Natural Resources

Topics on the Beat:

Environmental Politics [4]

Laws & Regulations [5]

Water & Oceans [7]

Visibility:

Public [8]

Read more about CRS Reports No Longer Secret, Thanks to FAS Secrecy Project [1]

February 27, 2015

DEADLINE: IJNR Sagebrush Country Institute [9]

The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources invites applications by Feb 27th for this Apr 6-13, 2015 institute to Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho. Fellows will explore the longstanding Greater Sage Grouse story, its habitat and the area's related natural resource, energy and environment issues.

Workshops and Fellowships [10]

Visibility:

Public [8]

Topics on the Beat:

Agriculture [11]

Biodiversity [12]

Forests [13]

Laws & Regulations [5]

People & Population [14]

Greens Fume Over Obama’s Bid To Divert Gulf Restoration Funding [15]

"National environmental groups today blasted an Obama administration proposal to divert more than $3 billion in future oil and gas revenues due to Gulf Coast states to pay for land conservation, rural counties, wildlife grants, coastal restoration or other 'national priorities,' warning that such a move would stymie coastal restoration projects in Louisiana."

Government [16]

Public [8]

National (U.S.) [17]

Source: Greenwire [18], 02/06/2015

Read more about Greens Fume Over Obama’s Bid To Divert Gulf Restoration Funding [15]

"National Park Service on Its Way To Creating a 2nd Marine Wilderness" [19]

"POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif. — The once-bustling oyster farm and sales shack at the end of the dirt road had the look of sudden abandonment."

Water & Oceans [7]

Public [8]

California [20]

Source: McClatchy [21], 01/29/2015

Read more about "National Park Service on Its Way To Creating a 2nd Marine Wilderness" [19]

Local Authority Slaps Permits, Fees on Photography in Parks [22]

Professional photojournalists may again be facing unconstitutional requirements for permits to work in public parks — this time at the county level in a well-heeled District of Columbia suburb. But Virginia's Fairfax County Park Authority is encountering pushback as they conduct an annual review of their fee policies at various park units.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Journalism & Media [23]

Policy [24]

Region:

Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]

Visibility:

Public [8]

Read more about Local Authority Slaps Permits, Fees on Photography in Parks [22]

"Obama Will Move to Protect Vast Arctic Habitat in Alaska" [26]

"President Obama will ask Congress to increase environmental protections for millions of acres of pristine animal habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, in a move that has already led to fierce opposition from the state’s Republican lawmakers."

Environmental Politics [4]

Wildlife [27]

Public [8]

National (U.S.) [17]

Alaska and Hawaii [28]

Source: NY Times [29], 01/26/2015

Read more about "Obama Will Move to Protect Vast Arctic Habitat in Alaska" [26]

"Yosemite Climbers Reach Top of El Capitan in Historic Ascent" [30]

"LOS ANGELES -- Two climbers completed a historic 19-day ascent to the summit of Yosemite National Park's El Capitan in California on Wednesday after scaling the rock formation's 3,000-foot (900-metre) sheer granite face without climbing tools, representatives said."

Public [8]

National (U.S.) [17]

Source: Reuters [31], 01/15/2015

Read more about "Yosemite Climbers Reach Top of El Capitan in Historic Ascent" [30]

More Secret Reports from Congressional Research Service [32]

Nobody has ever explained why Congress refuses to release the tax-funded explainers produced by the Congressional Research Service. They are a gold standard for journalists needing quick background. Here are some recent CRS reports relevant to environmental journalists, helpfully released by the Federation of American Scientists.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Climate Change [33]

Disasters [34]

Government [16]

Health [35]

Nuclear Power & Radiation [36]

Water & Oceans [7]

Visibility:

Public [8]

Read more about More Secret Reports from Congressional Research Service [32]

Waiting for Ansel Adams: Will 114th Congress Legalize Park Photography? [37]

You may have read in recent WatchDogs about controversial federal laws and rules that could restrict photojournalism in federal parks, forests, and rangelands. Now comes the "Ansel Adams bill" that would make it legal to do an activity that is Constitutionally protected. Only someone has to introduce the bill. Photo: Ansel Adams, by J. Malcolm Greany. [38]

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Journalism & Media [23]

Laws & Regulations [5]

Visibility:

Public [8]

Read more about Waiting for Ansel Adams: Will 114th Congress Legalize Park Photography? [37]

2 Exhausted Climbers Close in on Summit of El Capitan’S 3,000-Foot Granite Wall [39]

"Their beards have grown full. Their hair, greased with sweat and brushed only with mountain air, stands on end. Their fingers, raw and ragged from grasping at sharp crevasses in the stone, are bandaged and bleeding."