Big Wild Bi-Weekly 12.3.09

Dear Friends,

We have had a busy fall here at Friends of the Clearwater. Our 22nd Annual Meeting was a wonderful success! A packed room enjoyed the finest potluck in town, including lots of home-grown and home harvested goodies. Barry Rosenberg, recently retired from the Kootenai Environmental Alliance, spoke passionately for continued wildland protection and praised our successful efforts at keeping roadless country roadless in the Clearwater! Other places in Idaho and the Northern Rockies have not fared as well over the last several years. Barry also reminded us to stay strong in the face of adversity, and he characterized the popular wilderness "collaborative" efforts as one of the largest current threats facing public lands including the Wild Clearwater Country.

Last month FOC also teamed up with the University of Idaho Environmental Law Society for a showing of "Lords of Nature," a film about the importance of the predator's role in an ecosystem, especially wolves and mountain lions in the West. A lively panel discussion followed from Idaho Governor's counsel, Tom Perry, Laird Lucas of Advocates for the West, and Dr. Jim Peek, retired elk ecologist from the University of Idaho.

View the opening of "Lords of Nature" here courtesy of YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFb6Ns-msiU&feature=channel

We have just wrapped up our fourth season of wildlife monitoring on the Palouse Ranger District with Wildlands CPR. A big thanks to Scott Metzger for heading up this project in 2009. This past season's monitoring was at Feather Creek again, just north of Bovill, where a loop trail was formed after a short section of road was obliterated. We will bring you reuslts from this study in the Clearwater Defender in 2010.

Scott along with Dean Stewart who has visited Congress twice now on behalf of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (HR 980) and Sioux Westervelt who continues to advocate for the imperiled gray wolf and contribute regularly to the Wild Clearwater Country Radio Show, were named our Volunteers of the Year!

We would also like to thank you for the time, talents, energy, and financial support you have given to FOC throughout 2009. We most certainly could not do it without you and we especially appreciate your support during the economic recession.

If you are not a member please consider joining up today. It's as easy as a few clicks of the mouse and annual membership is still just $25. While many other organizations have raised membership dues we value your involvement more than a few extra bucks. Follow this link to join today:

http://www.friendsoftheclearwater.org/get-involved/donate

Friends of the Clearwater will continue to advocate on behalf of bighorn sheep, ancient cedars, and clean cold waters. Your financial support will make our efforts go even further. With your help this past year we published two roadless area booklets with Dr. Fred Rabe and our Giant Palouse Earthworm efforts led to a front page feature article on the creature in Spokane's independent paper, The Inlander (November 19, 2009 issue). You can read the full article here: http://www.inlander.com/content/newscommentary_hunt_giant_palouse_earthworm

With your help we will continue to produce booklets detailing the importance of Clearwater wildlands and push for greater protection for all of the Clearwater's native constituents!

We wish you and yours a restful, warm, and enjoyable holiday season.

all the best,

Will Boyd, Education & Outreach Director