In This Issue:
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Dear National Park Supporter: |
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Attacks On National Park Law Enforcement Reaches All-Time High |
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National Park Service Finances Winery |
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Park Service Admits Budget Deception |
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Candidates Banned From Federal Facilities |
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Federal Court Vindicates Panther Whistleblower |
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Whistleblower Claim Revived In Fish Kill Poluution Case |
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State & national Conservation Groups Set To Sue Federal Agencies To Protect TN Wetlands |
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Featured Links:
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Dear National Park Supporter:
From the unprecedented actions to silence U.S. Park Police Chief Chambers to the sprouting of cell phone towers across public lands, the National Park Service stumbles from controversy to controversy.
And…from park-sponsored wineries to budgetary deception to the escalating (all-time high) violence against the park police, NPS leadership continues to thrust itself into the spotlight.
Working on behalf of the American public are the scientists, law enforcement officers, land managers and other resource professionals with NPS. These professionals daily cast profiles in courage in cubicles across the country. With your support, PEER continues to protect those who protect the environment.
Attacks On National Park Law Enforcement Reaches All-Time High
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Threats, harassment and attacks against National Park Service rangers and U.S. Park Police officers reached a record high in 2003, according to agency records released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). At the same time, an already chronically understaffed NPS law enforcement is increasingly unable to protect visitors, national icons and wildlife, according to representatives of both rangers and U.S. Park Police officers.
National Park Service Finances Winery
Washington, DC — The cash-strapped National Park Service is subsidizing a private vineyard and winery on the grounds of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Since 1999, the Park Service has spent more than $475,000 on the vineyard – which has yet to bear fruit either literally or financially – and related operations that the Park Service calls its “Countryside Initiative.”
Park Service Admits Budget Deception
Washington, DC — The National Park Service has been deliberately dodging attempts to account for how it spends its budget, according to minutes of an internal planning meeting released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
Candidates Banned From Federal Facilities
Washington, DC — The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has issued an advisory forbidding Presidential or other candidates “for partisan political office” from campaign appearances at federal facilities, including national parks, monuments, federal housing projects and post offices. OSC’s directive is dated August 9, the same day Senator John Kerry and his Democratic Party running mate, Sen. John Edwards, appeared at Grand Canyon National Park, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
Federal Court Vindicates Panther Whistleblower
Washington, DC — A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service relied on flawed biology in failing to protect the Florida panther. The court’s findings mirror concerns raised by one of the agency’s own biologists who is now facing termination, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
Whistleblower Claim Revived In Fish Kill Poluution Case
Detroit, MI — A unanimous Michigan Court of Appeals panel ruled that an environmental whistleblower case can proceed to trial, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The case involves a Gratiot Conservation District manager who was fired after reporting pollution violations and financial irregularities.
State & national Conservation Groups Set To Sue Federal Agencies To Protect TN Wetlands
WASHINGTON, DC – Leading Tennessee and national conservation organizations today announced their intention to mount a legal challenge against the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to uphold Clean Water Act protections for wetlands in the Cumberland Plateau that are crucial habitat for an abundance of wildlife and are prime recreational areas.
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