1. JET SKIS BACK IN OUR PARKS?  A rule banning jet skis in many national parks and recreation areas has been suspended and is now being reviewed by Interior Secretary Gale Norton and the Bush Administration. Secretary Norton has decided to review the rule in order to assess the public process that was involved in its creation. The review casts doubts on whether recent bans on jet skis and similar watercraft at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and three other national parks will go forward this summer as planned. As of March, personal watercraft such as jet skis had been prohibited in this heavily used canoeing and hiking destination. These motorized vehicles have the potential to create havoc on park waters by creating air, water and noise pollution that disturbs wildlife and other park visitors.

Send a letter to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton urging her to reinstate the ban on jet skis and other personal watercraft in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and our national parks nationwide: http://ga0.org/ct/wdasSR41211P/Jet-Skis

2. COULD HAZY SKIES CLEAR UP?  In a move that could eventually mean clearer skies in our national parks and wilderness areas, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced on May 29 her intention to move forward on a proposed rule that would control haze-causing emissions from older power plants. The Bush Administration had put a hold on the rule, but overwhelming public support, including over 450 letters from AMC activists, helped push for its advancement. The rule will require that older power plants and other industrial polluters install the best air pollution controls available, technically known as "best available retrofit technology," or BART. President Bush will now review the proposed rule before it is formally submitted. In that time it is likely that industry interests will attempt to weaken the rule, or push for it not to be implemented.

Tell President Bush to move forward with the BART rule as it is: http://ga0.org/ct/2pasSR412110/Clean-Air

Send in the postcard in this month's issue of AMC Outdoors magazine

For more information on air pollution: http://ga0.org/ct/w7asSR41211Q/Air-Pollution

3. ROADLESS RULE STALLED BY FEDERAL JUDGE, ADMINISTRATION  On May 10 a federal judge in Idaho declared a preliminary injunction denying the implementation of the U.S. Forest Service's Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rule, scheduled to go into effect on May 10, would have protected nearly 60 million acres of national forest lands from road building, mining, and commercial logging. As the defendant in the case, it is now up to the Bush Administration's Justice Department to defend the Roadless Rule and appeal the injunction. Many environmental groups question what kind of defense, if any, Bush and the Justice Department will make on behalf of the rule, as amendments that would significantly weaken the rule have already been proposed. Standing in favor of the Roadless Rule are 95% of the 1.6 millions Americans that participated in the public comment process.

TAKE ACTION!

4. MAINE OH BEAUTIFUL MAINE  If you have a special place in your heart for Maine's Northern Forest , you can help protect the wonderful undeveloped character of the landscape. This year there are opportunities to protect land surrounding headwaters of the West Branch of the Penobscot River Tumbledown Mountain/Mt. Blue State Park, and areas from the Boundary Mountains to the Eastern Shores of Moosehead Lake. Together these areas comprise more than 1 million acres of forests, mountains, lakes, and streams. Critical to protecting these areas is the Forest Legacy Program, which grants federal dollars for conservation easements and public purchases. These funds can go a long way in safeguarding public values such as habitat protection, sustainable forestry practices, and public access. The Forest Legacy Program needs at least $100 million this year to adequately protect land in Maine and other states throughout the country.

Tell your members of Congress that you support protecting the Northern Forest in Maine. Write a letter at: http://ga0.org/ct/2dasSR41211o/Northern-Forest

The Forest Legacy program needs $100 million this year! Please help make this a reality by writing a letter. http://ga0.org/ct/w1asSR41211p/Forest-Legacy

Want to do more? Join the AMC Northern Forest Action Team: http://ga0.org/ct/s1asSR41211Y/Action-Team

5. SPEAK OUT FOR THE HIGHLANDS  The US Forest Service is seeking input on the Highlands region of NY and NJ. Following up on four listening sessions, the Forest Service is soliciting additional comments on the unique qualities of this area, what resources people care about and the pressure being put on these resources by sprawl and industrial development. This is an important opportunity for those who care about this area to speak out about the special natural and recreational areas in the Highlands such as Torne Valley, Sterling Forest and the Pequannock Watershed. Whether you are an expert or just somebody who likes to tramp about these great places, please add your thoughts to this important step in the effort to protect the Highlands.

To submit comments on the Forest Service Highlands Study, see: http://ga0.org/ct/NpasSR41211k/Forest-Service

You can also express your support for protecting the Highlands Region by sending a letter to the Forest Service and your elected officials at: http://ga0.org/ct/21asSR412119/Highlands

6. FREE FLOWIN' FUN  Come out and celebrate the longest free-flowing river in the Eastern United States, the Delaware River, at the Delaware River Sojourn. From June 15 to 23 you can celebrate the River's outstanding natural, cultural, scenic, ecological, and recreational resources. This trip combines canoeing, camping, educational programs, historical interpretation, and more as it floats by communities of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. For more info visit http://ga0.org/ct/sdasSR41211T/Canoe or call (908) 996-0230.