Online Messenger #285

(view with pictures, as displayed in email)

Pilots
In mid-July, WWP partnered with LightHawk and acclaimed photographer Thomas Mangelsen to fly over the Upper Gros Ventre, Union Pass, Upper Green Valleys and the Wind River and Wyoming Ranges of Wyoming in order to photograph areas WWP is focusing on as part of our Wyoming Initiative.  See the extraordinary images online. We’re thrilled to have his help in documenting these extraordinary places.

Pincushions
This week, WWP and Cottonwood Environmental Law Centersent a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue the Fish and Wildlife Service for its failure to finalize a Recovery Plan for the Winkler Pincushion Cactus, a cute but highly imperiled native endemic to Utah. Endangered Species Act protection, such as recovery plans, work when fully applied. It’s about time the Winkler pincushion from impacts like livestock grazing in its limited habitat.

Politics
The livestock industry managed to keep the costly and controversial U.S. Sheep Experiment Station from closing, thanks to help from their favorite politicians. Rep. Mike Simpson managed to get the House Appropriations Committee to block the closure which was recommended for financial and practical reasons by the Secretary of Agriculture. Some good news? As part of WWP and coplaintiffs’ litigation efforts, there will be no grazing in the Centennial Mountains on the USSES in 2014. We’ll keep working to make the full closure permanent.

Movie Premieres
WWP attended screenings of “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Ketchum, Bend, and Portland over the past few weeks, participating in panel discussions and letting the audiences know WWP is NOT one of the green groups ignoring the critical issue of animal agriculture. The film has been getting a lot of positive attention at every screening, and the filmmakers support of WWP will help spread the word about our work.

…and more! 
WWP hasn’t stopped appealing grazing decisions, monitoring grazing operations, documenting damage on public land, writing for The Wildlife News, reviewing management plans, or advocating for the protection of endangered species at public meetings and in the media. Never doubt that a small group of committed individuals can change the world!

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