Welcome to the latest installment of the Wednesday Wake-Up Call, a weekly roundup of the most pressing conservation issues important to anglers. Working with our friends at Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, The Everglades Foundation, Captains for Clean Water, Bullsugar.org, and Conservation Hawks (among others), we’ll make sure you’ve got the information you need to understand the issues and form solid opinions.
If you know of an important issue–whether it’s national or local–that anglers should be paying attention to, comment below, and we’ll check it out!
1. House Members Speak Out About Pebble Mine
Rep. Peter Defazio of Oregon (above) delivered a powerful opening statement at the opening of the hearing before the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, about Pebble Mine and the EPA’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement, two weeks ago. Rep. Grace Napolitano of California addressed the flawed process:
Following the hearing , Rep. Jared Huffman of California (below), gave his thoughts. It’s great that members of Congress are speaking out about the potential horrors of the mine itself, as well as the way the permitting process is being driven by politics and greed.
Click here for a write-up on the TU/Orvis Day on Capitol Hill.
2. Restoring the Everglades Will Help Mitigate Effects of Climate Change
Image by Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA , used via CC BY-SA 3.0-igo
A team of researchers at Florida International University have discovered yet another important reason to restore the Everglades. Preventing saltwater intrusion will preserve coastal wetlands that serve as a buffer against rising seas:
“The good news is that restoring freshwater flow to the Everglades as planned in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will reduce saltwater intrusion and help maintain elevation. That would buy us a lot of time,” Charles said. “We all need to support Everglades restoration.”
The freshwater and brackish plant systems also store carbon, which would otherwise contribute to the problem.
Click here for the full article.
Another study by University of California Santa Cruz, the Nature Conservancy, and the risk-management firm RMS found that mangroves provide vital protection against flood damages:
The study is one in a large body of growing evidence that coastal habitats serve as critical natural defenses from storms. The new study complements recent work on the value of Florida’s reefs for storm protection, which further highlights the billions of dollars in benefits that these habitats deliver to Florida taxpayers.
Click here for the full article.
3. A Tour of Restoration Projects in Driftless Area Draws a Crowd
Nearly 75 people turned out for the annual walking tour of stream-habitat projects in the Hudson-Menomonie areas of the Northern Driftless Area. It’s a great way for anglers and other interested parties to see the actual work being done to improve the waterways that they all love.