Prosperity or Poverty-Freedom or Servitude, What’s in your future?

Prosperity or Poverty-Freedom or Servitude, What’s in your future? The slides in this presentation advance by left mouse click or pressing the right arrow button on your keyboard. Use the left arrow button to go back to a previous slide. Press right arrow now to start. Pg 1/108

Do you, your family, or your friends depend on rural industries and a strong and vibrant job market for income? Do you value your rural lifestyle? Would you like the freedom to continue to live on your private property and be able to pass it on to your children? Do you want to have access to recreational lands to hunt, fish, camp, boat on the rivers and lakes, swim in the creeks, pick berries, harvest mushrooms or other wild edibles, gather firewood, ride your horse, snowmobile or ATV? If you have answered YES to any of these questions please take a bit of time out of your busy life to watch this presentation to learn about the clear and present danger that, if not stopped, will radically change your life in the near future. Pg 2/108

Your Life will radically change in the following ways: Locked out or denied access to your favorite places to recreate due to wilderness designations or roads being destroyed or closed. Unable to use your property due to excessive regulations Forced to pay multiple times the current cost of food and other products that are produced from land based resources Forced to relocate to urban high density cities because industries, jobs and rural communities are destroyed. All these impacts and more for the expressed purpose of ….. Pg 3/108

Handing our public and private lands into the hands of unaccountable bureaucrats, who are instituting a radical environmental agenda. An agenda which has the express purpose of depopulating humans from the rural western landscape. An agenda to reclaim vast connected tracks of lands in the western states for wildlife habitat as the radical environmental movement has envisioned it to have been before humans came into the land. Pg 4/108

If you value your freedom and rural lifestyle you must defend it. Educating yourself on the facts is imperative. The following pages in this power point presentation will give you the facts of what this clear and present danger is, why it is happening, how it is being implemented, who is behind it, and what must be done NOW to fight back! This may be the most important hour you spend in your own defense Pg 5/108

For decades the people of the rural west have lived with questions that have been difficult to answer. Many people throughout the States have wondered why traditional industries like logging and grazing have been suppressed by antagonistic courts and through policy decisions made by the very departments and agencies entrusted to support them. Mill closures and elimination of grazing allotments and regulations that limit private property rights, point to an uncertain future for many rural westerners. Pg 6/108

Many people wonder why this is and why this seemingly must be. In the face of these threats, why has our State Government and specifically our Governor have not fought to victory on Idaho’s behalf? Why have Idahoan’s been left to struggle in the face of ever-increasing threats to their livelihood, unique heritage and lifestyle from so-called environmentalists, activist judges and from Federal and even state agencies? All of which appear more and more determined to impose policies destructive to local government, local interests and the heritage, custom and culture of thousands of rural Idahoan’s. Pg 7/108

What in the world is happening to us?

Many issues threaten our very existence today Federal Policy Federal and state Regulations Environmental Movement Court wins Erosion of Private Property Rights Declining Viable Economic activity Impacts of policies by loss of local government input and control Resulting in Pg 9/108

While this presentation is focused on the State of Idaho, everyone living in the the western states are dealing with the same questions, frustrations and issues. An examination of the following information and documents may provide some extremely disturbing answers Pg 10/108

World Biosphere Program UN Wildlands Project Have you heard of? Agenda 21 Y2Y Western USA Rural inhabitants ESA (Wolf & other Species) So many pieces, so many hands in the game, a puzzle for sure! Pg 11/108

The wildlands project works to protect and restore the natural heritage of North America through the establishment of a connected system of wildlands Pg 12/108

The Wildlands Project was developed by Dr. Michael Soule, co-founder and first president of the Society for Conservation Biology; Dr Reed Noss, current editor for the Journal of Conservation Biology; and David Foreman, co-founder and long-time leader of Earth First. The United Nations Global Biodiversity Assessment define the Wildlands Project as the basis for preserving biodiversity for its UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, the Sevile Agreement for the Man and Biosphere Strategic Program (MAB), and the Strategic Plan for the USMAB, state that the MAB Program is designed to help implement this UN Convention, a treaty that was never ratified by the US Senate. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is centered on the science of conservation biology, largely created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is made up of over 500 national and international environmental and socialist groups known as NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations). Itself an accredited NGO with the United Nations, the IUCN received diplomatic immunity on January 19, 1996 by President Clinton (Exec. Order 12986). To date the science of conservation biology is based on nothing more than unproven theories. Pg 13/108

Magnitude of the Wildlands Project “Conservation must be practiced on a truly grand scale,” claims Noss. And grand it is. In the article “The Wildlands Project Land Conservation Strategy” in the 1992 special issue of Wild Earth, Noss provides the whopping dimensions of this effort: “Core reserves are wilderness areas that supposedly allow biodiversity to flourish.” “It is estimated,” claims Noss, “that large carnivores and ungulates require reserves on the scale of 2.5 to 25 million acres .... For a minimum viable population of 1000 [large mammals], the figures would be 242 million acres for grizzly bears, 200 million acres for wolverines, and 100 million acres for wolves. Core reserves should be managed as roadless areas (wilderness). All roads should be permanently closed.” Pg 14/108

“Corridors, he writes, are “extensions of reserves....Multiple corridors interconnecting a network of core reserves provide functional redundancy and mitigate against disturbance.... Corridors several miles wide are needed if the objective is to maintain resident populations of large carnivores.” “Buffer zones should have two or more zones “so that a gradation of use intensity exists from the core reserve to the developed landscape. Inner zones should have low road density (no more than 0.5 mile/square mile) and low-intensity use such as hiking, cross-country skiing, birding, primitive camping, wilderness hunting and fishing, and low-intensity silviculture (light selective cutting). Outer zones may have higher road densities (but still no more than 1 mile/ square mile)...and heavier recreational use (but no off-road vehicles) and campgrounds. New forestry silviculture (e.g., partial retention harvests), selection forestry, or other forestry experiments” would be permitted. More intensive harvesting would not be allowed.” Pg 15/108

What do Reserves and Corridors really mean? “While this effort has a noble mission, the implications are staggering. As noted in the June 25, 1993 issue of Science, “it is nothing less than the transformation of America to an archipelago of human-inhabited islands surrounded by natural areas.” “The 100 million acres of core area required for 1000 wolves is greater than the total land area of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, (71 million acres).It would mean the nationalization of private land through regulation or other means, forcing people to move to areas zoned for occupation, and shutting down half of the agriculture, forest products and mining industries. Scarce resources means the rest of us paying double and triple for products made from these resources.”

It is important to look at the legend for land use plans for your location Pg 17/108

"The only hope of the Earth is to withdraw huge areas as inviolate natural sanctuaries from the depredations of modern industry and technology. Move out the people and cars. Reclaim the roads and the plowed lands." --Dave Foreman, Co-founder of the Wildlands Project in his writing Confessions of an Eco-Warrior Pg 18/108

And yet a few more pieces Western USA Rural inhabitants FS Travel Mgmt Plan - Closing off access New USFS Forest Plans - More wilderness limited logging or access Pg 19 /108

Introducing a very significant Document That puts all the pieces together that will forever change the lives of all rural people living, working, and recreating in the western USA. Pg 20/108

UN Wildlands Project World Biosphere Agenda 21 Y2Y Western USA Rural inhabitants ESA Wildlife Corridors Initiative State Fish & Game FS Travel Mgmt Plan USFS PLAN Pg 21/108

The information contained on the following pages is taken directly out of the Wildlife Corridors Initiative, any comments not in the document itself will be in Italics and/or have highlighted backgrounds. Information from the documents itself will be in regular font and in blue ink except where red ink is used to draw special attention to items or language within the document. Pg 22/108

The key to understanding the present is to look to the past In February 2007 the Western Governors Assn. (WGA) established the Western Wildlife Council, with the unanimous approval of Policy Resolution 07-01 Protecting Wildlife Migration Corridors and Crucial Wildlife Habitat in the West. “This resolution describes the importance of wildlife corridors and crucial habitat and asks the Western states, in partnership with important stakeholders, to identify key wildlife corridors and crucial wildlife habitats in the West and make recommendations on needed policy options and tools for preserving those landscapes.” Pg 23/108

And it began for the people of western stateswith the implementationof that resolutionwhen WGA launched theWGA Wildlife Corridors Initiative, “a multi-state and collaborative effort to coordinate stewardship of wildlife corridors and crucial habitat. The main objective of the initiative is to develop a tool for policy makers that integrates important wildlife corridor and crucial habitat values proactively into planning decisions, and promotes best practices for development, and thereby reduces harmful impacts on wildlife.” Pg 24/108

As a member of the WGAIdaho’s Governor, Butch Otter, participated in the adoption of the Wildlife Corridors Initiative Report when passed on June 9, 2008 by Western Governors Association Pg 25/108

Figure: This draft Western Governors' CHAT map was released at a meeting of the Western Governors’ Wildlife Council in December 2012. Darker colored areas indicate “Best Habitat.” Pg 27/108

This initiative affects all states in the west except N. Dakota & Texas

While this presentation will only provide an overview, everyone should take the time to review the primary documents referenced here in detail to fully understand the gravity of the situation. The primary documents suggest a catastrophic impact on Idaho industry, natural resource extraction, land use, private property rights and local government authority. Whether the Governor is aware of what is actually happening under his leadership and by his Administration is unknown , it is possible that he has been terribly misled by the Idaho Fish and Game Department who is the primary advising agency on this effort. Whether this effort by IFG is intentional or by mistake is unknown. Pg 29/108

Governor Butch Otter and the Western Governors Association have married Idaho policy with the policies of Wildlands Project, Y2Y, and other extremist visions for the state and region with specific noted goals in the Initiative including: • reduction of energy use by 30% to be achieved by “compact development” {a would-be euphemism for depopulation of rural areas resulting in forced urbanization}, • coercive pressure on local government to comply with unpopular provisions of this Initiative and indeed to assist in funding it, • provision of corridors and connectivity data obtained by IFG to Federal agencies and environmental organizations, • expansion of IFG power and authority even over local government, etc. Pg 30/108

The Initiative should be reviewed in detail. The report is a pdf, so FIRST go to http://www.westgov.org/initiatives/wildlife when you get to the link, you go to the right column of the cover sheet and click onWildlife Corridors Report (2008). Pg 31/108

While on the initial Wildlife Corridors main page Scroll down to the very bottom and take note of who the WGA is thankingfor the development of the Wildlife Corridors Initiative policy It states: “WGA thanks the following organizations for their support of the Western Governors’ Wildlife Council:” WilburforceFoundation Please take some time to investigate this foundation They have a website with all kinds of interesting information. Pg 32/108

Such as grants given to organizations that have impacted Idaho: · Wilderness Society 2013 for $100,000 {total grant value $1,122,500}. / A quote from the Wilderness Society website; “Today, only about 110 million acres of true wilderness remain as part of the 618 million acres of federal wildlands. At The Wilderness Society, we're working to preserve these wild places and to designate new areas that qualify for wilderness protection. Karen Budd-Falen notes that over the last 15 years, The Wilderness Society has filed over 149 lawsuits. / . Pg 33 /108

Idaho Conservation League 5 grants totaling $265,000; filed lawsuit in North Idaho over lake levels; Advocates for the West 2011 for $10,000 To Shut Down Highway 12 and Megaloads. Pg 34/108

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation {over $7 BILLION under management!}; Boreal Forest Initiative seeks to apply restrictive land use regulations to region populated by Woodland Caribou, etc. U.S. Bureau of Land Management U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Forest Service Pg 35/108

In the section titled CALL TO ACTION six working groups are identified that developed the policies in this document. transportation Science Energy Oil & Gas Climate Change Land Use In reading the reports of these groups, every industry seemingly identified is impacted. Which begs the question, just who sat on these workgroups? The impact on Idaho is obvious. Was any Idaho rural industry asked to provide input? Or even informed of this effort? Pg 36/108

Did you notice who was missing? Timber Industry Local Government Mining Industry Recreational Industry The people who live, work & recreate in the western states, who are the most affected by this policy Pg 37/108

In the beginning of the Document a theme begins to emerge. A most disturbing picture begins to come into focus The following statements found in the opening pages of the document should be alarming to everyone that lives, has a business based on extractive resource industry, works for those businesses, or a supportive business, likes to hunt, fish, camp or recreate in the western United States. Pg 38/108

Land Use “Across the western states, we can see how human land uses can compromise wildlife and the environment.A vast scientific literature demonstrates how the patterns of land use can affect the movement of wildlife and the functioning of the ecosystems. When land is converted to human land uses, natural habitat is lost, and the remaining habitat is, to varying degrees, altered due to fragmentation and degradation. These direct and indirect land use impacts can lead to species endangerment and extinction. One of the most effective strategies to abate the threats posed by habitat fragmentation is to design our communities in a manner that protects crucial habitats and maintains the ecological permeability of the intervening landscape so that wildlife can move between those areas.” Pg 39/108

Transportation “Roads and rail lines can be impediments that make it difficult for animals to meet their basic life needs (e.g., food, mates, other resources), sometimes completely isolating wildlife populations, which reduces genetic diversity and can threaten the population’s persistence.Venturing near roads can also be deadly, due to collisions with vehicles, illegal roadside hunting, or exposure to pollutants. Vehicles collide with wildlife over one million times each year in the U.S., and the annual number of collisions has grown by 50% in the last 15 years. A recent study estimated the total cost of wildlife-vehicle collisions at $8.8 billion annually. Road mortality is also cited as a major threat to twenty-one federally listed threatened and endangered animal species.” Pg 40/108

Energy “Construction of solar and wind generation plants, associated power lines, and access/maintenance roads may reduce available habitat and fragment remaining habitat into smaller, more isolated patches that are less valuable to wildlife.Improperly sited wind turbines pose direct mortality threats to birds and bats, and can cause habitat fragmentation for sensitive species if sited in or near those corridors. Transmission lines may contribute indirectly to the loss of wildlife by altering habitats, as well as directly by increasing wildlife mortality rates through collisions, electrocution, and by serving as perches for raptors and other potential nest predators.” Pg 41/108

In developing the WGA Wildlife Corridors Report, the six working groups considered a great deal of information covering a broad array of issues related to wildlife corridors and crucial habitat. Likewise, the recommendations that evolved from each working group are broad and diverse. Embedded in that breadth of issues and recommendations, certain important themes arose, including the following: “Wildlife do not observe political boundaries or land ownership. Conservation of wildlife corridors and crucial habitat must therefore be coordinated across government, including the federal land management agencies (BLM & Forest Service), federal agencies responsible for water delivery and flood control (Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers), federal wildlife agencies (Fish & Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries); tribal governments; states; and local governments.” Pg 42/108

Sounds good….But have any of these agencies talked to or coordinated ANY of this with local governments?

“Wildlife conservation on private lands is best accomplished through the use of incentives and tools that encourage and facilitate private land owners and private industry to achieve conservation objectives.” Reclassifying land into Wetlands Conservation Easements EPA- superfund cleanups that destroy economic activity Are they promoting incentives…or using coercion to implement an agenda? Pg 44/108

This is now the policy and direction given to Idaho Fish & Game (IFG) The current funding is provided by the federal Government and environmental groups via contracts with Idaho Fish & Game The final data reports are being done by a company called Natureserve. Natureserve’s parent organization is none other than The Nature Conservancy Pg 45/108

Crucial Habitat: the Heart of the West • “Unlike “critical habitat” (areas needed to recover endangered species), crucial habitats are those lands and waters needed to conserve the broad array of wildlife that make the West unique. The West would not be the West without pronghorn, bison, grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, wolverines, desert fishes, and the other common and uncommon species interacting in vast intact landscapes.” Pg 46/108

Wildlife Corridors: Nature Needs Room to Roam “Wildlife survival depends on movement – whether it be day-to-day movements, seasonal migration, gene flow, dispersal of offspring to new homes, recolonizing an area after a local extirpation, or the shift of a species’ geographic range in response to changing climatic conditions. For most animals and plants, all of these types of movement require a well-connected natural landscape.” Pg 47/108

“Not surprisingly, wildlife is in retreat. Habitat loss and fragmentation is a cause of decline for about 83% of U.S. species that are becoming more rare (NatureServe and TNC 2000), and over 25% of species at risk (553 species) live only in fast-growing U.S. metropolitan areas (Ewing et al. 2005). Advancing development will intensify these threats. According to estimates by world renowned conservation biologists,human impact on the environment is causing thousands of species to vanish each year – hundreds of times faster than the natural rate (Wilson 1992).” “As a result, many citizens are concerned about the magnitude of our impact on the earth, and are searching for solutions big enough to make a difference.” Pg 48/108

“One thing we have learned since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, the longer we wait to take action the more difficult and expensive it will be to ensure the survival of species.” “There is a sense that current conservation efforts are insufficient, and that the choices that we make about which lands to protect and how we use the remaining lands are among the most important and fundamental decisions for our future prosperity.” Pg 49/108

“The Committee then decided to focus its efforts on using the data from the five pilot states to both illustrate the usefulness of current information and to highlight the need for improving the maps. Based on our findings, we have developed a “road map” for improving wildlife mapping across the West for use as decision-making tools that support a planning process with the following steps:” “Define the conservation targets (in this case functioning ecosystems, big game, and species of greatest conservation concern).” “Map the habitat of the conservation targets using consistent protocols.” Pg 50/108

Prosperity or Poverty-Freedom or Servitude, What’s in your future?