Forest Guardians
Encyclopedia
WildEarth Guardians is a non-profit environmental organization
, founded in 1989, with offices in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Denver, Colorado, Phoenix, Arizona, and Tucson, Arizona. The organization's approach to conservation features a combination of scientific analysis, strategic litigation to enforce existing environmental law
s, and efforts to reform public policies
. WildEarth Guardians was founded by Sam Hitt and its current Executive Director is John Horning.
, and they have been accused of making strident and personal attacks against fellow environmentalist
s who do not share all of their positions.
Syndicated columnist, Sherry Robinson, called WildEarth Guardians "an extremist group with a disinformation
campaign". Another syndicated columnist, Kristen Davenport, said that the organization is "far-reaching" The Rio Grande Foundation
called the group "radical environmentalists." And supporters of biomass
energy development have accused the Forest Guardians of “bad faith,” “flip-flopping” and “radicalism.”.
WildEarth Guardians’ position on wildfires drew particular criticism when they produced a report called “Born of Fire,” a “comprehensive review of the Forest Service’s fire policy and practices in the Southwest.” In the report, they “proposed an alternative vision… which calls on the government to allow fire to reassert its natural role in backcountry forests and for more use of prescribed fire closer to home.” After the 2000 Los Alamos wildfire, in which a prescribed fire went horribly awry sweeping through 20000 acres (80.9 km²) of northern New Mexico, some environmentalists, locals and forest service professionals have recoiled from WildEarth Guardians' call for more “prescribed fire closer to home.”
Environmental organization
An environmental organization is an organization that seeks to protect, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation or lobby for these goals....
, founded in 1989, with offices in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Denver, Colorado, Phoenix, Arizona, and Tucson, Arizona. The organization's approach to conservation features a combination of scientific analysis, strategic litigation to enforce existing environmental law
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
s, and efforts to reform public policies
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
. WildEarth Guardians was founded by Sam Hitt and its current Executive Director is John Horning.
Mission statement
"To protect and restore wildlife, wild places and wild rivers in the American West."
Controversies
WildEarth Guardians have caused controversy for their position on wildfires and biomassBiomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
, and they have been accused of making strident and personal attacks against fellow environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s who do not share all of their positions.
Syndicated columnist, Sherry Robinson, called WildEarth Guardians "an extremist group with a disinformation
Disinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
campaign". Another syndicated columnist, Kristen Davenport, said that the organization is "far-reaching" The Rio Grande Foundation
Rio Grande Foundation
The Rio Grande Foundation is an economic policy advocacy group in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and affiliated with the U.S. nationwide State Policy Network....
called the group "radical environmentalists." And supporters of biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
energy development have accused the Forest Guardians of “bad faith,” “flip-flopping” and “radicalism.”.
WildEarth Guardians’ position on wildfires drew particular criticism when they produced a report called “Born of Fire,” a “comprehensive review of the Forest Service’s fire policy and practices in the Southwest.” In the report, they “proposed an alternative vision… which calls on the government to allow fire to reassert its natural role in backcountry forests and for more use of prescribed fire closer to home.” After the 2000 Los Alamos wildfire, in which a prescribed fire went horribly awry sweeping through 20000 acres (80.9 km²) of northern New Mexico, some environmentalists, locals and forest service professionals have recoiled from WildEarth Guardians' call for more “prescribed fire closer to home.”
External links
- WildEarth Guardians Home Page
- Newspaper Article about a lawsuit Forest Guardians filed with Sinapu to prevent recreational trappingTrappingTrapping may refer to:* Animal trapping, the remote capture of animals* Trapping , a fighting technique and range* Trap , a color management technique* Mantrap, a security device...
. - PDF of the filed complaint in the lawsuit with Sinapu against recreational trapping.
- Newspaper Article about a lawsuit Forest Guardians was involved with fighting for the protection of the Gunnison's Prairie DogGunnison's Prairie DogGunnison's prairie dog is one of five species of the prairie dog. This species belongs to the squirrel family of rodents, and are predominantly related to the North American and Eurasian ground squirrels...
- Newspaper Article about a lawsuit that Forest Guardians filed against the US Forest Service for jeopardizing the endangered Mexican spotted owl through poor grazing management.
- www.fguardians.org about a petition that Nicole issued to get 475 threatened south west species onto the Endangered Species ActEndangered Species ActThe Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
- New Mexico Biomass for a critical perspective on the Forest Guardians stance on alternative energy and wildfires.