Breaking News: St Louis Post Dispatch features RRI Fellow Bernard Shanks

Council of Elders
The Council of Elders, a project of the Resource Renewal Institute, is comprised of retired and active resource managers, scientists, and environmentalists. The purpose of the Council is to improve today's resource and environmental management through the lineage of Aldo Leopold, David Brower, John Muir, and other environmental elders of the past. We believe that to address today's global climate challenges, environmental and resource management must adhere to strict professional standards that have been eroded since their peak in the environmental gains of the 1970's. By assembling a new council for each chosen area of study, the Council of Elders concept benefits from professional expertise gained over decades on a single environmental challenge. Utilizing retirees greatly reduces costs while protecting and stewarding America's natural resources with the wisdom of elders.
The Council of Elders aims to:
  • Document and improve the practices of resource and environmental management agencies
  • Serve as a non-partisan watchdog of American resource management
  • Advocate for and create increased transparency and universality of information used in political and resource management decision making
  • Work to unite state and federal agencies, non-profits, educational institutions, industry, and the public in responsible management of America's natural resources
  • Bridge existing organizations with a membership composed of elder experts from a variety of professional fields including academia, government, and the private sector
  • Mentor active resource managers through regional support network of elder experts
  • Provide assistance to whistle-blowers
Columbia River Salmon Recovery Program:
These recommendations were prepared by the Council of Elders, a panel of former government resource managers and scientists with extensive senior policymaking and regulatory experience.
Recommendations to the Obama Administration for an Improved Columbia River Salmon Recovery Program
PDF / 872KB
The report describes the politically-driven mismanagement and manipulation of programs to recover endangered salmonid populations and subversion of the Endangered Species Act, with a list of actions requested of the Administration. The report notes that the fish face looming extinction despite federal laws giving salmon survival equal status to the generation of hydropower and numerous court orders to protect the species. Funds generated by the sale of hydroelectricity have been misspent in undermining fish recovery programs amid a quagmire of federal agencies with divided authority. More information and additional copies of the report are available by emailing ebaker@rri.org.
Public Lands and Resources:
Read the current Council of Elders Project statement about an opportunity for several hundred billion dollars in uncollected revenue from U.S. public trust lands.
Recovering $600 Billion by Collecting the Rent on our Pubic Lands
PDF / 418KB

 

Mexico City’s Green Plan Honored By Dutch

Congratulations to Mayor Ebrard on receiving the Dutch order of the Orange-Nassau!

Around the year 2000, RRI led several delegations of dozens of Mexican officials to the Netherlands to learn about its Green Plan. Many officials returned to Mexico eager to replicate the environmental gains seen in Holland. Mexico City’s ‘Plan Verde’ is inspired by the Dutch example.

Mexico City Environmental Secretary Martha Delgado joined RRI for a conference several years ago and we have this update from her. “I’m pleased to share with you that Mexico City’s Green Plan has been awarded very much around the world: UN Habitat, World Sustainable Building Council, Livable Cities, City Mayors Foundation, Harvard College and other important instututions have recongnize our achievements in very different fields!!! Today Mayor Ebrard was awarded with the Orange-Nassau (more…)


 

Current Bay Nature article on salmon and rice

Take a look at the kind of ideas RRI cooks up in the new issue of Bay Nature. This time it’s salmon and rice–before they reach your table. You can check out the article on innovative use of fallow rice fields to support young salmon in the Sacramento River area at Baynature.org


 

 

Missouri River could see flood of “Biblical proportions”

Dr. Shanks’ serious warnings about potential dam failure on the Missouri are reaching hundreds of readers and radio listeners nationwide. Here’s St. Louis’ ownKMOX interview with Dr. Bern Shanks on Missouri River dams

Read the original St. Louis Post Dispatch opinion piece.


 

 

Is Feinstein’s Focus Really on Science?

Check out the January 26, 2012Marin IJ column by Huey D. Johnson on the subject of wilderness protection at Pt. Reyes. The ongoing conflict over the lease extension has helped focus attention on how “sound science” is used as a political tool, allowing our elected officials to avoid the tough decisions that will protect our natural heritage for generations.

The ‘Marin Voice’ column begins: “The Point Reyes oyster conflict has accomplished at least one result of positive national environmental importance: Related research by the University of California has exposed and could solve a disastrous hurdle for U.S. environmental legislation.

It is the practice of legislators’ corrupt use of science. The formula is to call an environmental project’s scientific work inferior, state that the public needs “good science,” and then do one or more scientific studies to review that which has already been done. Faking a need for a better research effort is nothing but a smoke screen to avert a vote and to provide time to manipulate legislation. The tactic has actually been used in Congress 900 times.”

The University of California Law Review Article described in the column can be found here


 

 
 
Contact   187 E. Blithedale Avenue  Mill Valley, CA 94941-2029   :   P 415.928.3774   :   F 415.373.6978   :   E info@rri.org
Quick Links   RRI.org   :   Green Plans   :   RRI Blog   :   Meet Huey Johnson
© Resource Renewal Institute - All rights reserved