| |||
|
|
Grand Canyon Chapter PrioritiesThe following areas represent the top priorities for the Grand Canyon Chapter for 2006: Energy — Promote Energy Efficiency and the Production and Use of Clean Renewable Energy Water — Protect Arizona’s Water Resources and Our Disappearing Riparian Areas Forests — Protect the Old Growth Ponderosa Pine Ecosystem and Restore Forest Health Grand Canyon — Restore and Protect the Canyon and the Greater Grand Canyon Ecoregion Public Lands — Protect Arizona's Public Lands Including Parks, Wildlife Refuges and Monuments Transportation — Promote Alternatives to Cars and Limit the Impact of Roads on Natural Resources
Promote Energy Efficiency and the Production and Use of Clean Renewable Energy
o
Ensure that the Arizona
Corporation Commission adopts a strong Environmental Portfolio Standard;
Facilitate the public subscription to existing public utility programs for
incorporating renewable energy into the resource mix; o
Promote
consumer-friendly metering practices and rates to make it easier for Arizonans
to install renewable energy technologies at their homes and business; o
Support environmentally
friendly energy legislation at the Arizona legislature and lobby against bills
that do not support the goals of this campaign. o
Establish at least one
Campus Energy Reduction Program on a campus in Arizona, similar to the Harvard
Green Campus Initiative (GCI) that has been announced involving a new pledge campaign
that asks students, staff, and faculty members to commit to a series of
energy-saving measures; o
Persuade at least 3
cities, tribes, or other entities to adopt energy conservation and renewable
measures by signing on to the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement (Cool
Cities program); and o
Encourage adoption of
strong recommendations from the Governor’s Climate Change Advisory Group
including regulations similar to the California Low Emission Vehicle Standards
for state fleets. In the long term, the committee aims to reduce the use of fossil fuels and protect land, water, and air in Arizona by working to reduce the state’s overall GHG emissions 7% below 1990 levels by the year 2010. In 2006, the energy committee plans to reach out to other Sierra Club activists
and get them more involved in energy work.
Right now, the energy committee consists of only a handful of dedicated
activists. We will aim to recruit a
core team of 10 activists to help with the Cool Cities effort. We plan to reach out to each Arizona Sierra
Club group by presenting an energy program to each of them at least once during
the year. By doing this, we hope to facilitate an informed and empowered
membership that can carry our goals to additional communities and the more remote
areas of the state. In working with the groups, we will strive to involve
minority and disenfranchised populations within each region and to apply the
principles of environmental justice whenever we advocate modification or
additions to the energy infrastructure. Working through local contacts and the Sierra Student Coalition, we will identify colleges and universities that are good candidates for a Campus Energy Reduction Program. We will then work with existing groups to promote the program goals. In all parts of our campaign, we will attempt to identify those already working on these issues that share our goals and build coalitions in order to prevent duplication and redundant efforts. We plan to lead by example. We will strive to: o
Decrease energy use at
Sierra Club events; o
Encourage participation
by teleconferencing to reduce travel to meetings around the state; o
Promote fuel-efficient
and/or alternative fuel transportation in connection with Club events; and o
Help arrange car-pooling
and ride sharing. Protect Arizona’s Water Resources and Our Disappearing Riparian Areas
The federal Clean Water Act deals primarily with water quality and
focuses on surface water. Arizona water
law addresses water quantity in certain parts of the state, but does not
recognize the connection between surface and groundwater and currently does not
provide adequate protection for riparian areas — those areas along our rivers
and streams. Riparian areas are some of
our most threatened and important ecosystems. Water diversions and
activities associated with livestock grazing, mining, irrigated agriculture,
motorized recreation, and urban/suburban sprawl present ongoing threats to
stream flows and to water quality. Some estimates indicate that less than 10% of Arizona's original riparian acreage
remains intact. We can argue over the
number, but there is no argument that substantial portions of Arizona's riparian
habitat have been degraded significantly.
These areas are of immense ecological importance — 60% of Arizona's
native wildlife depends on riparian areas and 10-20% use riparian areas for
part of their life cycle. Existing and proposed groundwater pumping threatens the San Pedro River, the Verde River
and the seeps and springs in the Grand Canyon.
Groundwater pumping has already significantly depleted rivers in
agricultural zones (witness the Santa Cruz, the Gila, etc.). The state's heaviest water users are in the
agriculture sector, so it is no surprise that rivers in agricultural zones no
longer flow. The Grand Canyon Chapter has been extensively involved in water issues for the past three decades. In recent years, we have participated in the efforts to decommission the dam on Fossil Creek. In 2005, we spear headed a proposal to have Fossil Creek designated as a Unique or Outstanding Arizona Water. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has indicated that it will be part of their rule package. In 2006, we will continue to build public support for the designation. We will also work with our coalition partners to seek legislation to have the creek designated as Wild and Scenic. Protect the Old Growth Ponderosa Pine Ecosystem and Restore Forest Health
The Kaibab Plateau is home to the highest remaining density and distribution of these
ancient pines and the species that depend upon them for survival. The remaining
old growth on the Kaibab Plateau represents our best opportunity to preserve
and restore the Ponderosa pine ecosystem. The Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter is working to
protect old growth forests and other wildlands in Arizona. The chapter seeks to bring about changes in
forest planning and management through public education, forest planning,
timber sale appeals, and strategic litigation in order to preserve all
remaining old growth trees and perpetuate old growth conditions across the
Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona.
This in turn will help protect the northern goshawk and the Kaibab
squirrel, both of which depend upon old growth Ponderosa pines for
survival. In the long-term, the chapter
is also seeking to have the Kaibab Plateau designated as an Old Growth Preserve. Forest health and fire issues will continue to be top priorities in 2006. A century of managing our national forests for large-scale logging, over grazing, and decades of fire suppression have created unnatural conditions in many of our forest areas. To promote healthy forests and community protection, the Chapter has supported significant thinning and prescribed burning within the ¼ to ½ mile area of communities at risk. Unfortunately, there are many advocating for forest health that want to apply harsh thinning, including logging of large trees, in the back country. There is much confusion about the forest health issues, which are primarily ecological, and community protection, where the goals are social. Restore and Protect the Grand Canyon and the Greater Grand Canyon Ecoregion
The Sierra Club has long focused on
protecting Grand Canyon — in fact our chapter was founded when we were fighting
the proposals to build additional dams on the Colorado River in Grand
Canyon. Since then, we have helped
reduce regional haze at the GCNP, won litigation to restore the natural quiet
at the Canyon by reducing air tours via litigation and public education. The Sierra Club also won litigation to keep
a major development — Canyon Forest Village—from being constructed just outside
the Park's boundary. Local activists
worked with Bruce Babbitt to ensure the designation of the Grand
Canyon-Parashant National Monument, just to the north of Grand Canyon National
Park. Due to Sierra Club efforts and a
strong coalition of conservation organizations, the boundaries of the monument
encompassed the important ecological aspects of that area and that the overall
monument was much larger than originally planned. This campaign’s conservation goals are to ensure more protective management of
Grand Canyon National Park and its associated forests and monuments.To achieve our
goals, we will: Ensure Wilderness Protection for GCNP
Management Plans. The Colorado River
flows freely through the Grand Canyon, with matchless scenery and geological
features, unique historical and cultural resources, natural quiet, and
whitewater recreational opportunities.
In September 2004, the National Park Service released the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Colorado River Management Plan,
which will determine the protection of the river and its wilderness
character. We worked to ensure that a
majority of public comments supported the highest possible protection for the
river’s natural resources. The Final
EIS was released on November 10, 2005.
We will continue to generate public support for the highest protection
for the Colorado River through letters to the editor, media stories, programs,
letters, calls, and e-mails to the National Park Service. We are considering next steps as we analyze
the Final EIS and consult with others, including Sierra Club attorneys. Involve the Public in Management Plans for the Grand Canyon Area. We will organize grassroots efforts around the implementation of the General Management Plan for GCNP, including components that address recreation, air tour noise limits, fire and forest management, and keeping the north rim area primitive. The plan focuses on the more developed areas of the park, where there are many issues relating to transit and trails that we will monitor while promoting public involvement. We will also support GCNP’s efforts to promote forest health via prescribed burns and a wildlands fire management regime. Limit Air Tour Noise. The short term goal is to successfully negotiate a settlement through the alternate dispute resolution process. Any settlement would have to substantially restore natural quiet to Grand Canyon National Park. The chapter has a delegate and an alternate in the process, which is formally known as the Grand Canyon Working Group. The working group is a subgroup of the National Parks Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG), established by the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000. The interim goal is to defend the existing law in Congress and to effect implementation of the existing law through the courts, if necessary. The long-term goal is to sensitize the American public and legislative leaders to the importance of natural quiet. This campaign will recruit and develop new activists at all levels by offering education and diverse opportunities for involvement on these issues. Specifically, we will involve activists at all levels in writing comments on plans affecting management of the park and surrounding areas, writing letters to the editor and guest columns, hosting talks and presentations, disseminating information and educational materials, participating in Park Service opportunities and outings and helping with phone calling and mailings. The campaign will make a presentation to all of the chapter’s groups in the state and also recruit at least one lead activist with each group to assist with Canyon related organizing and outreach. Protect Arizona's Public Lands Including Parks, Monuments, and Wildlife Refuges
The Sierra Club is seeking to ensure that the management plans for all the
monuments protect and restore the natural systems and native species of these
awe-inspiring places, safeguarding the remoteness and undeveloped character of
these landscapes. Limits on actions in
and around the monuments that will impact the character of these areas are
important parts of this project. This
includes opposition to developments like the proposed La Osa development near
Ironwood Forest National Monument and a re-zoning for commercial development
near Sonoran Desert National Monument.
In addition to our significant work on Grand Canyon and the monuments, we will work to protect parks and refuges such as Saguaro National Park and Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, among others. This will entail promoting solid plans, seeking resources, opposing development proposals such as electric transmission lines or fences, fighting against bad mining proposals and seeking to promote more responsible grazing practices and eliminating grazing where it is not suitable. To the greatest degree possible, we will seek to integrate our outings programs with our public lands work. Promote the Use and Availability of Alternatives to Cars and Trucks and Limit the Impact of Roads on Resources Including Wildlife
The average American driver spends 443 hours each year behind the wheel. In Phoenix, 90% of the work force drives to work and families in Phoenix spend almost 20% of their family budget on transportation. Vehicles cause 80% of the particulate pollution and much of the ground-level ozone pollution in Maricopa County, an area that is ranked as serious for these pollutants. A study from Brigham Young University found that poor air quality in the Phoenix area is reducing life expectancy by 1%. Our development and transportation system is not just bad for people either. According to the American Wildlands more than a million vertebrates are killed daily in the United States on our nation’s roads – roadkill is the number one way that humans kill wildlife. The National Park Service estimates that the annual wildlife roadkills in and around Saguaro National Park East and West includes 27,000 reptiles, 17,000 amphibians, 6,000 mammals, and 1,000 birds. This is high level of wildlife mortality for a national park, but the numbers outside the park are likely much much higher. Roads also fragment important wildlife habitat and cut off connections between mountain ranges. This is particularly detrimental to species like bighorn sheep. Defend Environmental ProgressIn addition to the priority issues, the Chapter will engage in defending environmental progress at the legislative, congressional, and administrative levels. Some of these activities may technically fall outside priority issues and will include assisting with defeating anti-environmental measures in congress, including attacks on the Endangered Species Act, preventing implementation of bad border policies, and protecting clean air provisions. Other defensive activities will include opposing the Clean Elections repeal, raids on the Heritage Fund, and the measures to undercut initiative and referendum rights.
Pagemaster Top of Page - Join the Sierra Club - National Sierra Club - E-mail Webmaster Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602)253-8633
|
The main focus of the energy campaign is to encourage the use of renewable energy
resources and promote more energy efficiency and conservation to reduce global
warming and greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental degradation
related to reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Energy is one of
the Chapter’s 2006 priority issues and is one of three recommended priorities
proposed by the Conservation Governance Committee (CGC) for conservation
initiatives for 2006 – 2010. Our
goals for the coming year are to:
Thirty years ago when Congress passed the Clean Water Act, it set
the goal of making all of our nation’s waters safe for fishing and swimming and
to advance the ultimate goal of “restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical
and biological integrity of the nation's surface waters.”
Arizona and New Mexico cover nearly 45 million acres, including the largest contiguous
Ponderosa pine forest in the United States.
The Greater Grand Canyon Ecoregion is one of largest and most diverse landscapes in
Arizona.
The issue focus for this priority is defense and protection
of the five Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Monuments in Arizona —
Ironwood Forest, Sonoran Desert, Agua Fria, Grand Canyon-Parashant, and Vermilion
Cliffs, and our key wildlife refuges and national parks as well as other public
lands.
The Arizona Strip provides important wildlife habitat and holds two new national
monuments: Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Canyon–Parashant.
Transportation and land use are closely linked – our transportation planning drives
the urban sprawl and the urban sprawl also drives communities to support more roads and freeways.