionaire Red McCombs’ version of Vail South. Last week, that possible dark day moved closer to reality, leaving…
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The threat to Pillage Wolf Creek Pass with a jumbo development that simply doesn't belong in a stunning, remote, high altitude environment has been relentless over the last couple decades. Unfortunately, the most recent decision to approve the land swap with billionaire…
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Photo: Mark Pearson San Juan Citizens Alliance has long prioritized protection for the Lower Dolores River. We worked with the Dolores Water Conservancy District to start the Dolores River Dialogue in 2004. In 2008, we became a stakeholder in the…
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This post is the second in a four-part series on the King Coal Mine in Hesperus written by guest contributor Lauren Pope. For Part I, click here. Disruption Grupo Cemento de Chihahua’s (GCC) proposed expansion of the King Coal…
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Rampant and unplanned drilling is threatening archeological sites and communities around Chaco. Despite the pleas of many, the BLM continues to permit drilling without assessing the impact to those sites, the environment or nearby communities. So, we're suing them. Below…
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Ever heard that little ditty: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. Turns out to be a complete and utter lie. Heck, you don’t even need full names – acronyms will do – and…
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The day before the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO) released its Resource Management Plan (RMP), the Alliance drafted a list of 10 things to watch for in the final document. I’d like to think that…
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If you've been following the multi-year saga of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO) Resource Management Plan (RMP), then you know a lot is at stake. As we highlighted in a previous post, this planning…
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO) manages over 503,000 acres of public lands in southwest Colorado. Their management includes oversight of federal minerals exploration and development on more than 804,000 acres of private, state, and…
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By Mike Eisenfeld, New Mexico Energy Coordinator If you’ve driven to Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Chaco) or Albuquerque recently, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a whole lot of oil and gas development along the way. What you may not know is…
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This is the first in a series of 4 blogs on the King Coal II Mine by guest contributor, Lauren Pope. A New Era for King Coal About three hundred feet underneath the piñon-topped mesa west of Durango in the Hay…
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I break the world of ideas into three categories. Good ideas, bad ideas and this idea. In 2012, Utah passed the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act, a uniquely cynical piece of legislation that demanded the U.S. government transfer all federally…
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Here we go again. The fight over the Pillage at Wolf Creek is on, folks, and we need your help. Haven’t heard of this little gem? Trying to block negative thoughts in the New Year? This column is for you.…
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Ever wonder what the Alliance has been up to? Or how we put your donations to work? If so, this blog is for you. As we head into 2015, we thought we’d take a moment to recap some of our…
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Today the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act leaped across the proverbial last stream crossing on the journey to President Obama’s desk for his signature as the Senate passed the Defense Authorization Act, to which the Hermosa bill was attached, by…
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What does it mean to give thanks? I believe that the act of giving thanks is an act of sincere humility, an expression of vulnerability, connectedness and need. We express thanks for the things that sustain us, without which we…
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Today’s decision by Rio Grande National Forest Supervisor Dan Dallas to approve a land exchange on top of Wolf Creek Pass requested by billionaire Red McCombs is both a disappointing and absurd decision to “green light” a development that would…
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Yes!!! A long step was made today down the trail towards enhanced protections for the Hermosa Creek watershed with the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources unanimously voting to move forward the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act. The…
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Wow. A new and really hard-hitting storyline from Conservation International. Nature Doesn’t Need People, People Need Nature. Check out the storyline – told through a series of short vidoes – at natureisspeaking.org. Here’s one narrated by Julia Roberts: https://youtu.be/WmVLcj-XKnM?list=PL5WqtuU6JrnXjsGO4WUpJuSVmlDcEgEYb
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What does democracy look like? Last week, I marched through the streets of Manhattan with a crowd 400,000 strong. I could hardly keep count of the number of times march participants trotted out the tried and true protest slogan: This…
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It’s August – summer in transition. A quotient of light erodes from either side of every day, portending the inevitable fall. Cooling temperatures, changing smells. I feel a tinge of autumnal sadness in the still warm August days, a feeling…
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Who cares about lynx? I ask this question for two reasons. One: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, by law, is supposed to care about lynx, but doesn’t. Two: Members of the San Juan Citizens Alliance care about lynx, and…
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