5. Get Out to the Northern Forest This Summer with the AMC
6. Speak Up, Speak Out for the Highlands
7. Ready, Set Paddle!

On Friday, June 22 EPA Administrator Christie Whitman took a giant step forward in cleaning up the air in our national parks and wilderness areas. Thanks in part to over 600 comments sent in by AMC activists, Whitman has taken the next step in finalizing the "BART Rule", for "Best Available Retrofit Technology." When put into effect the rule will remove about six million tons per year of sulfur dioxide from our skies, improving visibility, public health, and acid rain. Before the rule goes into effect, it is open to a 60-day public comment period, where your voice is needed to keep the BART Rule from getting watered down by industrial interests. Stay tuned for how you can weigh in on this important process.

Thanks in part to strong opposition from Save the Glen, a local and vocal citizen group, as well as over 500 letters from AMC members, Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift has withdrawn the proposed Greylock Center plan, a 1,063-acre resort development below Mount Greylock, the state's highest peak. The proposed $150 million development was located in an area on the eastern flank of Mount Greylock State Reservation on land owned by the state Department of Environmental Management. The project had been widely criticized as an inappropriate use of one of the state's valuable natural areas. The original proposal would have included an 18-hole golf course, up to 300 homes, a 40-room inn, and a 180-room conference center. The state is considering pursuing some components of the proposal that include expanding recreational trails and developing an environmental education center.

Thanks to the strong support from conservation and hiking enthusiasts, a bill that toughens rules on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) has passed both the Pennsylvania House and Senate and is waiting to be signed by Governor Ridge. When signed, the new law will require registration plates and liability insurance for all ATV users and increase fines. It will also direct those fines to local governments, create a passenger safety rule, and establishes an advisory committee that includes non-ATV users. What's more, the new monies will support more enforcement officers and the creation of managed trails on non-state land.

In what could be a great boost for protecting threatened places in the Northern Forest and the Central Appalachian Highlands, Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) introduced in June the American Wildlife Enhancement Act (S. 990). This bill would provide states with much-needed funds for the protection of significant natural areas, as well as the protection of wildlife and endangered species. Senator Smith points specifically to the Northern Forest and the Highlands as places that could benefit from this legislation. The bill comes at a critical time when over 6 million acres of land in the Northern Forest have changed hands in the last 2 years, and sprawl and industrial development threaten prized outdoor recreation areas in the Highlands of NJ, NY, CT, and PA. In order to pass, the American Wildlife Enhancement Act will need support from all of us who care deeply about protecting natural areas and the wildlife that inhabit them. Tell your senators that you support S. 990 and ask them to co-sponsor the legislation. Your letters, emails, and calls will all make a difference in getting this bill passed into law!

TAKE ACTION

Contact your senators today and ask them to co-sponsor the American Wildlife Enhancement Act (S. 990): http://ga0.org/ct/2pasSR41271o/Wildlife-Bill

Thanks to AMC-CAN members, thousands of letters have been written to protect a region that many of you may never have seen. If you've been itching to get out and see the Northern Forest for yourself, now is your chance. Float the West Branch of the Penobscot River, paddle Lake Umbagog, or hike New York's Adirondak's: The AMC offers incredible outdoor workshops to many wonderful, wild places in northern Maine, New Hampshire, and New York. These trips offer learning and adventure with experienced AMC guides and instructors. Right now all AMC Conservation Action Network members can receive a $25 coupon for selected trips.

*To receive a list of qualifying trips and receive your coupon, contact Bryan Wentzell, AMC's Conservation Outreach Coordinator at (617) 523-0655, ext. 386 or bwentzell@amcinfo.org.

The Highlands region of NY, NJ, CT, and PA are part of the great green sweep of the Appalachians that shadow the coast from Georgia to Maine. Here, forested ridges, hundreds of lakes and reservoirs, rocky crags, and towering trees are home for eagles, black bears, native trout, river otters, and bobcat. All this is within two hours travel of 20 million people. Unfortunately, this area is under threat from sprawl and industrial development. Various state and federal agencies have identified the significance of this area and are asking the public for input as to how it should be protected. Your voice is needed, as you can make a difference. Here's how you can help:

*Attend a public hearing of the NJ State Planning Commission on the Highlands- July 19th, 7:30 PM, County College at Morris, 214 Center Grove Rd., Randolph, NJ. For more information, contact AMC's Tom Gilbert at tgilbert@igc.org.

*Submit comments to the Forest Service's Highlands Study http://ga0.org/ct/2dasSR41271k/Highlands-study

* You can also express your support for protecting the Highlands Region by sending a letter to the Forest Service and your elected officials from AMC's website: http://ga0.org/ct/w1asSR41271l/Highlands

Jump in your canoe near Lake Umbagog and follow the Androscoggin River 167 miles to the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Popham, Maine. July 5-25 marks the sixth annual Androscoggin River Source to Sea Canoe Trek. The Trek marks a renaissance of this formerly polluted river, celebrating the watershed and river communities along the way. You can participate free on any of the 21 days; canoe with an experienced leader or attend an on-land educational event. To find out how you can participate, contact Trek Coordinator Sue Lincoln at (207) 824-4627, or go to http://ga0.org/ct/wpasSR41271P/Canoe-Trek