UHP Goes Independent: In January, after some nine years as a project of Earth Island Institute, Urban Habitat Program (UHP) announced plans to become independent of EII. In a joint EII/UHP statement, EII Chair David Brower declared "We are proud of the considerable accomplishments and growing leadership of Carl Anthony and the Urban Habitat staff in so many areas relating to environmental justice, and we look forward to working actively with them as their programs unfold at the Presidio of San Francisco."

In order to focus his energies on the UHP transition and the new multicultural environmental leadership institute being sponsored by UHP, Carl Anthony has stepped down as EII president.

EII sends its best wishes to UHP as it becomes the latest "spin off" organization - following in the footsteps of the Rainforest Action Network, International Rivers Network and Northern Appalachian Restoration Project. On February 7, EII's board of directors elected veteran boardmember Bob Wilkinson as EII's new president and welcomed four new boardmembers - development professional Carole Combs, environmental lawyer Veronica Eady, anthropologist Lisa Faithorn and attorney Susan Reid.

Bluewater Network and other clean-water advocates recently got two-stroke engines banned from the waters of municipal drinking water reservoirs around San Francisco Bay. Bluewater Director Russell Long was profiled in the April issue of Boating magazine. Bluewater reports that the US National Park Service's [NPS, Interior Bldg., PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127, (202) 343-6843.] proposed rules to regulate jetskis are under heavy industry pressure. Letters of support for tough anti-pollution regulations are being accepted through May 1.

Journal Goes to Bat for Oprah: On February 11, the Journal faxed copies of its exposés on mad cow disease and rendering plant practices to lawyers defending Oprah Winfrey in a "food disparagement" trial in Texas. On February 18, the AP reported that Winfrey's lawyers opened their case "with a series of graphic photos depicting sheeps' heads, entrails and euthanized pets headed for the renderer." (See "The Truth About Cats and Dogs," and "A Look Inside a Rendering Plant," Summer '96 EIJ). On February 26, Winfrey was acquitted.

Journal's "Best Censored" Story: Karl Grossman's report on the world's response to the crash of a Russian space probe into the Peruvian Andes ["Plutonium Strikes the Earth. Ho-Hum," Fall '97 EIJ] was selected as one of the Ten Best Censored Stories of 1997 by Sonoma State University's Project Censored judges.

Seals Saved: When California's department of transportation (CalTrans), announced plans to retrofit San Francisco Bay's Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, EII's Mark "The Berminator" Berman and other environmentalists rushed to the defense of the bay's 200 harbor seals. The bridge passes over one of the seals' favorite haul-out sites and it was feared that construction noise might cause the seals to abandon the site - and possibly the bay. After threat of a lawsuit and some negative press, CalTrans agreed to protect the seals.

Paper Progress: About 75 percent of the trees used to produce US wood fiber come from southeastern states. After meeting with Southern chip mill workers who voiced growing concern over the destruction of their forests and way of life, ReThink Paper [RTP, 870 Market Street, No. 1011, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 398-2433, fax -2635] Project Director Emily Miggins delivered some sobering news about the state of our forests to the American Pulpwood Association conference and advocated the use of wood-paper substitutes including agricultural residues, hemp and kenaf.

Coming soon: RTP's new Paper Locator - one of the most comprehensive guides to alternative paper producers, suppliers, qualities and costs. It will be printed on a variety of tree-free papers.

Dave and the Dalai Lama: A conversation between Earth Island Founder Dave Brower and His Holiness the Dalai Lama was featured in the Winter 1997 "Earth in Crisis" issue of Whole Earth Magazine [1408 Mission Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901].Tibetan Plateau Project Director Justin Lowe provided the previously unpublished transcript of a 1991 meeting between Brower and the spiritual leader of Tibet.

Is Paris Greening?: A global network of "green maps" is being compiled to help tourists find green spaces, vegetarian restaurants, bike paths and solar buildings around the world. EII's Yggdrasil Institute Director Mary Davis is assembling the green guide to Paris and invites your suggestions at wildearth@igc.org or (502) 868-9074.

Forest Defender: David Brower's former assistant Jimmy Langman spent several months in Chile with Defensores del Bosque Chileño [Defenders of the Chilean Forest, Antonia Lopez de Bello 024, Providencia, Santiago, Chile, bosquech@entelchile.net] and has authored a new report, "NAFTA, Free Trade and the Crisis in Chile's Forests." It is available from the Western Ancient Forest Campaign [1025 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20005].

A Patented Success: The Sea Turtle Restoration Project's (STRP) "Turtle-Safe Shrimp" logo is now protected by the US Patent Office. STRP's Turtle-Safe campaign has received a lot of media attention thanks to Campaign Coordinator Teri Shore. STRP's new video documentary, "Ancient Sea Turtles: Stranded in the Modern World," features beautiful underwater footage and an in-depth look at how shrimp trawling threatens sea turtle survival.

Baikal Watch announces two important victories for its Russian partners. The Baikal Fund and the Pacific Environment and Resources Center helped persuade local Siberian administrators to revoke a gold mining license for Alkhanai Mountain, considered by Tibetan Buddhists to be the world's sixth most sacred site. The decision accepted the findings of the first environmental impact assessment ever performed by Russian NGOs.

In a second victory, Russian public interest groups led by the EcoJuris Institute won a suit challenging a decree signed by Prime Minister Chernomyrdin that would have opened hundreds of square miles of protected Russian forests to logging and other industrial uses.

Whale Diplomacy: In his role as a board member of the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation, International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) chief and EII Executive Director Dave Phillips has been shuttling to meetings in Iceland, Scotland and Ireland, hoping to find a way to move Keiko, the star of the Free Willy film series, closer to freedom. (See story on page 6).

Laura Seligsohn has kicked off IMMP's new Pinniped Fisheries Campaign (PFC), which is dedicated to finding creative solutions to the conflicts between human salmon fishers and Pacific harbor seals and California sea lions. Pinnipeds (Greek for "feather feet") recently have been the target of illegal shootings and fishing interests have proposed amending the Marine Mammal Protection Act to legalize the shooting of seals and sea lions. PFC's campaign is based on a coalition approach that searches for real solutions to the conflict between humans and seals.

Box Lunch: When threatened box turtles, soft-bellied turtles, frogs and other protected species turned up for sale in San Francisco's live food markets, Mark Berman and animal activist Eric Mills raised a ruckus. California Fish and Game officials subsequently proposed a ban on the import and sale of frogs and turtles for live food markets.

Happy 100: EII's favorite activist, Outdoors West editor Hazel Wolf, celebrated her 100th birthday on March 21 at a Seattle Audubon Society party to kick off a $300,000 campaign for the Hazel Wolf Endowment supporting "Kids for the Environment." For more information, contact Seattle Audubon at (206) 523-1458.

Donation Welcomed: EII warmly acknowledges a donation of a $2,000 "Leadership Library on CD" containing contact information for more than 350,000 individuals - members of Congress; federal, state and municipal officials; and foreign and domestic corporate executives. Joan Townsend made the donation in memory of her father, Robert Townsend, former Avis Rent A Car president, author of Up the Corporation, and a friend of marine mammals.

Hey, Web-heads!: Check out the upcoming changes in the Earth Island website [www.earthisland.org] and let our new Webmeister Brian West [mbwest@bigfoot.com] know how we can serve you even better.

Welcome Aboard: Ashley Evans is EII's new office manager and Joanne Porter has returned as Administrative Assistance to the Executive Director. Kassa Mengitsu is our new Accounting Associate. The Journal welcomes Managing Editor Paige Sorvillo and Editor Chris Clarke (formerly editor of Terrain magazine).

Bon Voyage: Fond farewells to valued colleagues Tristi Tanaka, Elizabeth Peralta and Carrie Wilson and to Chris Franklin, Dave Brower's indomitable assistant who is now headed north to Alaska.

Wish List: With the expansion of our core staff and a move into a newly renovated suite, EII is in need of donations of "systems" office furniture and additional computer equipment (Mac Quadra and newer). Prospective donors can contact Joanne Porter at (415) 788-3666, ext. 137.

- CW