WARREN, Pa. — A Western Pennsylvania conservation group is petitioning the Allegheny National Forest to prohibit bike driving on all non-motorized trails throughout its greater than 500,000 acres of land due to security considerations.
The Friends of Allegheny Wilderness are calling on the U.S. Forest Service to formally amend its 2007 Land and Resource Management Plan for the Allegheny National Forest as a result of they are saying the arrival of doubtless fast-moving electrical bikes, which could be indistinguishable from common mountain bikes, poses a bodily hazard to hikers.
Kirk Johnson, government director of the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, mentioned the group’s request will help guarantee a constructive climbing expertise.
“E-bikes can travel greater distances in less amount of time at high rates of speed, so they’re a real threat to not only just regular hikers but also especially to younger hikers or elderly hikers,” Johnson defined.
E-bikes usually are not permitted on non-motorized trails. A spokesperson for the Allegheny National Forest mentioned in a press release they’re reviewing the petition and the forest is dedicated to “balancing the needs of user groups while sustaining the health, diversity and productivity of the forest.”
Johnson mentioned the ban wouldn’t apply to the Jakes Rocks mountain biking path in Allegheny National Forest. The Friends group is asking for a ban on pedestrian entry to the path out of an abundance of warning. Johnson added it is crucial to preserve all guests to the nationwide forest out of hurt’s method.
“I think what they have to do when it comes to trails is get away from the multiple-use concept,” Johnson urged. “We need dedicated hiking trails with no e-bikes, no mountain bikes, and then there should also be dedicated mountain-bike trails. “
Mountain-bike riders would nonetheless find a way to make the most of different motorized trails within the forest, together with Rocky Gap, Willow Creek, Marienville, Timberline and Penoke. Under the petition, mountain bike riders would have practically 144 miles of path to use, a discount of about 45 miles.
Disclosure: Friends of Allegheny Wilderness contributes to our fund for reporting on Community Issues and Volunteering, Environment, and Public Lands/Wilderness. If you prefer to to assist help information within the public curiosity, click on right here.
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TAOS, N.M. – In Northern New Mexico’s Carson National Forest, many rivers are eligible for federal “Wild and Scenic” designation, and conservation teams say a plan to take away greater than 60 from that class is short-sighted.
Amigos Bravos and different teams are awaiting phrase on whether or not the U.S. Forest Service will reverse its proposal to ‘delist’ the rivers in an up to date administration plan.
Amigos Bravos Deputy Director Rachel Conn mentioned she worries that with out protections, rivers and streams in northern New Mexico may see new dams, roads and different improvement.
“There’s 62 river segments, as per the final plan, that are no longer eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system,” mentioned Conn, “so therefore are no longer protected as free-flowing rivers.”
The Forest Service has argued river choices made 25 years in the past had been overly broad, and included too many rivers as eligible for a Wild and Scenic designation, which should be authorised by Congress.
The deadline to remark on new administration plans for the Carson, Cibola, and Santa Fe National Forests was November 3. Amigos Bravos is among the many teams that filed objections to the draft plans.
New Mexico has suffered from drought for the previous 20 years, with rivers seeing file low flows this 12 months. Conn mentioned that makes it extra essential to preserve the rivers in northern New Mexico free-flowing – which is not assured with out protections.
She famous the character of the state’s rivers, deemed to have what are generally known as ‘Outstandingly Remarkable Values’ in a Forest Service plan adopted 35 years in the past, hasn’t modified.
“Those ‘Outstandingly Remarkable Values’ can be fisheries-related, geologic, scenic, recreation, wildlife,” mentioned Conn. “So there’s different categories of Outstandingly Remarkable Values.”
Conn mentioned she believes officers drafting the Carson National Forest administration plan ought to have executed a case by case evaluate of rivers relatively than reevaluating your entire forest.
Disclosure: Amigos Bravos contributes to our fund for reporting on Environment, Environmental Justice, Water. If you prefer to to assist help information within the public curiosity, click on right here.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Storm harm, air pollution and different components – some associated to local weather change – are decreasing the oyster inhabitants. But settlement funds from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill at the moment are accessible to restore oyster reefs within the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts estimate the Gulf misplaced between 4 and eight billion oysters to the huge oil spill and noticed a lack of copy within the ensuing years.
However, analysis scientist Ryan Gandy with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission mentioned oysters usually are not simply dwelling creatures, they’re additionally habitat. So bringing them again additionally brings again a complete ecosystem.
“By focusing up in the Suwannee Sound area,” mentioned Gandy, “we’re looking at potential building back of some of the bars or some of the oysters in the area providing resiliency to those oysters.”
The oyster work is a part of a virtually $100 million payout to additionally assist restore sea turtles, marine mammals and birds. This is the primary in a collection of oil-spill restoration plans for the Gulf area.
Chad Hanson, science officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts, mentioned most individuals respect oysters on the half shell at their native seafood restaurant, however do not understand the small mollusks filter up to 50 gallons of water a day – enhancing water high quality by eradicating pollution, sediment and different particles.
“So, an oyster creates a reef,” mentioned Hanson. “It’s almost like a coral reef in its ecological importance. Oysters are habitat engineers, and that reef creates habitat and that habitat has a bunch of ecosystem services.”
However, Hanson mentioned the unhappy information is, oysters have been in large decline over the previous couple a long time. Around 80 to 90 p.c of oyster reefs have been misplaced worldwide.
But he mentioned he hopes the just about $40 million federal and state officers have earmarked for brand new or improved reefs to assist the shellfish reproduce and thrive, will assist flip their ecosystems round.
Support for this reporting was supplied by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Disclosure: The Pew Charitable Trusts – Environmental Group contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Climate Change/Air Quality, Consumer Issues, Endangered Species & Wildlife, Energy Policy, Environment, Health Issues, Public Lands/Wilderness, Salmon Recovery. If you prefer to to assist help information within the public curiosity, click on right here.
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BILLINGS, Mont. – A grassroots group that stands up for household agriculture in Montana is celebrating 50 years this week – and searching towards defending the state from new threats.
Northern Plains Resource Council will maintain its fiftieth annual assembly on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s keynote speaker might be Katharine Hayhoe, a local weather scientist and chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy.
Hayhoe mentioned it is essential to speak about shared values when talking with folks about local weather change.
“We have to start where people are at, start with what matters to people,” she mentioned. “Is it their farm or their land? Is it their kids? Is it the fact that they’re passionate about fishing or skiing? What is it that they love? And for me a big part of why I care is my faith. I’m a Christian and that’s why I care about climate change.”
Session matters for the assembly will embody methane gasoline plant proposals in Montana and company consolidation in agriculture. Folks can register for the assembly by midday on Friday.
Another session on the convention will discover Northern Plains’ historical past, together with defending landowners and ranchers from unchecked strip mining and different expansive power tasks in Montana.
“Northern Plains was started to protect the land and the air and the water of Montana and Montanans’ family agriculture, and we’re still doing it,” mentioned Mary Fitzpatrick, a member and former chair of the group. “The threats have changed and, unfortunately, sometimes expanded, but that’s what we’ve been doing for 50 years and we’ll be doing it for the next 50 years.”
Hayhoe mentioned local weather change presents a serious problem to Montana and the remainder of the world, however added that she does not imagine folks ought to really feel despair.
“There’s all kinds of solutions that first of all can help Montana transition off coal and gas and oil to clean sources of energy,” she mentioned. “There are also solutions that help to pull carbon out of the atmosphere where we don’t want it and put it back in the soil and ecosystems where we do.”
Disclosure: Northern Plains Resource Council contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Rural/Farming. If you prefer to to assist help information within the public curiosity, click on right here.
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