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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, February 18, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 31, 2004 Conference addresses state of the environment By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Activists at the 13th annual Headwaters Forest Conference say they now enthusiastically support one of President Bush’s oft-touted goals of last year. But the call by Randi Spivak, one drawing a rousing response Friday morning, is decidedly different than that voiced repeatedly by the Oval Office occupant during the Iraq war. "We need regime change in 2004," said Spivak, executive director of the American Lands Alliance based in Washington, D.C. She then concluded with what could have been taken straight out of the GOP playbook: "We need to chart our course this year and stay the course," she added. Advertisement Spivak was among several speakers examining the state of the environmental movement on the first full day of the three-day conference being held at the Ashland Springs Hotel. The event ends with a series of hikes Sunday morning. This year’s theme is "Mobilizing the Grassroots in 2004." In his welcoming comments, environmental advocate Chant Thomas urged activists to reach out to each other for support — not argue with each other over who is a "deeper shade of green," he cautioned. "This year we can’t afford to get exhausted and burned out," he said. Moderator Cindy Deacon Williams, conservation director for Headwaters, noted the Bush administration has been reacting to — and taking advantage of — an atmosphere of fear triggered by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Now is the time for us to move in response to hope," she said. In her comments, Spivak said last year was a "perfect storm" for big corporations seeking timber, oil, gas and raw minerals from public lands. The administration and the Republican-led House and Senate aren’t environmentally friendly, she said. "In a word: Leave no tree behind," she said. Federal legislation passed in the Bush administration has clearcut the public’s right to appeal projects on federal forestlands, the right to take agencies to court and the right of public input, she said. She also cited legislation that has whittled away at existing environmental laws, including the National Environmental Protection Act passed decades ago. The Healthy Forest Restoration Act, passed by Congress on Dec. 3, was anything but healthy, Spivak concluded. In the coming year, she expects attacks on the Northwest Forest Plan as well as the Endangered Species Act. Like other activists, Spivak said the environmental movement must push its message that it is mainstream while the Bush administration is extreme. Mark Hubbard, Oregon program director for Resource Media, a non-profit group working to improve media coverage of environmental issues, agreed. Noting that most people care about the environment, even if it may not be a top issue in their lives, Hubbard urged activists to reach out to others not associated with the movement. Like Spivak, Patti Goldman, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s regional office in Seattle, concluded the Bush administration had been undercutting environmental protection. "The attack on public land is not above board — it has been a stealth attack," she said. But Jeff Golden, host of Jefferson Public Radio’s "Jefferson Exchange" talk show, said candidate Bush has followed through on one of his promises. "President Bush, good to his word, is a ‘uniter,’ not a divider," he said as he looked out at the activists gathered for the conference. "I see the president doing a lot of organizing for us around environmental issues," he concluded. The conference is intended to "recharge batteries" and regroup, said Tonya Graham, Headwaters executive director. "Obviously, we have some challenges ahead of us," she said. "But we are in a much better place at the beginning of this year than we were at the beginning of last year as far as understanding what the political climate looks like, understanding how people feel about these issues." For further information on the conference, check out http://www.headwaters.org/forestconference/ Reach reporter Paul Fattigat 776-4496 or e-mail him [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times