Explore, enjoy and protect the planet

A M E R I C A S G R E AT O U T D O O R S

PROTECTING AMERICAS GREAT OUTDOORS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE: SIERRA CLUBS VISION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 I. Public Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 A. Climate Smart Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 B. Protect New Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 C. Protect Our Carbon Rich Public Forests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 D. Policy Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 II. Working Landscapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 A. Policy Recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 III. Reconnect Children & Youth with Outdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 A. Policy Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 IV. Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 A. Priority Ecosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 1. Adirondacks to Acadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 2. Americas Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 3. Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 4. Greater Everglades Ecosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 5. Olympic Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 6. Gulf Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 7. Greater Grand Canyon Ecosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

INTRODUCTION

n launching the Americas Great Outdoors initiative this spring, President Obama stated that our nation needs a 21st century strategy for Americas great outdoors to better protect our natural landscape and our history for generations to come.

The Sierra Club and our more than 1 million members could not agree more. Our members across the country have been eager and active participants in the grassroots listening sessions held from sea to shining sea this summer. In addition to our membership, Sierra Club programs reached over 200,000 young people with outdoor experiences last year and we were very pleased to be able to engage some of them in the agenda-setting process through the youth focused listening sessions. This report captures many of the ideas our members have conveyed to Administration officials during those listening sessions. In crafting a 21st century strategy for large landscape conservation, the Sierra Club strongly urges the Americas Great Outdoors initiative to: n safeguard our public lands and other habitats from the impacts of climate change by adopting climate-smart management policies for all our federal lands and limiting non-climate stressors like logging, off road vehicle abuse, and energy development. Also give states, tribes, and private landowners the support and incentives they need to more fully incorporate their lands into integrated large landscape conservation programs. n protect large core areas of wilderness and other protected areas and connecting corridors that give species the space and connectivity necessary to adapt as the climate changes. n require federal agencies to manage public lands to maximize natural systems carbon sequestration by protecting public forests, wetlands, coasts and grasslands and reducing or eliminating activities that disturb the soil. Provide incentives to states, tribes, and private landowners to protect their forests, open space and farmlands to store carbon and simultaneously preserve wildlife habitats. n prioritize efforts to reconnect children and youth with the natural world and the great outdoors.

The impacts of climate change on our planet and our lands are happening right now. Even if we cut global warming emissions 80 percent by 2050, the natural world is threatened today and the impacts are projected to become more severe in the decades ahead. Nature can not wait. We have a small window of time to take immediate and decisive action. The worldwide disappearance of glaciers and events like the BP Disaster remind us all too vividly that the time to make our habitats more resilient to climate change is now. In announcing the Americas Great Outdoors initiative, the Obama Administration understands that urgency. This report includes the Sierra Clubs vision for the Americas Great Outdoors initiative, and highlights priorities such as protecting public and working lands, and reconnecting Americans especially young people with the outdoors. The Sierra Club is optimistic that the Americas Great Outdoors campaign will confront and help solve the serious challenges posed by climate change to our lands, landscapes, and habitats.

I.

PUBLIC LANDS
A. CLIMATE SMART MANAGEMENT

In an era of climate change, not only must we be thinking about managing our lands differently, we must think about protecting lands differently. The old model of drawing lines on a map and protecting an area is not sufficient for a warming world. Certain species of plants and wildlife have begun migrating further north and higher in elevation, numbers of caribou, moose, and bighorn sheep are dwindling in some areas, and fish kills resulting from rising water temperatures are becoming more common. It is the job of land, water and wildlife management agencies to anticipate and react to these changes and determine which areas will become vital habitat in the future. The agencies must then actively work to secure protections for these habitats to give fish and wildlife all the help they can adapting to a changing world. We need to aggressively implement climate smart management solutions on our public lands. Climate change is and will continue to impact the natural resources of the United States. Sea level rise threatens to swamp the Everglades. Scientists predict that there will soon be no more glaciers in Glacier National Park. The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge, one of the most remote places in the country, is eroding into the sea.
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This is not to suggest that all is lost. What it does mean, however, is that safeguarding Americas Great Outdoors in this new era requires the inclusion of new and different management approaches to conservation. The importance of this task should not be underplayed. To safeguard Americas Great Outdoors resource planning processes and resource management plans themselves should include the conduct of resource vulnerability assessments and identify specific management actions that conserve the best remaining fish, wildlife and native plant populations, increase population size and habitat in isolated populations, reduce outside habitat stressors, conserve and reconnect core and other crucial habitats and restore migratory life histories.1 Highly disruptive activities such as logging, mining and drilling multiply the stresses on wild lands and wildlife already struggling for survival due to climate change. An integral part of climate smart management is to limit or eliminate non-climate stressors. A good example to build on is the decision earlier this year to ban off shore oil and gas drilling in Alaskas Bristol Bay, a pristine ecosystem and fishing ground. We hope that the Americas Great Outdoors initiative will prompt action to deal with these stressors with climate change in mind.

B. PROTECT NEW AREAS: CORE, CORRIDORS & CONNECTIVITY

The United States stands alone in the world for the breadth, diversity, and sheer magnitude of its public lands systems. The Department of the Interior manages more than 500 million acres, and the Forest Service manages another 193 million acres. Individual states manage their own networks of bountiful parks, forests, and refuges, giving the United States an unmatched mosaic of public lands. Our public lands, the vast majority of which are managed for a variety of uses, give all our citizens access to some of the most spectacular places in the world. It also provides unparalleled, diverse habitat for some of our most treasured species. This land encompasses a wide array of ecosystems. This puts the U.S. in the position of being able to manage for and protect a broad array of habitats and wildlife. One area of particular concern is the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic Refuge is one of Americas most spectacular natural treasures, and the areas coastal plain serves as its biological heart. The coastal plain is the calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd, a home or resting spot for more than 135 bird species, and the most important landdenning site for polar bears in the country. The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is also considered sacred ground by the Gwichin, who have subsisted off of the Porcupine caribou herd for thousands of years President Eisenhower established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge then referred to as the Arctic National Wildlife Range on December 6, 1960. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this historic occasion, we should honor the regions natural and cultural values by working to ensure that future generations will able to experience and enjoy them too. As a step towards more permanent protections, the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge should be designated as a National Monument and the area should be permanently withdrawn from oil and gas leasing. In addition to naming new National Monuments, land and resource management agencies should be given the necessary encouragement and tools to improve their efforts to conserve and reconnect core and other crucial habitats and restore migratory life histories. The health of the patchwork of federal, state, tribal and private lands that make up Americas outdoor heritage requires maintaining and restoring connectivity to allow wildlife to maintain their established migration patterns and disperse in response to changing landscape conditions brought about by climate change. Implementing and enacting policies that give wildlife this freedom to roam is essential to successfully accomplishing the intent of the Americas Great Outdoors initiative.

C. PROTECT OUR CARBON RICH PUBLIC FORESTS

In addition to providing unparalleled habitat for countless species and producing clean water for millions of Americans, our publicly owned forests play an important role in mitigating climate change by sequestering millions of tons of carbon dioxide. Collectively, U.S. forests sequester the equivalent of roughly 14 percent of our countrys total greenhouse gas emissions each year. Federal forests contribute a substantial portion of this forest sink and store significantly more carbon per acre than nonfederal lands. Older forests in particular store large amounts of carbon and contrary to what was previously thought, continue to increase their carbon stores well into their long lives. Between them, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management oversee close to 195 million acres of forested lands. Around 49 million acres of these lands are carbon rich forests that are more than 100 years old but lack permanent legislative or executive branch protection. (Many of these forests enjoy administrative protection under the Roadless Rule which governs the national forests. But this rule is under legal challenge and has been undermined by the previous Administration, demonstrating a lack of permanence). Strategies to secure current carbon strongholds on public lands are consistent with efforts to responsibly manage and protect other natural values, including water quality, clean air, and wildlife habitat. In fact, safeguarding our carbon rich federal forests could help the Forest Service shift away from heavily subsidized logging of older forests and towards its goal of watershed and forest restoration. Focusing on science-based forest and watershed restoration would not only help natural systems adapt to climate change, it would also form the foundation for a robust restoration economy, creating new, long-term jobs for local communities. As the U.S. asks other countries to stop degrading their carbon rich forests we need to demonstrate leadership and should apply the same rules to our federal forests here at home. Though the U.S. is not now proposing extensive logging of older public forests, these valuable carbon stores could be cut and lost in the future under current management direction. To ensure that we do not undermine climate mitigation strategies and to lead by example on the global stage, we must immediately safeguard the carbon storage value of these older forests by taking decisive action now.

D. PUBLIC LANDS POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

As the Obama Administration moves forward with the Americas Great Outdoors initiative, the Sierra Club would like to propose the following policy recommendations:

CLIMATE SMART MANAGEMENT:

1. Conduct Vulnerability Assessments
Land and resource planning process should include the conduct of climate vulnerability assessments. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines vulnerability as the extent to which climate change may damage or harm a system, and says that vulnerability depends not only on a systems sensitivity but also on its ability to adapt to climactic conditions2 Vulnerability boils down to two basic elements sensitivity and exposure. Sensitivity is a measure of how a focal species or ecosystem is likely to be impacted by climate change. Exposure measures the extent of climate change a species or ecosystem is likely to face. Conduct of vulnerability assessments will empower and inform land managers to: Identify those species and habitats most likely to be in need of management actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change; develop adaptation strategies tailored for those species and habitats in greatest need; foster collaboration with other agencies and organizations to develop and provide a shared understanding of impacts and management options; and, target scare resources in the most effective and efficient way possible. While the conduct of climate change vulnerability assessments is an emerging practice and no standardization has yet to develop within the profession, we recommend that in conducting such exercises the following elements identified by Lawler and Stein3 be incorporated: n A clear articulation of the need for the assessment. In this case, to aid in the preparation of the land or resource management plan. n A clear articulation of the target of the assessment. n A determination of spatial and temporal scale. Identify the geographic boundaries of the assessment, the ideal spatial and temporal resolution for relevant data and the level of specificity required to obtain useful results.

n Inclusion of stakeholder input. Identify products of the assessment that will be most useful to the public as well as users, with items such as maps, data, analyses, assumptions, etc. n Inclusion of regional expertise. Draw from both inside and outside of the respective agency for expert input. n Inclusion of existing efforts. Utilize existing relevant information in addition to developing new information sets. n A clear articulation and, if possible, quantification, of any uncertainties in the results. n The assessment should take budget and time constraints into account when selecting tools and methods. Design of the assessment should be such that it can be easily repeated to update the plan and aid in the development of other plans. Once completed, the results of the assessment should be widely shared. We suggest that the assessment be posted on the world wide web and be included as an appendix in the final native fish management plan. n The Administration could compliment the vulnerability assessment by commissioning a National Academy of Sciences study to determine current and projected habitat with a focus on connectivity. Use the results of this study as recommendations to the relevant land management agencies.

2. Stop new offshore oil and gas leasing and development in areas previously not leased or drilled: the eastern Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Alaska, and the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
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PROTECT NEW AREAS

3. Designate some of our most vulnerable and special places, such as the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as National Monuments. 4. Actively support full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the federal governments primary tool to fund land acquisition. 5. Submit relevant Wilderness recommendations to Congress and support the passage of legislation to designate new Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers 6. Issue an Executive Order directing land management agencies to revise policies that hamper Wilderness reviews. Specifically, rescind the existing No More Wilderness policy within the Bureau of Land Management and extend immediate Wilderness Study Area protections to BLM lands with wilderness character. Also, adjust the Forest Service FSM criteria for defining what is roadless so as to expand the potential reservoir of lands available for Wilderness recommendations. 7. Develop and implement a clear regulatory framework that reinstates strong federal protection for wetland habitats by rescinding existing guidance (post-Rapanos case decision) and restoring guidance that better protects isolated wetlands and

small streams in a manner consistent with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

8. Issue guidance for implementing the June 15, 2009 Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy [R}egarding coordination among federal agencies and states in identification and uniform mapping of wildlife corridors and crucial habitat. 9. Uphold and strengthen the Roadless Rule for national forests and lift the Tongass National Forest exemption. 10. Adopt and implement strong new Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management planning rules that incorporate climate-smart management, including directives to protect core areas, establish corridors, and reducing non-climate stressors. 11. Propose rule making by the Department of Transportation that facilitates the construction of wildlife crossings as part of federally funded transportation projects where appropriate.

PROTECT OUR CARBON RICH FORESTS

12. Increase biological carbon storage through forest protection, especially of naturally high carbonper-acre forests and grasslands.

WORKING LANDSCAPES
mericas private forests, farms and ranchlands and the families who work them are essential to the success of efforts to safeguard Americas outdoor heritage. Providing people who work the land with the support and incentives necessary to manage for healthy fish and wildlife habitat, clean water, carbon sequestration and abundant recreation must be a priority of the Americas Great Outdoors initiative.
Applying the right programs in the right places, and developing new conservation curriculums can simultaneously support more sustainable rural economies that create jobs producing the food and protecting the natural resources that America needs. These programs can also ensure that fish, wildlife and the recreation that depends on them can adjust and prosper in a warmer world. A survey of state conservation agency administrators showed that 96 percent felt that programs that conserve natural resources and provide public access to private lands are important to achieving their organizational objectives.4 This feedback should not be surprising. Lower elevation areas provide the crucial winter range, transitional habitat, wetlands and riparian areas utilized by many of Americas wildlife species and these areas are dominated by private landholdings.5 In fact, n almost 60 percent of forest lands in the United States are privately owned6 n more than 900 million acres of agricultural lands, 39 percent of Americas land area, cover our national landscape7 n approximately half of species managed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act have at least 80 percent of their habitat on private lands8 n riparian areas, while estimated at less than 1 percent of ecosystems in the western United States, provide habitat for approximately 80 percent of native wildlife species at some point in their life cycle Recent years have seen numerous large tracts of formerly industrial forestland purchased by investment organizations and real estate developers with economic objectives inconsistent with managing these lands for wildlife benefits and outdoor recreation. More than 5 million acres of forest have already been converted to development.9 While the loss of these valuable habitats has slowed, we continue to lose over 80,000 acres of wetlands each year. Some areas have seen extensive losses, such as the Prairie Pothole Region, the nations duck factory, where 66 per cent of the original wetlands have been drained or filled. Despite the expanse of these working lands and potential utility for conservation, only slightly more than 36 million acres are enrolled in federal conservation programs such as the Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program or Conservation Reserve Program. The level of funding for and engagement in working land conservation programs is not commensurate with the value of these lands for fish and wildlife habitat, flood control, carbon sequestration and outdoor recreation. Adding to the challenge is the presence of disincentives to conservation on working lands within otherwise well meaning and effective federal conservation programs.

II.

Working Lands Policy Recommendations We support recommendations similar to those issued by the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2008,10 including:

1. Support and promote comprehensive conservation tax incentives legislation. Several existing tax incentives fail to reach all potential beneficiaries because of various limits. The Administration should promote legislation that would:
n Permanently authorize the conservation tax incentives, enacted for 2 years in the 2008 Farm Bill. n Expand the adjusted gross income (AGI) deductibility cap to 100 per cent for donations of conservation easements on lands enrolled in state recreational access programs; and donations of access easements (long term) or agreements (short term).

n Providing incentives to maintain the continuity of large landscapes; for example, by creating conservation co-ops to manage lands divested by timer companies and other large landholders.

n Classify lands used as hunting and fishing leases and clubs in the same manner as working farms and ranches to allow them to qualify for the current 100 per cent AGI deduction allowance. n Increase the carry forward period from 5 to 15 years for donations of access easements, thereby providing a more valuable tax cut for landowners. n Establish a more consistent approach for valuing land associated with tax breaks. For example: A wetlands area of high conservation value may be deemed worthless for real-estate development and therefore unrecognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as the basis for a tax incentive.

4. Create new options for keeping family-owned private lands intact when inherited. To pay federal estate tax, families often must subdivide and sell property to raise cash. To reduce the likelihood of this ownership fragmentation and habitat loss, the Administration should promote and develop policies and programs that:
n Create programs that identify lands and important wildlife habitat that are at risk of fragmentation due to future estate tax liabilities and place them in easements or conservation programs that can keep the lands intact and maintain their importance to wildlife. n Provide expanded conservation and recreational tax incentives, exemptions and transferable credits that could be enacted in the years remaining before the inheritance tax expires (i.e., allow reappraisal of easement and exempt increased value, if any, from the inheritance tax). n Support and promote policies that reduce landowner liability for providing recreational access to their land.
In addition to these recommendations we also ask that the Americas Great Outdoors initiative:

2. Support and promote an Upland Conservation Act. Such legislation would provide a companion law to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act by coordinating upland wildlife conservation the way NAWCA does for wetlands. 3. Issue updates to the timing and amount of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payment rates. The Farm Bill governs how CRP payment rates rise or fall based on market information. The Administration should support and promote policy that utilizes these provisions to encourage additional conservation and recreational access by:
n Increasing the rental payments to CRP enrollees who donate or sell recreational access easements on their CRP lands, enter into access agreements, or enroll their lands in a state recreational access program. n Promoting and supporting added incentives to programs like CRP and conservation easements to encourage landowners to allow public recreational access on their lands. n Reviewing CRP rental rates on a more frequent basis to ensure competitiveness with alternative uses. n Considering new incentives for keeping properties with the best wildlife habitat enrolled in the CRP program.

5. Develop and implement a clear regulatory framework that reinstates strong federal protection for wetland habitats by rescinding existing guidance (post-Rapanos case decision) and restoring guidance that better protects isolated wetlands and small streams in a manner consistent with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. 6. Create and implement marketing strategies to better communicate the availability of existing programs designed to provide educational outreach and technical assistance for private landowners. 7. Support passage of the Community Forestry Conservation Act which uses a new financial tool to avoid fragmentation of working forests on private lands.
Adopting these recommendations as part of Americas Great Outdoors would expand efforts to incorporate working lands into Americas conservation infrastructure.

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RECONNECT CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH THE GREAT OUTDOORS

III.

ver the last few decades, childhood has moved indoors. This phenomenon has had consequences for the health and wellbeing of our children and the future of the conservation movement. On average, children and teenagers are spending more than seven hours each day plugged in to electronic media and just minutes engaged in outdoor activities.11 One in three American kids is overweight or obese, with a higher prevalence in African American, Latino and Native American communities.12 More than half of all children in the United States have insufficient levels of Vitamin D (the Sunshine Drug).13 Rates of ADHD are on the rise and stress, anxiety and depression rates among youth are increasing.14 Studies suggest that spending time outdoors in green spaces can improve the

mental and physical health of children and youth.15

At the same time, todays children and youth are inheriting a warming world. The responsibility to ensure that the next generation is given the tools it needs to address climate change and other environmental challenges lies in our hands. Emerging research suggests that children who spend time in natural settings grow up to develop positive attitudes towards the environment.16 The 21st Century Conservation Agenda must grow and sustain a constituency for conservation for the long haul. The Americas Great Outdoors initiative should set children and youth on a course that is both good for their own health and for the future of conservation in America by reconnecting them with meaningful experiences in the great outdoors. Through the Americas Great Outdoors listening sessions, young people across the country have had an incredible opportunity to inform the dialogue about reconnecting youth to the natural world. Sierra Club programs have helped engage young people in the public listening sessions where they have shared some of the reasons children, youth and families are not spending much time exploring and enjoying the great outdoors.17 Barriers include inadequate infrastructure, including insufficient access to safe and nearby parks and open spaces, lack of interest, fear among parents and youth alike, and alternatives luring kids indoors. Solutions lie at all levels of government, across agencies and in the private and non-profit sectors. Coor-

dination at the federal level is critical to address the societal trend that has moved an entire generation indoors. The Americas Great Outdoors initiative is an important step towards developing a greater understanding of the problem and identifying cross-agency solutions to tackle the widespread cultural shift taking place today which has been best described in bestselling author Richard Louvs Last Child in the Woods as Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD).
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RECONNECT CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH THE GREAT OUTDOORS POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
As part of the Americas Great Outdoors initiative we urge the Administration to coordinate and expand efforts to eliminate Nature Deficit Disorder among children, youth and the general public by removing barriers that prevent them from experiencing the great outdoors and providing incentives and safe access to enjoy the natural world. n Coordinate with planning and transportation agencies at all levels to establish green and safe routes, including walking and bicycling paths, to parks and natural spaces from the places where children and youth spend the bulk of their time, including schools, libraries, public transportation stations, community centers and places of worship. n Extend public transportation routes to visit outdoor spaces within and outside of our urban centers to make the great outdoors more accessible to an increasingly urban population. n Support staff positions in urban, suburban and rural parks to develop programming and facilitate partnerships with schools, non-profits and other youth-serving entities capable of bringing children and youth to the parks.

3. Support for Programs that Connect Children, Youth and Families with the Outdoors 1. Develop a Comprehensive National Strategy to Connect Children and Youth with the Great Outdoors
n Establish a multi-agency coordinating council with representation from agencies overseeing public lands, health, education, transportation, infrastructure, environment and related sectors, the White House and the First Ladys Lets Move campaign. n Establish an advisory board for the coordinating council comprised of leading organizations, business and youth leaders from the above sectors and representing diverse constituencies working to connect children and youth with the natural world. n Support passage of the Moving Outdoors in Nature Act (as included in the Healthy CHOICES Act (HR 5209) and/or stand-alone legislation) to support national and state level strategies that connect children with the great outdoors through multi-sector policies. n Consider the following recommendations as components of a national strategy. n Tailor solutions to a changing world where many parents no longer have the time or know-how to feel comfortable taking their children into the great outdoors. Look to the Children & Nature Networks Nature Family Clubs as a model.18 n Partner with schools, non-profit organizations and other youth-serving entities that are both trusted by parents and capable of providing youth with meaningful and safe outdoor experiences. n Coordinate with transportation agencies at all levels to provide incentives for schools, non-profit organizations and other youth-serving entities to visit our National Parks, Forests and other public lands. n Increase funding across agencies to administer programs to improve and increase participation in education, recreation and service opportunities on public lands with an emphasis on engaging children and youth from communities traditionally underrepresented in the great outdoors.

2. Improve Infrastructure to Make the Great Outdoors Accessible, Enjoyable and Safe
n Support and provide incentives for greening initiatives in and around urban, suburban and rural areas, like community and rooftop gardens, schoolyard habitats and natural playgrounds.
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4. Support Green Play to Green Pay to Connect Children With the Outdoors and Keep Them Connected Through Adulthood
n Expand and improve the visibility of career ladder opportunities for youth across agencies including internship and mentorship programs, entry level jobs and career opportunities, and an easy to navigate jobs portal for youth interested in an outdoor career path.

n Eliminate park deserts where they exist and improve the safety and attractiveness of parks.

n Better coordinate the dissemination of internship, mentorship and career opportunities with schools, non-profit and other youth-serving entities that can help with recruitment. n Support passage of the Public Lands Service Corps Act (HR 1612; S 1442) and similar legislative initiatives to expand the Conservation Corps to put young people to work in the great outdoors, address the backlog of critical maintenance projects building up on our public lands, and prepare Americas treasured landscapes to be resilient in the face of climate change. n Coordinate with transportation and planning agencies at all levels to put young people to work building the critical infrastructure needed in our urban environments to connect parks and natural spaces with schools, community centers and other places where children, youth and families spend their time.

6. Build and Maintain Support for Reconnecting Children and Youth with the Outdoors by Growing and Disseminating a Robust Body of Evidence Supporting the Myriad Benefits of Outdoor Exposure
n Engage the public health community to conduct studies of national significance on the various health impacts that outdoor play, programming and green infrastructure have on children and youth. Support passage of the Moving Outdoors in Nature Act (as included in the Healthy CHOICES Act (HR 5209) and/or stand-alone legislation) which would authorize the Centers for Disease Control to conduct a study of national significance on the health impacts of outdoor programming. n Engage the education sector to determine to what extent education in the out-of-doors improves academic performance and willingness to learn. Support passage of the No Child Left Inside Act (HR 2054; S 866) which authorizes studies of national significance on the academic and behavioral impacts of outdoor learning. n Support and invest in federal and private sector research to determine societal impacts of outdoor time on children and youth and to identify best practices to improve infrastructure, programming, outreach and engagement that leads to greater connections to the natural world. n Disseminate findings of key research to decisionmakers, stakeholders and the general public to build more support for programs and infrastructure that connect youth with green spaces in their communities and the great outdoors. n Leverage funding streams to support coordinated inter-agency research on children, youth and the great outdoors.

5. Increase Initiatives to Make the Outdoors Culturally Relevant

n Continue creating opportunities like Americas Great Outdoors that give youth a voice in discussions about their future and their world and ensure that youth suggestions are given ample weight in the report. Establish a youth council to advise the administration on issues pertaining to youth and the outdoors to elicit ongoing participation. n Design targeted media and marketing campaigns to make the great outdoors relevant to underrepresented populations, including children, youth and their parents, and communities of color. Engage non-profit and corporate partners working directly with youth and underrepresented populations to develop and increase the visibility of the campaigns. n Identify and engage appropriate role models particularly in communities of color, to inspire young people, diverse populations and other underrepresented communities to get outdoors and develop Public Service Announcements aimed at making the outdoors relevant. Partner with celebrities and athletes that can help carry the message. n Ensure outreach initiatives integrate 21st Century communications tools, including social media, and are designed to reach their desired target populations; one size will not fit all. n Support schools, non-profits and other youthserving entities that are working directly with underrepresented populations

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IV.

APPENDIX
A. PRIORITY ECOSYSTEMS
s we look ahead to a climate-changed world, we must actively work to create resilient habitats where plants, animals, and people are able to survive and thrive on a warmer planet. The Sierra Club has identified 10 priority ecosystems throughout the United States to focus our efforts to create these habitats.
Gulf Coast, and Greater Grand Canyon Ecosystem. Each ecosystem contains goals and strategies to apply climate smart management practices, protect adequate space, and limit relevant non-climate stressors specific to each region. Additionally, goals to create resilient habitats have been established in 3 other priority ecosystems. These include:
California Coast

n Prevent development of key coastal lands and habitats and build resilient habitats principles into all management plans for parks, refuges, and forests. n Work with coastal communities to help restore nature as a primary means of protecting community infrastructure from climate change and sea level rise.
Quetico-Superior

n Generate funding and support for acquisition of key lands to establish Vermillion State Park in Minnesota. Focusing on landscapes that are well known, and have strong constituencies for their protection, we will move beyond the environmentalist-versus-exploiter story line and reframe protection of climatesafe ecosystems as an economic and environmental benefit for all Americans. The Sierra Club is working with federal and state agencies, wildlife advocacy groups, sportsmen, and private landowners to prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate change including the protection of lands and wildlife in each region. This appendix includes 7 developed campaigns for the ecosystems of Greater Everglades, Greater Yellowstone, Americas Arctic, Adirondacks to Acadia, Olympic Peninsula/ Puget Sound/North Cascades,
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n Stop proposed sulfide mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on the Superior National Forest.
Sierra Nevada

n Improve all the Sierra Nevada national forest management plans to address climate change and create resilient habitats by protecting large landscapes, implementing climate smart management techniques, and reducing stressors. n Adopt a Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan that eliminates logging and manages the monument like the adjacent Sequoia National Park. n Stop the clear cutting and habitat destruction by Sierra Pacific Industries in the Sierra foothills.

1) ADIRONDACKS TO ACADIA
The vast forestlands that stretch from the Adirondacks of New York, across the northern regions of Vermont and New Hampshire, into the 10 million acre Maine Woods and on to the Acadian forests of Maritime Canada, is the largest contiguous forest east of the Mississippi. It includes thousands of miles of rivers and streams and provides habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife. This eco-region represents the largest remaining temperate broad-leafed and mixed forest in the country and is home to the largest populations of black bears, loons, moose, native brook trout and threatened Canada lynx. In addition, the economies, well-being, traditions and values of the rural communities that dot the landscape depend on these forests. More than 85 per cent of the regions forest lands are privately owned, with a rapidly increasing threat of fragmentation and development. The sheer size of the current forested landscape provides a unique opportunity to practice conservation in way that enhances the resiliency of key habitats across the region to lessen the impacts of climate change. In order for a comprehensive forest conservation program to succeed, it must encompass the broad mosaic of private, state, federal and tribal lands and waters. It will also require partnerships between federal, state and tribal agencies and private interests to acquire key habitat areas, obtain conservation easements and promote land stewardship incentives. The following vision is our view of how the Administration can support efforts to increase habitat resilience in the Adirondacks to Acadia Region.
I. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Provide financial and technical assistance to efforts to safeguard lands comprising the Adirondack / Tug Hill habitat corridor. n Administratively protect all remaining roadless areas on the Green and White Mountain national Forests. n Fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund so that key habitats can be acquired from willing sellers. n Issue a Presidential Proclamation that recognizes the region as being nationally significant in efforts to address climate change because of its habitat and carbon sequestration values.

n Update recovery plans for Canada lynx, Atlantic salmon and other species managed under the Endangered Species Act to better account for management needs in a changing climate.
II. Protect Adequate Space

n Support expansion of the Silvio Conte National Wildlife Refuge in Vermont to connect with the important watershed of the Connecticut Lakes/ Connecticut River. n Support expansion of the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge to encompass identified priority wildlife habitats in Northeastern New Hampshire and Western Maine.
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2) AMERICAS ARCTIC
products occur annually. Decades-old diesel spill sites still show little vegetation re-growth. Gravel fill, excavation, and waste disposal alone have destroyed 17,000 acres of wildlife and marine habitat. Current threats are not gloom-and-doom prescriptionsthey are signs that the traditional protections we have in place are not sufficient in the face of climate change. Some continued climate change is inevitable, but we have a small window of opportunityi to avoid the worst projected scenarios.
I. Apply Climate Smart Management

n Building on the efforts of the Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative and the Arctic Climate Center create a science based blueprint for increasing the resiliency of habitats and sequestering carbon region-wide and to drive agency management and habitat acquisition decisions. This plan should help prioritize the most important areas to focus on for limiting non-climate stressors such as oil and gas drilling or mining. The Alaskan Arctics rolling tundra and wild rivers, wetlands, ponds, deep lakes and sparkling coastal waters are home to a stunning array of wildlife. Every year nearly 200 species of birds migrate to the regions tundra and wetlands to breed. Caribou, muskoxen, wolverines, grizzly, and polar bears roam the vast expanse of land while walrus, bowhead and beluga whales ply the Arctic waters. Now, throughout their Arctic home, rapid climate change is altering their fragile habitat and the push to drill for oil is mounting. While global warming is causing average temperatures to rise around the world, the effects are being felt most dramatically in the Arctic, where temperatures are climbing at roughly twice the global pace. With so much of Alaskas wilderness already feeling the heat of global warming impacts it is irresponsible to create additional sources of global warming pollutionfrom oil development in the Arctic Ocean to coal mining in the foothills of the Brooks Range Mountainsin these wild places. To understand whats at stake, one need only look as far as the Prudhoe Bay oil fieldsone of the worlds largest industrial complexes. Hundreds of spills involving tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil and other petroleum
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n Limit non-climate stressors through various land and resource management plans including: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan The National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) Area Wide Plan The Gates of the Arctic National Park Resource Management Plan
II. Protect Adequate Space

n Issue an administrative minerals withdrawal for the areas in and around Teshekpuk Lake, located in the NPRA. n Provide administrative protection for the Utukok Uplands special area, Teshekpuk Lake, Deese Inlet and Coleville River within the NPRA, from the exploration and development of coal resources. n Safeguard the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by designating it a national monument and withdrawing the area permanently from mineral development. n Rewrite the 5-year plan for offshore oil and gas exploration to prohibit new leasing and drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

3) GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM

As one of the most studied and visited wild places in the nation, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) provides a wonderful opportunity for the Department of Interior to highlight their Americas Great Outdoors initiative. With over three million visitors in 2009, and higher numbers expected this year, the GYE offers an unprecedented opportunity to showcase how our public lands can be managed to mitigate the effects of climate change so that future generations will enjoy this treasure, and for the survival of some of Americas iconic wildlife such as grizzly bears, trumpeter swans, elk, and wolverinesall species that will be effected adversely through climate change unless we adapt new public lands management policies that address our changing climate. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is an iconic set of two national parks and six national forests that anchor roughly 20 million acres in the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately, this area is under attack from the effects of global warming. Snowpack in these areas is being reduced dramatically, white bark pine beetle infestation is running rampant and threatening a prime food source for grizzly bears, and increased threats of expanding oil, gas and coal mining developments are just a few examples of the pressures on this prized destination area. The effect of climate change on the greater Yellowstone region is widely recognized by both agencies and NGOs as a driving factor for future lands management. There is a great opportunity for DOI to help shape the direction of new policies both from a land protection and resource extraction/energy development perspective. The National Park Service has already directed both National Parks to develop climate change plans. Now through AGO Initiative, this visionary work can be enhanced through public awareness. The good news is DOI can follow a road map that will both protect this special place years to come, and help create a cultural shift in how we view our public lands by applying it to such a visible, heavily visited place.
I. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Increase monitoring to assess how species respond to climate change and management interventions. n Work with DOI to educate the public and lead a cultural shift in how we view land management in this new era. Examples of land management practices include: Ecologically based habitat manipulation (such as prescribed burning), captive breeding and reintroduction, and control of pests or disease. n Incorporate climate change planning, resilient habitats, and adaptation into new and on-the-ground direction in State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPS) The SWAPS will be updated in 2011, which presents a key opportunity to see that it focuses funding for acquisition of lands and conservation easements and prioritizes corridor protection, connectivity, and habitat protection in light of changing climate. n Continue to address the effects of climate change in national forest plan revisions similar to plans for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, and Pinedale Bureau of Land Management draft management plans. n Work with private landowners to help bridge vital connective corridors between large landscapes in the region. n Incorporate planning to take a more comprehensive approach to protect corridors and connectivity areas as part of the planning process since important state and private forest lands adjoin or are intermingled with each other.
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n Encourage the DOI to provide leadership in developing planning models for various agencies on a new approach to land management that takes climate change into account.

II. Protect Adequate Space

III. Limit the Relevant Non-Climate Stressors

n Protect large areas of wildlands and surrounding buffer areas which are linked to other core areas by protected corridors, allowing species to move to more hospitable habitats as the climate changes, thereby increasing their chances of survival. n Increase the amount of protected lands and provide stronger protections for surrounding areas such as Grays Lake Wildlife Refuge in southeast Idaho. n Create new or expand existing wilderness areas like the Palisades WSA. n Retire oil and gas leases on surrounding areas like Centennial Range. n Work with DOI to provide more incentives to private landowners in the area to ensure their lands are also managed in a way that provides connectivity to neighboring critical habitat.

n Limit human induced stressors on an ecosystem that increase the threat of species extinction including habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, and over harvest. n Control other non-climate stressors including ill-conceived development, ill-conceived and non-coordinated management plans for wolves, unnecessary human caused deaths of grizzlies, overgrazing, mining, logging, and off-road vehicle abuse. n Work with the Forest Service and others in on Bear Aware programs. n Work with the DOI and others to move our nation beyond harmful fossil fuels that contribute to the loss of white bark pine and other critical habitat.

4) GREATER EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM

n Update national park management plans (Everglades, Dry Tortugas, Biscayne and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary) so that they include climate change features. n Create storm water treatment areas and storage areas in the central Everglades to restore natural flow to the River of Grass. n Elevate Tamiami Trail across a minimum of 6.5 miles in the southern Everglades and remove existing canals wherever possible to allow the continued flow of the River of Grass to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, thereby restoring sediment buildup and resilience to rising sea levels. n Work to ensure that plan updates for the Apalachicola, Osceola and Ocala National Forests include climate change features. n Recognize the Everglades as a means to increase carbon sequestration. n Prohibit new development on coastal barrier islands and encourage restoration of mangroves, beach dunes and other features which protect coastal areas from rising sea levels and increased tropical storm activity due to climate change.

I. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Remove exotic plant and animal species from the Everglades and other Florida land and waters. n Work for the reintroduction of Florida Panthers north of the Caloosahatchee River so their connected habitat will be protected from the Everglades to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in south Georgia. n Work for the designation of critical habitat for the Florida Panther and revise the USFWS recovery plan accordingly so it protects both existing occupied habitat in the Everglades, and connected habitat to the north as described above.
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n Prioritize protection of coral reefs and reef fish species in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary which are imperiled by the double threat of climate change and pollution impacts. n Provide an adequate and reliable source of public funding for Everglades restoration and the creation of protected wildlife corridors and marine protected areas.
II. Protect Adequate Space

n Assist the State of Florida in its efforts to acquire 180,000 acres of U.S. Sugars farmland in the Everglades Agricultural Area and restore most of this land to natural wetlands. n Expand the Florida Panthers habitat north of the Caloosahatchee River. n Work with State and local governments and private land trusts to develop a long-term funding and land acquisition plan to create large, contiguous wildlife corridors in south-central Florida for the recovery of the Florida Panther, Florida Black Bear, Shermans Fox Squirrel and other endangered species. Such corridors should fill in gaps to connect existing blocks of federal, state and other public lands to maximize movement and migration of wildlife in response to anticipated climate change impacts. The coordination should include a component related to crafting appropriate management plans and long-term management mechanisms and arrangements for monitoring and enforcement. n Preserve agricultural land surrounding wildlife corridors as a means to create buffers limiting urban encroachment on protected areas and endangered species. n Set aside marine protected areas in the Gulf of Mexico to enable recovery of overfished species. n Coordinate land purchases through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other federal programs with targeted lands in the State of Floridas Environmental Lands Acquisition Program.
III. Limit the Relevant Non-Climate Stressors

Florida. Reduce or eliminate ORV use where it interferes with the natural flow of water and damages species habitat. n Prohibit new rock mining in the Everglades or the Everglades Agricultural area and halt activities that pose a threat to water quality and inhibit water flow. n Assess the damage from oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico to fisheries and endangered sea turtle and mammal species, and develop new management, recovery and critical habitat plans as needed. n Direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to conduct and implement a new area-wide Environmental Impact Statement for phosphate mining in the Peace River Basin. n Direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a full environmental impact study for 404 permit decisions that would destroy Florida wetlands. n Maintain the ban on offshore drilling in the outer continental shelf surrounding Floridas coastline as per requirements of GOMESA and other federal laws. n Fully carry out fisheries management plans and coastal and marine spatial planning initiatives and enforce catch limits for overfished species in the Gulf of Mexico. n Limit expansion of biofuels and biomass production in Florida to existing disturbed lands and agricultural areas, leaving forested areas untouched for this purpose. n Allow no new housing developments in primary or secondary habitat of the Florida panther. n Limit new development approvals to existing urban areas to ensure habitat resilience and to prevent further destruction of Floridas vanishing wetlands. n Pre-existing development approvals in rural areas should be built using conservation subdivision design principles.

n Set final numeric nutrient standards for nitrogen and phosphorus in Floridas lakes, rivers, streams, springs, canals and coastal waters (as proposed by EPA). n Prohibit new recreational off road vehicle (ORV) use in the Big Cypress National Preserve, BCNP Addition lands and the three national forests in

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5) OLYMPIC PENINSULA, PUGET SOUND, AND NORTH CASCADES

The Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, and North Cascadesiconic ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest that are critical to the survival of wildlife, local economies, and communitiesare under attack from the effects of global warming.19 Billions of gallons of fresh water are melting into the sea as glaciers in the North Cascades, Olympics, and Mt. Rainier continue to retreat. Meanwhile, snowpack in these areas is being reduced dramatically. As glaciers disappear, important salmon and trout streams warm dangerously and sea levels rise. Tourism and sport, tribal and commercial fisheries, and the health of threatened species like orca, which uses Puget Sound as an important part of its life-cycle, depend on healthy ecosystems. Local communities on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains are experiencing more frequent and intense fires, trees of all types are dying at double the normal rate in Pacific Northwest forests, and disease and pest infestations are getting worse as droughts intensify.20 Current threats are not gloom-and-doom prescriptionsthey are signs that the traditional protections we have in place are not sufficient in the face of climate change. Some continued climate change is inevitable, but we have a small window of opportunity21 to avoid the worst projected scenarios by doing two things: 1) reduce global warming emissions (80 percent by 2050) to slow and stop global warming and 2) reduce the vulnerability of species, lands, and communities to climate change already in motion. The following vision is our view of how to increase habitat resilience on the Olympics Peninsula, Puget Sound, and the North Cascades.

OLYMPIC PENINSULA AND NORTH CASCADES

I. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Work for the reintroduction of selected speciessuch as Fishers in ONP. n Work for the designation of critical habitat for bull trout and develop the associated recovery plan. n Limit or eliminate expansions of water storage facilities where important values are threatened. A proposed Bumping Lake expansion on the O-W NF would inundate important stands of scarce old growth forest and unlock stored carbon. n Work for the development of ESA recovery plans that include the marbled murrelet (westside), lynx (eastside), salmon and steelhead. List new species such as the wolverine. n Support actions that will result in the early removal of the Elwha Dam(s) as soon as possible. Develop a plan to re-establish Pacific Salmon and Steelhead in the upper watershed. n Increase coordination across the several land mgmt agencies in WA State-(NF, NP, State, municipal, and tribal lands) to improve daily management and to facilitate major planning efforts. n Management decisions at all levels are expected to include strong science-based, documented rationale n Control pests, disease or invasive species, as may be appropriate in certain circumstances based on the best available science as noted in bullet above.

n Update national park general management plans (ONP, NCNP, Mt Rainier NP) so that they include a climate change focus. n Work to ensure that the O-W NF forest plan update (in progress) includes climate change features. Monitor that the MBS NF and ONF will also follow suit when their forest plans are updated.
II. Protect Adequate Space

n Expand existing core areas on Federal lands Olympic Peninsula:22 As a result of intensive work done on the Olympic Peninsula, we are proposing to maximize the protection on Federal lands for climate change, i.e. Olympic National Forest (ONF) and Olympic National Park (ONP). It is hoped the Administration would actively support these efforts. Retain all roadless and other undeveloped land in an undeveloped state. Add 134,000 acres of Wilderness on ONF by expanding existing units and adding new units. These areas are intended to maximize the inclusion of old growth forests. Expand Olympic National Park (ONP) by 38,000 acres on a willing seller basis. Protect aquatic values by designating about 400 miles of wild and scenic rivers on Federal and other public land. n Expand existing core areas on Federal lands North Cascades:23 There is a need to maximize

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protection on Federal lands that include Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (O-W NF), Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS NF) and The North Cascades National Park Complex [National Parks and National Recreation Areas] (NCNP) and Mt Rainier National Park. Retain the 1,700,000 roadless and unroaded acres in an undeveloped state. Designate the majority of these areas as Wilderness by expanding existing units and creating new units. Maximize inclusion of old growth forest that will also maximize carbon sequestration. Designate a 22,000 acres Addition to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the MBS NF as defined in existing legislation (HR.1769 and S.721). Maximize the inclusion of threatened and endangered species habitat, particularly including salmon habitat. Expand North Cascades National Park (NCNP). Protect aquatic values by designating all eligible wild and scenic rivers on Federal and other public land. Designate Illabot Creek as a wild and scenic river on the MBS NF as defined in existing legislation. Create corridors that link snowcaps to Puget Sound so as to focus on lower elevation habitats. n Establish buffers around core areas on nonFederal and Federal lands:

On Olympic Experimental State Forest (OESF) and other State lands, for example, Loomis, Loup Loup and Naneum State Forests managed by the WA Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to: (1) Maximize protection of remaining old growth and mature forest for threatened, endangered, and other sensitive species; (2) Recognize resource values other than timber with appropriate daily management direction; (3) Create new Natural Resource Conservation Areas (NRCAsequivalent to State Wilderness system) on State lands to maintain or improve habitat resilience. Extend State forest land ownership where private forest lands are threatened with conversion to nonforest uses. Use fee title and conservation easement tools for conservation. Support Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to raise the bar on ecological protection of both State and private land. Work with US FWS and DNR, to establish and implement a marbled murrelet recovery plan on State forest land. n Establish corridors between (1) core areas, (2) blocks of unroaded areas on Federal and nonFederal lands, and (3) significant blocks of other public lands24 Protect all corridors to maximize the movement of North Cascades wildlife across the I-90 corridor and the US 2 Corridor and other relevant

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corridors by (1) acquiring non-federal lands with high wildlife habitat values and adding to the appropriate NF; (2) Retain and expand management direction of the Northwest Forest Plan on all three NFs within this eco-region; Manage Federal lands to maximize wildlife habitat productivity by reducing the road system as well as scheduled timber cutting. Prevent the transfer of other public lands to private entities where future development would adversely affect wildlife. Identify and protect corridors between significant blocks of federal and other public lands where wildlife movements now exist and for future movements in a climate change environment. These corridors are being identified in State agency connectivity studies.
III. Limit the Relevant Non-Climate Stressors

est land to permanently close and obliterate roads; (2) Construct no new roads on any ownership. Ensure existing culverts allow fish passage. n Limit mining to valid existing activity. Abandoned mines do continue to produce toxic effluent (arsenic and heavy metals) that require expensive clean up at significant federal expense. An example is the Rainy Prospect in Quartz Creek of the MBS NF where a June 2008 report studied the clean-up costs for this mine as a Superfund site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).26 The estimated cost for the recommended alternative is over $500,000. n Limit energy development, including run-of-river hydroelectric projects, that impact fish, river values, recreational and other riparian values. n Decrease off-road vehicle use to the maximum extent practicable. On the westside Cascades, limit use to existing levels of activity to prevent further damage to vegetation and water quality. However, on the eastside, where most ORV activity takes place in the region, reduce ORV use to levels that will lower resource damage and user conflict by conducting formal, scientific studies to define the impacts of motorized recreational uses on wildlife and other values for both the summer and winter time periods. The Travel Management Plan (TMP) ought to require scientific studies of impact. n Limit conversions of coastal areas, waterways, and forested lands to development because of the impacts on habitat resilience. Do not allow private forest land in the Teanaway area of the O-W NF to be converted from forestry uses to residential developments.

n Build ecosystem resilience in order to limit or eliminate non-climate stressors so that species have a chance to survive in a climate changed environment. n Reduce timber cutting intensities: (1) Limit logging levels on the ONF, MBS NF, and O-W NF to no more than those prescribed in the Pacific Northwest Forest Plan of 1994; (2) Limit logging within the OESF and other State lands in terms of both extent (acres committed to cutting) and intensity (maximize rotation age) as well as to ensure consistency with the marbled murrelet recovery plan and other critical habitat requirements on the OESF. n Reduce the size of the existing road system:25 (1) Fully implement Legacy Roads Removal Initiative (LRRI) and other funding sources on national for-

PUGET SOUND
1. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Support the revision on Shoreline Management Act local (county level) management plans to ensure that they incorporate climate change and adaption elements. n Identify and implement key elements in the Puget Sound Partnership Action Plan that reflect climate change. n Implement recovery plan for all ESA listed species (Orca, Salmon, Rock fish, etc.).
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6) GULF COAST
I. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Address the multi-year restoration effort that will be vital to restoring sensitive coastal wetlands, fisheries, and rebuilding the economy of the Gulf in wake of the BP oil spill disaster. n Ensure that existing and proposed Gulf restoration plans and protection efforts are integrated to reflect climate change adaptations and prioritize non-structural and ecosystem based approaches. n Incorporate adaptive management for reassessment of projects and plans currently underway in regards to restoration. n Establish an independent, third party team of scientists and technical experts to conduct short and long term sampling, monitoring, and analysis to help establish sound science for an effective ecosystem restoration effort.
II. Protect Adequate Space

n Set aside marine protected areas in the Gulf of Mexico to enable recovery of overfished species. n Secure funds to purchase 10,000 acres of coastal cypress forests in Louisiana. n Secure initial funds for lands acquisition and ecosystem restoration of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet Canal. n Obtain funds to protect 10,000 acres in the Pearl River and Pascagoula River Basins and buy off federal leases within the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
III. Limit the Relevant Non-Climate Stressors

n Limit the application of dispersants used in the Gulf and direct a portion of the fines and penalties BP is responsible for to research and document the short and long term impacts of the oil/dispersant mix on endangered and threatened species and habitats. n Block new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. n Ensure that extractive industries replace, and or restore impacted landscapes and resources. n Direct a portion of offshore royalties to Gulf States to support restoration projects.

n Protect, clean up, and restore wetlands and barrier islands along the Gulf Coast to provide resilient habitats and protect coastal communities. n Restore and protect wetland and cypress swamps, including the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle, offering storm protection, recreation, and natural beauty.

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7) GREATER GRAND CANYON

n Provide interim protection for six national forests citizens proposed wilderness areas: Dixie National Forest: 55 units (1,196,000 acres) Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests 43 units (370,000 acres) Manti-La Sal National Forest: 49 units (983,800 acres) Fishlake National Forest: 43 units (1,146,000 acres) Coconino National Forest: 11 units ((93,800 acres) Kaibab National Forest: 5 units (60,000 acres) n Seek passage of the nine-million-acre Americas Redrock Wilderness Act.
I. Apply Climate-Smart Management

n Seek special designation (NCA or National Monument) for the North Kaibab and adjacent areas. n Retain roadless/undeveloped land in undeveloped condition. n Protect and restore the ecological function of wildlife corridors across the landscape; including the KaibabPaunsagunt, Utah High Plateaus, Zion-Markagunt, Pine Valley-Zion, Mogollon Rim, East and West Tavaputs and the Abajo-La Sal wildlife linkages. n Protect and restore springs and wetlands through land use management planning opportunities. n Protect and restore native species in natural patterns of abundance and distribution through agency land management planning and wildlife recovery efforts. n Pursue revision of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan for effective recovery of the species throughout suitable habitat within the ecoregion n Pursue Wild and Scenic River designations for all eligible and suitable rivers.
III. Limit the Relevant Non-Climate Stressors

n Work for the reintroduction of extirpated species (aquatic and terrestrial) and develop ecologically effective populations of strongly interactive species such as beaver, prairie dogs, tasseled-eared squirrels, mountain lions, and were feasible, wolves. n Work for the development of an effective, revised ESA recovery plans for condors and native fish species. n Increase coordination across the several land mgmt agencies (NF, NP, State, municipal, and tribal lands) to improve daily management and to facilitate major planning efforts n Develop science-based blueprints for building resilient habitats and natural systems carbon sequestration. n Management decisions at all levels are expected to include strong science-based, documented rationale n Control pests or disease, may be appropriate in certain circumstances based on the best available science as noted in bullet above n Update national park management plans so that they include climate change features. n Work to ensure that the forest plan revisions and amendments includes climate change features. Monitor to ensure compliance.
II. Protect Adequate Space

n Build ecosystem resilience in order to limit or eliminate non-climate stressors so that species have a chance to survive in a climate changed environment. n Protect and restore old growth forests n Reduce the size of the existing road system through the Travel Management Planning Process and other forest planning opportunities. n Protect the Grand Canyon watershed from uranium mining through permanent mineral withdrawal for Kanab Creek, Kaibab-Paunsaugunt wildlife Corridor, House Rock Valley, and the Tusayan Ranger District (Kaibab National Forest).

n Expand existing core areas on Federal lands Maximize protection on Federal lands-eight national monuments, six national forests, thirty-two wilderness areas, and six national parks.
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n Strengthen natural systems to safeguard communities from climate change.

ENDNOTES
1 See e.g., Williams, J.E., Haak, A.L., Neville, H.M., Colyer, W.T., and N.G. Gillespie. 2007. Climate Change and Western Trout: Strategies for Restoring Resistance and Resilience in Native Populations. Proceedings of Wild Trout IX Symposium. 2 Watson, R.T., Zinyoera, M.C., and Moss, R.H. 1996. Climate Change 1995: Impacts, Adaptations and Mitigation of Climate Change: Scientific-Technical Analysis. Contribution of Working Group II to the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3 Lawler, J. and B. Stein. 2009. Safeguarding Wildlife from Climate Change: Quick Guide to Vulnerability Assessment. National Wildlife Federation. Washington, DC. 4 Benson. Delwin, E. 2001. Survey of State Programs for Habitat, Hunting, and Nongame Management on Private Lands in the United States. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 29(1). 354-358 5 Scott, J. Michael, F.W. Davis, R. Gavin McGhie, R. G. Wright, C. Groves and J. Estes. 2001. Nature Reserves: Do They Capture The Full Range of Americas Biological Diversity? Ecological Applications, 11:999-1007. 6 Stein, S.M., McRoberts, R.E., Alig, R.J., and M. Carr. 2009. Forests on the Edge. In Forest Resources of the United States 2007. Smith, B.W., Miles, P.D., Perry, C.H., and S.A. Pugh. U.S. Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. WO-78. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington Office. 336 p. 7 U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. 2010. The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources and Rural America Data Set. Accessed August 4, 2010 at http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/us.htm. 8 United States Department of the Interior. 2007. Our Endangered Species program and How it Works For Private Landowners. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, DC. 9 Alig, R.J., A.J. Plantinga, S. Ahn, and J.D. Kline. 2003. Land Use Changes Involving Forestry in the United States: 1952 to 1997, with Projections to 2050 A Technical Document Supporting the USDA Forest Service RPA Assessment. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR587, Portland, OR. 92 pp. 10 White House Council on Environmental Quality. 2008. Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation: The Recreational Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Plan as directed by Executive Order 13443. Washington, DC. 53pp 11 Rideout, Victoria et al. Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18- Year-Olds. A Kaiser Family Foundation Study. January, 2010 Retreived on August 24, 2010 from: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm 12 US Department of Health and Human Services. Fact Sheet of the Office of Minority Health. Retreived on August 23, 2010 from: http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=6456 13 Stein, Rob. Millions of Children in US Found to be Lacking Vitamin D. Washington Post. August 3, 2009. Retrieved on August 24, 2010 from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/02/AR2009080202 114.html 14 McCurdy, Leyla E. et al. Using Nature and Outdoor Activity to Improve Childrens Health. Current Problems in Pediatric Adolescent Health Care. 2010; 5: 102-117 15 McCurdy, Leyla E. et al. Using Nature and Outdoor Activity to Improve Childrens Health. Current Problems in Pediatric Adolescent Health Care. 2010; 5: 102-117 16 Wells, N. M., & Lekies, K. S. Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environments, 2006: 16(1). Retreived on August 24, 2010 from: http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/16_1/16_1_01_ NatureAndLifeCourse.pdf 17 Sierra Club organized youth to attend Americas Great Outdoors formal listening sessions in Seattle, WA, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, Albuquerque, NM, New York City, NY, and Chicago, IL. Sierra Club also hosted an informal listening session with youth from the Natural Leaders Network to obtain feedback for this report. 18 Children & Nature Network. Nature Clubs for Families: Do it Yourself! Do it Now! Retrieved on August 24, 2010 from: http://www.childrenandnature.org/movement/naturalfamilies/clubs 19 The Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment; http://cses.washington.edu/cig/res/ia/waccia.shtml. 20 National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption; October 2009; http://www.rockymountainclimate.org/ website%20pictures/National-Parks-In-Peril-final.pdf. 21 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: the impacts we are seeing now are in response to a global temperature rise of less than 1 degree F over the past 100 years, which will increase another 3 to 10 degrees by 2100 unless we take bold action now. 22 Strittholt, J. R. and Dellasala, D. A. (2001), Importance of Roadless Areas in Biodiversity Conservation in Forested Ecosystems: Case Study of the Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion of the United States. Conservation Biology, 15: 17421754. doi: 10.1046/j.15231739.2001.99577.x 23 DeVelice, Robert L., and Jon R. Martin. 2001. Assessing the Extent to Which Roadless Areas Complement the Conservation of Biological Diversity. Ecological Applications. 11:10081018. [doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2001)011 [1008:ATETWR]2.0.CO;2] 24 Crist, M. R., Wilmer, B. and Aplet, G. H. (2005), Assessing the value of roadless areas in a conservation reserve strategy: biodiversity and landscape connectivity in the northern Rockies. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42: 181191. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.00996.x 25 Effects of Road Decommissioning on Stream Habitat Characteristics in the South Fork Flathead River, Montana. Magnus McCaffery, T. Adam Switalski, Lisa EbyTransactions of the American Fisheries Society 2007136:3, 553-561 26 Millennium Science and Engineering, Inc. June 2008. Rainy Mine and Mill Site: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Snohomish County, Washington. Engineering Evaluation/ Cost Analysis. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/projects/cercla-hazmat-cleanup-projects/FINAL-Rainy-EEC A-COMPLETE.pdf

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