This American Land

Assignment Earth, Environmental Protection, This American Land / 10.05.2010

With government support, a huge land purchase by conservationists protects prime habitat for grizzlies, mountain lions and other sensitive species. In order to maintain wilderness habitat in the Swan Valley of Montana The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land has bought and set aside 367,000 acres in the Montana Legacy Project. Land once the owned by the state’s biggest private property holder Plum Creek Timber Company is now closed to development. Parcels scattered throughout forested area will be protected as corridors for the free movement of many wild species including large carnivores.
Assignment Earth, Environmental Protection, This American Land, Video / 10.03.2010

For 10 years, the Ski Area Citizens Coalition has published its ski area environmental report card, a rating system that grades ski resports across the west according to their impact on the natural environment. Paul Joyce, a conservation assoicate at the environmental protection group Colorado Wild, says a ski resort’s grade depends on how well it plays in its own backyard. “When a ski area expands into the back country, expands into habitat, affects wildlife, affects vegetation, thereby affecting water, watersheds, water quality,” Joyce said, “those things weigh really heavy with the report card.” Resorts owned by the Aspen Skiing Company dominate the highest rated resorts in the west. “People listen to us in part because we’re an interesting news story, but also because we’re business people.,” Auden Schendler, environmental affairs director at Aspen Skiing. “Ultimately we’re not environmentalists. We’re business people. And we see climate changes as an existential threat to business. In this edition of This American Land we explore ski resorts that employ environmentally sustainable practices to protect natural areas that surround their slopes.
Assignment Earth, This American Land / 03.03.2010

Last year the only known wild jaguar in the United States was captured in a trap and euthanized by Arizona Wildlife authorities. The death of this big cat, called Macho-B, triggered a federal investigation that found violations of the procedures that are meant to protect endangered species. But at the heart of this case are a number of federal wildlife protections that were tossed out in favor of the “Secure Fence Act.” In this edition of the This American Land we take look at the ecological impact of a 600-mile barrier along the Mexican boarder. Ostensibly to keep immigrants from illegally entering the U.S. this border fence is also preventing the migration of several animal species. Our jaguars here depend on a source population in Mexico that are dispersing up to the United States looking for habitat, looking for mates, looking to establish new territories,” said Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity. “And if they can’t get through that border wall, they’re not gonna come here.”