ONLY GOOD NEWS
FEBRUARY/MAY 2008 / VOLUME SIXTEEN - NUMBER ONE / published: 21 feb 2008

ONLY GOOD NEWS INDEX: UNH-NOAA OCEAN MAPPING EXPEDITION YIELDS NEW INSIGHTS INTO ARCTIC DEPTHS - NEWS FROM THE WORLD SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION OF ANIMALS (WSPA) > [TAIWAN TO BAN LIVE BIRD MARKETS + COSTA RICAN SEAS SAFE FOR WHALES AND DOLPHINS + BEAR CUB RESCUED! + YOU CAN SUPPORT THE BEAR PROTECTION ACT + WSPA ARCHIVES] ~ COURT REJECTS TIMBER INDUSTRY ATTACK ON THREATENED SEABIRD ~ IMPACT REPORT HALTS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ~ CRITICAL HABITAT PROTECTION PROPOSED FOR FLORIDA CORAL ~ YOU CAN HELP PROTECT COLORADO'S WILD FORESTS ~ ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION SOUGHT FOR PACIFIC WALRUS ~ ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA) > HOT LINKS: [FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY + WATERANDNATURE.ORG + FRESHWATER SYSTEMS: BIODIVERSITY + WATER RESOURCES AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS + GLOBAL INVASIVE SPECIES DATABASE + RAMSAR CONVENTION + GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL WATERS ASSESSMENT + MILLENIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT + WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS + FRESHWATER - CONSERVING THE SOURCE OF LIFE + CONSERVATION SCIENCE + DEFENDING OUR OCEANS + SAVETHEHIGHSEAS.ORG + DEEP SEA CORAL + FINE MINERALS ONLINE + MINERALOGICALRECORD.COM + COSMOS IN A COMPUTER + ASL RECYCLING + VOICEMAIL DEPOT + TAILS PET MAGAZINE ~ USA.GOV] ~ LIK ROPER FOR PRESIDENT 2008 - ETC...

ROPER WISDOM: 'discord complicates ~ peace simplifies'

UNH-NOAA OCEAN MAPPING EXPEDITION YIELDS NEW INSIGHTS INTO ARCTIC DEPTHS - New Arctic sea floor data released today by the University of New Hampshire and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests that the foot of the continental slope off Alaska is more than 100 nautical miles farther from the U.S. coast than previously assumed - The data, gathered during a recent mapping expedition to the Chukchi Cap some 600 nautical miles north of Alaska, could support U.S. rights to natural resources of the sea floor beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast - “We found evidence that the foot of the slope was much farther out than we thought,” said Larry Mayer, expedition chief scientist and co-director of the Joint Hydrographic Center at UNH. “That was the big discovery.” - Coastal nations have sovereign rights over the natural resources of their continental shelf, generally recognized to extend 200 nautical miles out from the coast. The Law of the Sea Convention, now under consideration in the U.S. Senate, provides nations an internationally recognized basis to extend their sea floor resource rights beyond the foot of the continental slope if they meet certain geological criteria backed up by scientific data...

> read more @ http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080211_arctic.html

NEWS FROM THE WORLD SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION OF ANIMALS (WSPA)

TAIWAN TO BAN LIVE BIRD MARKETS - In a significant step forward for farm animals, the government of Taiwan has announced that they will ban live bird markets beginning in April. WSPA and our member society, the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST), have long campaigned to bring an end to these cruel markets, where over 80,000 birds are abused and brutally killed every day. We welcome the government's decision and have offered to support them in ensuring that the ban goes into effect - read more

COSTA RICAN SEAS SAFE FOR WHALES AND DOLPHINS - WSPA welcomes the news that the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sánchez, has signed a decree which declares the sea around the country a protected area for whales and dolphins - This means both Costa Rica's patrimonial and territorial seas have become sanctuaries for these intelligent, sociable mammals - read more

BEAR CUB RESCUED! - WSPA recently received a letter from the curator of their member society the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) in Townsend, Tennessee. ABR is a unique black bear rehabilitation facility located in the Smokey Mountains that has been rescuing and releasing bears for over a decade - The letter to WSPA to let them know about their latest bear cub and his journey to recovery at ABR - read more

YOU CAN SUPPORT THE BEAR PROTECTION ACT - Introduced by U.S. Representatives Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and John Campbell (R-CA), the Bear Protection Act (H.R. 3029) would prohibit the import, export and interstate trade in bear viscera, specifically gall bladders and bile, and products containing, or labeled or advertised as containing, bear viscera. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which provides protections to all eight species of bears, has noted that the illegal trade in bear bile poses a significant threat to wild bear populations around the world and recommends that countries party to the treaty strengthen measures aimed at enforcing prohibitions against the bear parts trade - read more

READ THE WSPA ARCHIVES @
http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/22_news_archives.cfm

COURT REJECTS TIMBER INDUSTRY ATTACK ON THREATENED SEABIRD - On February 5 the courts thwarted the timber industry's latest attack on the marbled murrelet. In response to a Center lawsuit, the court rejected the industry's plea to remove the bird from the endangered species list. Had the timber industry's lawsuit been successful, much of the murrelet's old-growth forest habitat would have been open for logging - The marbled murrelet is a small seabird that nests in old-growth forests along the Pacific Coast of North America. In 1992, the Fish and Wildlife Service listed murrelet populations in Washington, Oregon, and California as threatened due to logging of their habitat. Despite undisputed scientific evidence that murrelets are disappearing from the Pacific Coast, the timber industry continues to set its sights on the small seabird to increase logging of trees over 100 years old - read more

IMPACT REPORT HALTS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT - On January 29 in response to a Center lawsuit, a 1,400-home development in Banning, California, was halted when a court threw out the project's environmental impact report. The inadequate report was struck on nine separate grounds, including failure to provide evidence of an adequate water supply for the project. "Overall, this is a resounding victory," said Center attorney Matt Vespa. "The court's wide-ranging repudiation of the environmental impact report makes it unlikely that this environmentally damaging project will move forward anytime in the foreseeable future." - read more

CRITICAL HABITAT PROTECTION PROPOSED FOR FLORIDA CORAL - On February 6, nearly 5,000 square miles of critical habitat were proposed for threatened staghorn and elkhorn corals; the proposal includes a large area of reef habitat off the coasts of Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The federal government's habitat proposal comes in response to a 2007 settlement agreement obtained by the Center -- "Critical habitat is one of the most important safety nets for wildlife listed under the Endangered Species Act," said Center attorney Miyoko Sakashita. "For corals, critical habitat will add a layer of defense against threats to the marine habitat such as pollution, overfishing, increased temperatures, and ocean acidification." -- Staghorn and elkhorn corals have the dubious honor of being the first and (pending an overdue final listing decision on the polar bear) only species listed under the Endangered Species Act due to threats from global warming - Learn more about staghorn and elkhorn corals at NOAA, where you can also submit your comments on the species' critical habitat proposal - read more

YOU CAN HELP PROTECT COLORADO'S WILD FORESTS - Facing its final year in office, the Bush administration is intensifying its push to open the wildest parts of America's national forests to destructive logging, roadbuilding and development. As part of this scheme, the U.S. Forest Service has proposed to weaken -- and in some areas completely eliminate -- existing protections for 4.4 million acres of Colorado's wild forests. These wildlands provide crucial habitat for the Canada lynx, the greenback cutthroat trout and other imperiled wildlife. They also serve as the watersheds for much of Colorado's drinking water. The Forest Service proposal threatens some of the state's most outstanding recreation spots, like Herman Gulch, a wild escape within short driving distance of Denver, and the Pagoda Peak area, the summer range for part of the largest elk herd in North America. Please speak out now and help us block this attack on America's last wild national forests - read more