The 77th RainForest Site :Wildclickers are celebrating March

Once you save all this habitat, are you going to restrict what it can be used for?

And it is good to see you too, Ul.

Just curious, once you have all this forest, and there are too many deer/rodents/whazzits running around, will you deny hunters access?

Very curious indeed.

Thanks for the new thread, ul.

Sumac, it's been great to see you here again. Brought a big smile to my face last night.

Hiya, ehBeth. Don't get attached too much to winter as it is retreating now. Quickly.

sumac, you're so right. We went from a huuuuuge dump of snow to freezing rain to suddenly rain. Now it's time to check the foundation of the house and shove the melting snow away.

Gutters and downspouts to rain barrels, and curtain drains off the foundation?

I should try and find a photo I took a couple of years ago. There is about 5 - 6 feet between my house and the house to the south (this is an old house in an old neighbourhood - no need for driveways back in the day). The snow pile between the houses was over 8 feet high. Gotta deal with the snow manually each year. Luckily it's not that bad this year.

I'll be looking at the same in Durham in two weeks....but, luckily, more than 5-6' separate them. Manually it is then.

Holy ****! Don't they ever learn anything?

Inquiry Sought on Agency Memo About Polar Bears, Climate Change

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 10, 2007; A06



Two senior House Democrats demanded yesterday that Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne turn over documents to Congress in order to determine whether the administration was preventing federal scientists traveling abroad from discussing how global warming affects polar bears.

In a letter to Kempthorne, Bart Gordon (Tenn.), chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, and Brad Miller (N.C.), chairman of the investigations and oversight subcommittee, questioned why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a directive that has stirred protests from environmentalists.

This "appears to be the latest effort by the Bush Administration to block a full and free discussion of issues relating to climate change by the scientific community," they wrote.

The internal memo was sent to the wildlife agency's Alaska division under the heading "Foreign Travel -- New Requirement -- Please Review and Comply, Importance: High."

The memo, which was reported in other media on Thursday, cautioned employees against speaking about the relationship between climate change and the possible extinction of polar bears without getting official approval in advance. Those discussions became official business in late December when Kempthorne, faced with lawsuits by environmentalists, proposed listing polar bears as a species threatened with extinction.

The memo stated: "Please be advised that all foreign travel requests (SF 1175 requests) and any future travel requests involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice, and/or polar bears will also require a memorandum from the Regional Director to the Director indicating who'll be the official spokesman on the trip and the one responding to questions on these issues, particularly polar bears, including a statement of assurance that these individuals understand the Administration's position on these issues."

In an interview, the Fish and Wildlife Service's director, H. Dale Hall, said the agency is not trying to censor scientists but cannot allow them to discuss subjects not on the agenda of official foreign meetings.

"The agenda is actually negotiated between these countries that are going to attend," Hall said. ". . . you have to be extremely careful."

But Deborah Williams, an Interior official in the Clinton administration who heads the advocacy group Alaska Conservation Solutions, said the directive amounts to stifling government scientists' freedom of expression.

"These memos are an outrage, and do a great disservice to federal employees and to advancing discussion and knowledge on these critical issues," said Williams, who provided the memos to news organizations this week.

positively frightening where the U.S. is heading/has headed

Terrifying, in so many areas. It will take a minor miracle to save this country any time soon.

aktbird57 - You and your 300 friends have supported 2,709,728.8 square feet!

Marine Wetlands habitat supported: 153,887.1 square feet.
You have supported: (0.0)
Your 300 friends have supported: (153,887.1)

American Prairie habitat supported: 59,366.0 square feet.
You have supported: (14,210.3)
Your 300 friends have supported: (45,155.7)

Rainforest habitat supported: 2,496,475.7 square feet.
You have supported: (178,166.3)
Your 300 friends have supported: (2,318,309.4)

~~~~~~

off to announce the new thread to the quiet WildClickers

~~~~~~

1 Aktbird57 .. 62.203 acres

2 37.960 acres

Thanks for the swell new thread, Ul.

Agreed, re: that memo. It's beyond frightening. We are living in an Orwellian milieu of Big Brotherism. You're lucky to be Canadjun, ehBeth.

Hear, hear.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5408865,00.html

Great new thread, ul..... Thanks a million.....

It's gratifying to know that the Nature Conservancy - http://www.nature.org/ - is doing such a great job helping to save the Rain Forest - - - for anyone who asks
We are simply a small cog in a huge wheel of concern..........

ehBeth, move over girl - it's getting much too hot down here - Patti and I wish we were on our way up there.......

Danon, tell Patti to pack up - there's room on the bench beside me right now - though it gets crowded when the dogs decide to join in the fun.

~~~~~~~

I'm going to have to try the announcement again tomorrow - seems the care2 website didn't care for my message grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

~~~~~~~

I'm off to meet Brenda Lee in a bit - we've got a pre-concert lecture in advance of a Tafelmusik concert - first Rebel, then Handel's Water Music. The working rehearsal on Tuesday was interesting, and the reviews have been good - I'm looking forward to tonight.

ul, thanks for the great new thread!




In response to the administrations elaborate scheme for not listing polar bears as 'endangered' by placing a threatening gag order on the scientific community...

All enviornmental committees in Congress are led by Democrats. I suspect it impossible for gwb to censure Barbara Boxer.