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July 7, 2004 |
We appreciate the compliments we received after our debut issue, and we're delighted to hear from you, though we can't promise to answer all notes. (Contact us at insider@sierraclub.org.)
If you'd prefer to have us send the Sierra Club Insider to a different address, then click here.
The Fires This Time
So far this year, the forests and communities of the West have not been scorched by a major wildfire. But given drought conditions and early snowmelt, the risk of fire remains high. Unfortunately, the Bush administration's forest plan, pushed through Congress last fall claiming it would protect communities from wildfires, has turned out to be more about protecting the big timber companies. The plan allows them to log backcountry forests, far from communities, as evidenced by the recent Biscuit sale in Oregon,the largest timber sale in modern times.
The Sierra Club calls for a Community Protection Plan that would make protecting communities from fires the Forest Service's top priority, with an emphasis on removing flammable materials within 500 yards of buildings. MORE
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Zeida Santana tiene miedo de servir pescado a sus hijos, porque puede ser contaminado con mercurio. |
On June 24, the Supreme Court refused to rule on whether Vice President Dick Cheney must produce documents in the Sierra Club's Energy Task Force lawsuit and sent the case back to the lower court for further consideration. "The good news," says Pat Gallagher, director of the Club's Environmental Law Program, "is that the court rejected the Bush administration's extremist arguments and moved the case forward. The bad news is that the public remains in the dark." MORE
We apologize to those of you who ran into technical glitches last time. We hope we've fixed them.
| EXPLORE | |||
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Going on Vacation?
Bring Your Work Gloves!
Most of us don't pack a pickax for vacation, but as a recent New York Times story (free registration reqd) reports, more and more people are signing up for volunteer vacations, engaging in manual labor to improve wilderness areas. Find out more about Sierra Club service trips. (Pickaxes provided.) |
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Who Owns Our Water?
Tune in to Thirst, a new PBS documentary on July 13 that explores how communities from Cochabamba, Bolivia, to Stockton, California, are fighting attempts by multinationals to privatize their water supply. |
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Tell Bush to Fund Family Planning
World Population Day is July 11, an opportunity to highlight the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which promotes voluntary family planning and women's advancement in more than 140 countries. Yet the Bush administration has withheld $34 million appropriated by Congress for the past two years, citing false allegations of coercive family planning practices in China. Tell President Bush to release the funds, which will save the lives of women and children around the world. |
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