Sierra Club * Oregon Natural Resources Council * Siskiyou Project

For Immediate Release: August 18, 2005

For More Information Contact:
Sierra Club - Paul Shively, (503) 201-1254
ONRC - Jay Ward, (503) 407-8490
Siskiyou Project - Rolf Skar, (503) 236-7217

Conservationists Call Out Anti-Wildlife Congressman

Portland, OR -- Oregon conservation groups greeted California Congressman Richard Pombo today with a full-page ad in the Oregonian. Pombo, who as chair of the House Resources Committee oversees much of the nation's conservation legislation, is fundraising in Oregon with the pesticide and logging industries and other special interests. Pombo is currently leading the charge to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to dismantle the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

"Pombo is the toast of the town today for groups who would revoke decades of environmental protections," said Paul Shively with the Sierra Club in Oregon. "But Oregonians who care about clean air and water, wild places and wildlife should be gravely concerned about what Pombo is up to back in D.C."

Of all the species ever conserved under the Endangered Species Act, over 99 percent have been spared from extinction. Some, such as the Aleutian canada goose and peregrine falcon have recovered healthy populations. Many others, such as the Gila trout, grizzly bear and gray wolf are on the road to recovery. For some, such as wild salmon, the Endangered Species Act is their best hope for survival.

"Because of the Endangered Species Act, we still have bald eagles in Oregon's forests, wild coho salmon in our rivers, and gray whales off the coast," said Jay Ward, Conservation Director of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. "The Endangered Species Act is protecting the things that make Oregon a special place to live, work, and raise a family."

"Pombo is in Oregon searching for money to support his campaign to dismantle the Endangered Species Act's system of checks and balances against reckless development," said Rolf Skar of the Siskiyou Project.

Earlier in the week, Pombo visited Anchorage, Alaska, to address a group and discuss his plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as part of the Federal Budget. He was also in Washington for a helicopter tour of the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness area, a proposal he has quashed in the past despite bipartisan support from the state's congressional delegation.