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Help Ban Cyanide Bombs on Public Lands

In 2017, Canyon Mansfield, a 14-year-old Idaho boy who was walking with his dog, Kasey, on BLM land, triggered an M-44 cyanide bomb. Canyon has lingering health effects from exposure; Kasey died. Endangered species, beloved pets, and humans are all at risk of stumbling upon cyanide bombs on public lands, where federal Wildlife Services deploy the devices to kill native carnivores at the behest of agricultural interests. Between 2014 and 2022, this program intentionally killed more than 88,000 animals and unintentionally killed 2,200 more. Canyon’s Law (H.R. 4068/S. 1940) would ban this destructive practice on public land across the US – but it needs your voice! Join Earth Island’s Project Coyote in supporting this bill by sending a letter to your senator and representative.

Celebrate the Brower Youth Awardees With Us

Earth Island Institute’s New Leaders Initiative has announced six recipients of this year’s Brower Youth Awards, which celebrates youth making strides in the environmental movement. The winners will be honored at a ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Berkeley, California. At a time of increasing environmental engagement by young people the world over, these leaders stand out for their work protecting oceans and rivers, supporting food sovereignty, tackling food waste, restoring coastal mangroves, improving equitable access to the outdoors, and fighting air pollution for a better climate. Learn more about them, and don’t forget to get your tickets for this year’s ceremony.

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Earth Islanders at NYC Climate Week

It’s Climate Week in New York, and Earth Island Institute projects are joining concerned citizens on the ground, as well as in countries around the world, to organize for change. Seeding Sovereignty has been on the frontlines, organizing for the March to End Fossil Fuels and partnering with frontline environmental justice activists to network for impact. Plastic Pollution Coalition is working to remind the public of the connections between plastic pollution and the climate crisis, with 99 percent of plastics made from petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels. And Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is calling on the UN and its member nations to reshape governmental agendas and advance policies for a global just transition.

Groups Sue Forest Service Over Logging Project

Friends of the Big Bear Valley, Earth Island’s John Muir Project, and the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society have filed a suit against the US Forest Service to stop a proposed 13,000-acre tree removal project on the north side of Big Bear Valley in Southern California. The massive project lacks the legally required environmental impact analysis, impact mitigation, and project plan details. As it currently stands, it would dramatically increase wildfire threats to adjacent human communities and severely harm an iconic bald eagle pair and their nest site. The groups submitted to the Forest Service dozens of reliable and recent scientific findings showing that forests in this area are considerably less dense now than they were historically.

California Endorses Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation

California has endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, making it the world's largest economy to support the initiative. Despite fierce opposition from oil and gas lobbyists and 40 industry groups, the resolution passed in the State Assembly with majority support. The resolution, which was previously passed by the California Senate, calls on President Joe Biden to support Pacific nations seeking a negotiating mandate for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Alex Rafalowicz, the executive director of Earth Island’s Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said: “We hope this move locks in real action on ending the era of fossil fuels in California, and spurs other regions, states and countries to join forces in tackling the root cause of the climate crisis: the production of coal, oil and gas.”

Coming Soon: Berkeley Bird Festival

On Sunday, Oct. 15, Earth Island’s California Institute for Community, Art, and Nature, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology will present their 3rd Annual Berkeley Bird Festival. Enjoy birding field trips across town, science displays at the museum, bird-themed arts and crafts, and organizational information and action tables. As part of the festival, the David Brower Center will also host Winged Wonderment, an afternoon of bird stories, images, poems, and songs presented by writers, poets, scientists, activists, and artists. To register for workshops and field trips and for more information, visit berkeleybirdfestival.org.