From: "Jerry Soholt" To: "Trudie [SDL&S] Myers" Subject: FW: Conservation Currents February 2011 Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011 10:21 AM For the web site ________________________________ From: Izaak Walton League of America [mailto:membership@iwla.org] Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 2:08 PM To: Jerry Soholt Subject: Conservation Currents February 2011 In This Issue * President's 2012 Budget * BP Oil Spill Report * Emergent Sandbar Habitat Comment Period Extended * Choosing a Clean Chesapeake Bay * League Members Advocate for Great Lakes * IWLA National Award Nominations Now Open * IWLA National Scholarships ________________________________ President's 2012 Budget $100 The President's budget request for fiscal year 2012 will be submitted to Congress on February 14. Although the administration and most members of Congress agree that federal spending should be reduced, there is very little agreement about the specific programs to cut or by how much. Spending decisions directly impact issues important to the League - including farmland conservation, river restoration, and public land management - and we will be actively engaged in the budget process. Check the Advocacy section of the League's Web site later this month for analysis of how the President's budget addresses important conservation issues. Back to top ________________________________ BP Oil Spill Report Deepwater Horizon rig on fire On January 11, a presidential commission appointed to investigate the causes of the Gulf oil spill issued its final report. The commission concluded that the "Deepwater Horizon disaster was foreseeable and preventable. Errors and misjudgments by three major drilling companies - BP, Halliburton, and Transocean - played key roles in the disaster. Government regulation was ineffective and failed to keep pace with technology advancements in offshore drilling." Based on the results of its investigation, the commission offered a series of recommendations designed to reduce the risk of similar disasters and improve oil spill response capability. These recommendations include creating an independent, federal offshore drilling safety agency; increasing the amount of money that oil companies would be responsible for contributing to spill response and clean up; and devoting 80 percent of financial penalties that BP and other responsible parties may pay to restoring wetlands and other natural resources throughout the Gulf. A summary of the commission's findings and recommendations is available on the League's Web site . Back to top ________________________________ Emergent Sandbar Habitat Comment Period Extended Piping plover The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers extended the public comment period on an environmental study of building nesting habitat for threatened and endangered birds on the Missouri River. The Corps is required to create habitat for the piping plover and interior least tern because its operation of the river prohibits this habitat from being created naturally. Parts of the river and reservoir system between Sioux City, Iowa, and Fort Peck, Montana, are designated as critical habitat for the birds, and the Corps plans to create 4,370 acres of sandbars for the two bird species. The public comment period has been extended until February 22. If you have questions, you can contact Cindy Upah, Program Manager, at 402-995-2672 and e-mail your comments to her at cynthia.s.upah@usace.army.mil. If you would like sample comments or need more information, e-mail League Regional Conservation Coordinator Paul Lepisto at plepisto@iwla.org. Back to top ________________________________ Choosing a Clean Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake Bay The Choose Clean Water Coalition - in which the League is an active member - held its second annual Choose Clean Water Chesapeake Bay Restoration Conference in Washington, DC, last month. A major theme was the need to talk about Bay restoration in economic terms and let people know that saving the Bay also saves and creates jobs. Other key topics included protecting water resources during drilling in Marcellus shale natural gas deposits and unique business ventures to clean up the Bay and its harbors. Coalition priorities this year include working with Bay states to ensure the pollution diet - designed to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution - is implemented effectively on the local level. Other priorities are improving policies to stop polluted runoff in cities, protecting communities from water pollution created by horizontal hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, and ensuring continued federal investment in Chesapeake Bay restoration and protection. The Izaak Walton League will be active on many of these issues, and we're counting on League members and supporters to help us improve the Chesapeake Bay watershed for everyone's use. For more details on the conference results, read the blog posting from League Clean Water Program Director Leah Miller . You can also view videos of some of the conference presentations on the Choose Clean Water Coalition Web site . Back to top ________________________________ League Members Advocate for Great Lakes Great Lakes with boat League members in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins have been actively advocating for protection of these waters from invasive species for years. In January and February, League members are speaking out in support of restoring the natural separation between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to prevent invasive species from moving between these critical waters. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding public meetings to obtain comments on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Interbasin Feasibility Study. The way this study is conducted will determine how quickly and how effectively the federal government will act to stop Asian carp and other invasive species from entering the Great Lakes basin, potentially devastating the more than $7 billion Great Lakes fishery. The study was authorized by Congress in 2007, requiring the Corps to determine options to prevent invasive species from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi basins through the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal and other pathways. The League supports a permanent hydrologic separation between the basins, which will restore natural conditions and be the most effective way to prevent the migration of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species. For more information on the study, visit the League's Great Lakes Web page . Back to top ________________________________ IWLA National Award Nominations Now Open 2010 convention award winners Volunteers are the heart of the Izaak Walton League. Recognize the outstanding volunteers in your chapter - and the outstanding work your chapter has done over the past year - by nominating your chapter and its members for Izaak Walton League national awards. It's quick and easy. And you deserve to be recognized! * Judge John W. Tobin Awards (Deadline: March 15, 2011) * Defenders Chapter Achievement Awards (Deadline: March 15, 2011) * National Awards (Deadline: June 1, 2011) * Chapter Member Recruitment Award (Deadline: June 1, 2011) Visit the League's awards Web page for nomination forms and more details. Questions? Contact the IWLA Chapter Relations team at (800) IKE-LINE (453-5463) x236 or e-mail chapters@iwla.org. Back to top ________________________________ IWLA National Scholarships Student with computer Do you know a college student studying conservation or an environment-related major? The Izaak Walton League offers two $2,500 scholarships for qualified college juniors or seniors. Specific requirements are available on the League Web site . Deadline for applications: April 1, 2011. For more information about the application criteria and process, e-mail Earl Hower , IWLA Director of Chapter Relations, or call him at (800) IKE-LINE x216. These scholarships are made possible through the generous support of the Izaak Walton League of America Endowment . Back to top Supporting the League Couldn't Be Easier Just go to iGive.com when you want to shop online. You'll find hundreds of brand name stores like Bass Pro Shops, CAMPMOR, and PETsMART. A portion of each purchase will be donated to IWLA, and you can save money with exclusive coupons/free shipping deals. Plus, when you shop within 45 days of registering, iGive will donate an extra $5 to the League! So for your next shopping trip, leave the car at home and shop online at iGive . ________________________________ Not a Member? To join the Izaak Walton League, click here . ________________________________ Ikes Earn an "A"! We are proud of our "A" rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy - it means the League is making the best possible use of your donations! ________________________________ Follow the Izaak Walton League on ________________________________ Take Action Click to take action on League issues ________________________________ Contact Information If you have any questions about this newsletter or other IWLA programs, please contact: Dawn Merritt Communications Director 707 Conservation Lane Gaithersburg, MD 20878 (301) 548-0150 ext. 220 dmerritt@iwla.org Founded in 1922, the Izaak Walton League of America protects America's outdoors through community-based conservation, education, and the promotion of outdoor recreation. (c) 2011 The Izaak Walton League of America. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.iwla.org. If you are having problems viewing this newsletter, a PDF version is available here . To unsubscribe, click here , type "Unsubscribe" in the subject line and send. 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