2007 RESOLUTIONS

TEAMING WITH WILDLIFE AND THE NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission completed a comprehensive wildlife action plan to proactively conserve wildlife and vital natural areas for future generations; and,

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan was developed by scientists, sportsmen, conservationists and other members of the community, working together to conserve wildlife before they become more rare and more costly to protect; and,

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan will help growing communities conserve wildlife habitat and the quality of life for future generations; and,

WHEREAS, the health of wildlife is often an early indicator of environmental stress and habitat degradation that affect all living things including humans; and,

WHEREAS, investing in the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan will identify and prevent problems before they threaten wildlife and affect humans; and,

WHEREAS, almost 5,000 agencies, organizations and businesses nationwide have joined together as the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition to support the prevention of wildlife becoming endangered via dedicated funding for fish and wildlife conservation and resource-based recreation; and,

WHEREAS, the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition supports the implementation of the state wildlife action plans.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation gathered in Convention in Raleigh, February 10, 2007, endorses Teaming with Wildlife and supports efforts to secure adequate funding for the implementation of the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation will work to support the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and Teaming With Wildlife’s efforts to fully implement the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.

WHEREAS, the charges and goals of the National Wildlife Refuge system are to “administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.”; and,
                                                      
WHEREAS, hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education and interpretation are the public activity goals of all National Wildlife Refuges and are core components of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s mission and goals for over six decades; and,

WHEREAS, the ten National Wildlife Refuges in North Carolina- totaling nearly 400,000 acres- is a critical foundation of habitat for the states wildlife communities and supports species such as tundra swan, snow geese, American alligator, red wolf, black bear,  red-cockaded woodpecker, piping plover and bob-white quail; and,

WHEREAS, North Carolina’s National Wildlife Refuges support eco-tourism which provides a substantial economic benefit to the state and local communities; and,

WHEREAS,  since 2003, North Carolina’s National Wildlife Refuges have lost 10 staff positions with 9 more such positions slated to be lost by 2009 via retirements and attrition; and,

WHEREAS, problems facing North Carolina’s National Wildlife Refuges are numerous and include the ongoing lack of funding for land acquisition and facilities and maintenance; as well as increasing needs and costs for the complex management of non-native invasive species; and,

WHEREAS, a Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus is a newly formed bi-partisan voice for National Wildlife Refuges; and,

WHEREAS, the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus will fortify, protect and preserve the National Wildlife Refuge system by supporting refuge funding, working for the strategic growth of the Refuge System through easements and targeted land acquisition, and promoting legislation to improve the Refuge System, while also aiming to educate Congress about the Systems’ increasing challenges through briefings and other forms of outreach; and,

WHEREAS, of the more than 100 Congressional members only two of North Carolina’s delegation – Representatives Walter Jones and David Price of the Causus are currently included.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, gathered in Convention in Raleigh, NC on February 10, 2007, urges each member of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation to join the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus and in doing so advocate in full for North Carolina’s 10 Natural Wildlife Refuges.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation will work to rally state and federal support for North Carolina’s 10 National Wildlife Refuges.

URBAN ARCHERY SEASON FOR DEER

WHEREAS, one of the main goals of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation is to advocate ethically and biologically sound hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina is one of the most rapidly growing and urbanizing states which statistics such as the following underscore; and,

• North Carolina lost more than 1 million acres of forestland in the period 1990-2002. Forest loss was most severe in urban counties – Mecklenburg lost 35 percent of its forest cover, Wake 30 percent and Forsyth 22 percent.

• Farmland declined by nearly 56,000 acres a year in the period 1992-1997. Mecklenburg and Wake averaged 21 percent losses over the past five years. North Carolina ranks fourth nationally in farmland loss.

• North Carolina loses approximately 100,000 acres a year to development. Mecklenburg County loses 40 acres a day.

WHEREAS, since the mid 1990’s North Carolina’s population of white-tailed deer has remained relatively stable at about 1.1 million animals; however, deer density has increased greatly in suburban and urban areas, locations where hunting typically does not occur and the primary mortality agent is often collision with vehicles and disease; and,

WHEREAS, other management techniques such as trapping/removal or administering contraceptives are costly and ineffective; and,

WHEREAS, most hunters prefer to hunt areas outside of urban regions (gamelands, farmland lease or personal property), however, if an opportunity to hunt additionally during a new urban archery season that falls outside of other established deer hunting seasons were offered, bow hunters may take advantage of said season; and,

WHEREAS, a proposal by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to offer an additional deer hunting season to incorporated areas known as urban deer archery season; and,

WHEREAS, this proposed season would run from the 2nd Saturday of January for a 5 week period; and,

WHEREAS, hunters can hunt legally within incorporated areas during current hunting season when there is no law prohibiting the discharge of the weapon being used; and,

WHEREAS, this proposal does not automatically apply to all cities within North Carolina and cities wishing to utilize this management option may opt in and out at their discretion and upon notification to the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission; and,

WHEREAS, the proposed urban deer archery season would not supercede local ordinances, but rather be a management option available to local municipalities; and,

WHEREAS, all the normal rights of private property owners would be still applicable; and,

WHEREAS, certain portions of incorporated areas may be opted for inclusion as designated by each respective municipality.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, gathered in Convention in Raleigh, NC on February 10, 2007, hereby supports the proposed urban white-tailed deer archery season in North Carolina as an option available to North Carolina municipalities for managing high-density deer herds.

OPPOSITION TO BEACH RENOURISHMENT

WHEREAS, North Carolina has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and thousands of local residents and tourists use these beaches every year; and,

WHEREAS, North Carolina’s beaches are vulnerable to storms, development pressures, and other man-made causes that erode the sand and shells from the beaches; and,

WHEREAS, some local communities in North Carolina have instituted a policy of “renourishing” their beaches by pumping sand, shells, and other ocean bottom debris from the ocean onto the beaches; and,

WHEREAS, beach renourishment has no positive environmental benefits; and,

WHEREAS, beach renourishment typically destroys stable, diverse and ecologically productive near-shore ocean bottom, important to many species of plan and animal life, including federally threatened and endangered species; and,

WHEREAS, the costs of beach renourishment rarely provide commensurate public benefit, instead go largely to protect private infrastructure; and,

WHEREAS, the esthetic benefits of beach renourishment are rarely permanent and contribute to, rather than moderate, further degradation of beaches by falsely establishing a sense of security that encourages further development; and,

WHEREAS, rarely are the shore- and long-term environmental impacts and total costs adequately quantified.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation gathered in Convention in Raleigh, NC, on February 10, 2007, opposes beach renourishment, unless the following components can be clearly established: 1) there is an overriding public benefit, such as protection of public infrastructure (roads, utilities, etc), important natural areas, or significant cultural/historic resources; and, 2) such renourishment uses no public (federal or state) natural resource trust funds, either directly or indirectly; and, 3) the renourishment is clearly shown, through an appropriate, rigorous evaluation, to have no significant negative impact on natural resources.

OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED EXPANSION OF PCS PHOSPHATE OPEN PIT MINE

WHEREAS, the state of North Carolina is blessed with an abundance of wetlands of several types; and,

WHEREAS, wetlands perform many functions valuable to society including providing for the purification of drinking water, reducing flood damage, removing excess nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants; and,

WHEREAS, wetlands are among the most productive biological systems on earth and provide essential habitat for a multitude of wildlife species with important economic, recreational and ecological values; and,

WHEREAS, The Clean Water Act was enacted to maintain the biological, chemical, and physical integrity of jurisdictional waters, and Section 404 of the Act specifically requires avoidance of the destruction of wetlands and mitigation before activities within wetlands can proceed; and,

WHEREAS, Section 401 of the Clean Water Act requires North Carolina to certify that any activities impacting wetlands are consistent with and do not impair State water quality standards; and,

WHEREAS, the lower Pamlico River basin provides clean water, economic benefits, food production, and recreational opportunities to eastern North Carolina; and,

WHEREAS, Phosphate Company of Saskatchewan (PCS) extracts phosphate near the town of Aurora by open pit mining, and has a Clean Water Act Permit that allows it to do so; and,

WHEREAS, PCS has requested a modification of its Permit that will allow the company to expand its area of mining to include 2,400 acres of wetlands in North Carolina, making it the largest wetland impact and fill proposal in North Carolina history; and,

WHEREAS, PCS has been denied a variance from the State and therefore should not be able to obtain a Section 401 Water Quality Certification, being that the preferred mining alternative will result in the biological, chemical, and physical impairment of the surrounding jurisdictional waters of the US and State, including streams and wetlands; and,

WHEREAS, past wetlands mitigation efforts suggest that the functionality of these systems are not adequately created to offset degradation impacts; and,

WHEREAS, because the area that PCS wants to mine is at or below sea level, mining will require pumping from the aquifer in order to lower the water table, and therefore, total impacts to wetlands will come not only from direct destruction, but from pumping the aquifer; and,

WHEREAS, pumping the aquifer will create an approximately 20 mile “lens” of lowered water table, and PCS’s water return methodology will provide water only locally and not to the outer wetlands affected by aquifer pumping; and,

WHEREAS, given this loss of wetlands, the lower Pamlico watershed will lose 5500 million gallons of floodwater storage capacity (USEPA estimates—2001); and,

WHEREAS, portions of the proposed mine expansion will destroy federally designated “Essential Fish Habitat” for bluefish, summer flounder, shrimp, red drum, snapper, and grouper; and,

WHEREAS, levels of toxic metals, such as cadmium, chromium, zinc, and arsenic are found from 10 to 500 times greater in PCS reclaimed areas in comparison to a natural site, and these metals are highly toxic to aquatic, terrestrial and human life; and,

WHEREAS, the Army Corps of Engineers has stated in the DEIS that there are “Alternatives” that do more to protect the Pamlico River and South Creek, and allow PCS to mine profitably.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, gathered in Convention in Raleigh, NC on February 10, 2007, urges the Corps and EPA to reject the Permit Expansion Request of PCS.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation supports the agencies and PCS agreeing to an “Alternative,” that protects wetlands that afford protection to the Pamlico River, the people who use it, and the resources that support the quality of the River.

HUNTERS AND ANGLERS LEADING EFFORTS TO SOLVE GLOBAL WARMING

WHEREAS, America has 13 million hunters and 34 million anglers; and,
 
WHEREAS, outdoor enthusiasts are crucial in protecting and enhancing public lands, streams and wetlands from major threats such as global warming; and,

WHEREAS, global warming pollution is causing Earth’s climate to change in ways that are having negative impacts on people, fish, wildlife and healthy ecosystems; and,
 
WHEREAS, the Earth is nearing a tipping point in an ecological crisis that could see wholesale loss of wildlife populations and profound changes in our outdoor way of life; and,
 
WHEREAS, independent studies by international teams of scientists have concluded that within the next 50 years, as many as a third of the species in studied regions could be headed for extinction from the continued disruption of habitat due to global warming; and,

WHEREAS, many impacts from global warming on native habitats and species are expected, just a few of which include:

-warmer freshwater temperatures and changes in the pattern of flows in spawning rivers reduce the abundance of trout, salmon, steelhead and other cold water fish species;

- a  significant decline in sagebrush habitats throughout the western U.S., which would have devastating consequences for sage grouse, mule deer, and pronghorn;

- sea level rise and warmer ocean temperatures threatens  Atlantic Seaboard’s coral reefs, near-shore nurseries, coastal wetlands, and popular salt water game fish with total decimation if left unchecked; and,

WHEREAS, the threat of global warming can be dramatically reduced if America leads the way to lowering global warming pollution by two percent annually from 2010 through 2050; and,

WHEREAS, achieving significant reductions of global warming pollution can be accomplished through energy conservation, use of renewable and alternative energy, and implementation of existing and new technologies currently under development; and,

WHEREAS, U. S. leadership in developing and implementing global warming solutions will stimulate the economy, create new jobs and business opportunities, and protect the high quality of life currently enjoyed by Americans; and,

WHEREAS, America’s hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts are in a unique position to lead the effort to develop and implement practical and effective programs to reduce global warming pollution and to achieve the benefits associated with stopping climate change for wildlife and for people.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 29-31, 2007, in Washington, DC hereby urges all fish and wildlife managers to develop plans to protect fish and wildlife from the impacts of global warming; and,
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports dedicated funding for fish and wildlife conservation in federal global warming legislation; and,
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the enactment of state and federal policies that commit to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions through energy conservation and clean/renewable energy sources that do not cause harm to wildlife and its habitat; and,
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges hunting and fishing organizations, and fish and wildlife conservation groups to recognize the threat of climate change to fish and wildlife and make addressing climate change a high priority as appropriate within their organizational work; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the formation of a national mobilization of sportsmen and conservation groups to support climate change actions to protect wildlife and outdoor recreation pursuits.