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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 20, 2004 Wildlands advocates stump against Bush record By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Spencer Lennard is doing what he loves best: talking to people about the environment. The program director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, an environmental group based in Ashland, is going door-to-door to get his message out. "We have to be general about the issues but almost everybody I talked to are concerned about the environment," he said. "I just let folks know what my work is about, and tell them about my concerns. "I’ve been canvassing in very poor neighborhoods but they seem very interested," he added. The neighborhoods are in Orlando, Fla., where he and two other local environmental activists — Barry Snitkin of the Illinois Valley and Jimmy MacLeod of Williams — began talking to voters on Monday. Advertisement The volunteers are part of an effort by the League of Conservation Voters to bring the environmental issue into the presidential race, which has been focused on terrorism, the war in Iraq and the economy. "We came down here from Oregon because we are concerned about Bush’s environmental record," Lennard said, stressing they are not being paid. They plan to be in Orlando through Nov. 2. The activist, who has a reputation of taking federal land management agencies to task over their decisions in southwestern Oregon, said he is not 100 percent sold on John Kerry. "I’ve been extremely frustrated with Democrats in the past," he said. "Kerry is not my first choice. But things have gotten so bad for the environment under the Bush administration." Like other environmentalists, he has a litany of complaints regarding the current administration: opening more federal land for logging, oil drilling and mining, cutting environmental laws, rejecting the Kyoto treaty aimed at reducing pollution and global warming and opening millions of acres of wetlands up to development. Bush supporters say the president wants to use a market-driven approach that rewards firms that meet environmental standards, replacing the reliance on laws and enforcement. They counter that Bush brings common sense to the environmental debate, and has pledged to restore three million acres of wetlands emphasizing incentives for landowners. He supports a "Clear Skies" initiative aimed at reducing power plant pollution by 70 percent by 2018 and seeks to reduce dependence on foreign oil by increasing petroleum exploration on federal land. Lennard isn’t buying it. "Everything we love and care about (environmentally) has been harmed by the Bush administration," he said. "I’d rather be home hiking and climbing. Oregon looks like it’s going to go Democratic. "But I felt like I could make a difference by coming down here," he said. Florida, with its 27 electoral votes, is in a virtual dead heat, according to the latest polls. Lennard, who speaks some Spanish, and his group are canvassing in largely Hispanic neighborhoods, focusing on undecided voters. "A lot of them just don’t realize how bad the Bush administration has been on environmental issues," he said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers