Turning Up the Heat: The Summit on Global Warming in Kyoto, Japan, put the spotlight on the work of the Atmosphere Alliance (AA) - an EII project that advocates replacing fossil fuels with environmentally sound alternatives. AA captured the lead story in the October 7 issue of The Olympian (one of Washington state's major regional newspapers) and project director Rhys Roth delivered a public lecture on global warming to the Oregon Research Institute. Roth also discussed AA's work on several radio shows in the Pacific Northwest. AA's latest report, El Niņo and Global Warming, has just been published. To become a member and receive AA's newsletter, No Sweat News, mail $20 to AA. Send a check for $30 and you'll also receive Earth Island Journal. [2103 Harrison NW, No. 2615, Olympia, WA 98502-2607].

A Whale of a Time: Whales Alive, a project of the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP), hosted the Celebration of Whales Conference in Maui, Hawai'i from January 15 to 18. This public event brought together some of the world's top cetacean researchers and a host of luminaries from the save-the-whales movement - including IMMP's David Phillips, Mark Berman and Brenda Killian. For more information on this annual event, contact Stan or Carol Butler at PO Box 2058, Kihei, Maui, HI 96753 or whalesalive@igc.apc.org.

Halt the Salt! EII sent a letter to Mitsubishi President Mr. Tohei Takeuchi urging him to halt plans for a salt plant and evaporation ponds in Vizcaino Reserve's San Ignacio Lagoon. Vizcaino, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest wildlife refuge in Latin America and the last pristine gray whale birthing lagoon in Baja, Mexico. Mitsubishi's partner in the salt project, Exportada de Sal, is owned by the Mexican government.

Rocking the Boats (and Jet Skis): A Bluewater Network (BWN) sign-on letter pushed the International Maritime Organization to cut global sulfur oxide emissions from marine vessels by 1.5 percent. On November 14, BWN dispatched a letter to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt - signed by 70 organizations, representing over 4 million people - calling for a complete ban on jet skis in national parks. BWN's pending court settlement with the National Marine Manufacturers Association over violations of Proposition 65 - California's toxic materials law - [Fall '97 EIJ] would include an EcoLabel program mandating the listing of volatile organic compound emissions on all new outboard engines. NPR's November 22 edition of "Living on Earth" featured a report on BWN's successful campaign to have two-stroke motors banned at Lake Tahoe [Fall '97 EIJ].

The Nonwood Paper Scene: At last October's Technical Association for the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) Nonwood Plant Fibers Committee meeting, ReThink Paper (RTP) Director Emily Miggins helped draft a proposal for the pilot of an EPA-administered nonwood pulping mill. At the TAPPI conference, Fox River Paper Co. - which has been criticized by environmentalists for importing bamboo pulp from Thailand [Fall '97 EIJ] - expressed interest in securing sustainable domestic sources for its agrifiber. In November, RTP helped the San Francisco Board of Supervisors select an environmentally preferable paper (100% recycled/processed chlorine-free) for their daily office and communications needs. This spring, RTP will launch the first edition of the Paper Locator - an extensive guide featuring technical and environmental information on US-made nonwood-based papers. For more information, contact RTP at 300 Broadway, No. 28, San Francisco, CA 94133 or rtp@earthisland.org.

Troubles with the Farm: Former Mangrove Action Project (MAP) co-director Kate Cissna organized a Santa Barbara, California, planning forum for the Industrial Shrimp Action Network (ISA Net) - an umbrella group representing more than 14 nations fighting the global expansion of industrial shrimp farming. The shrimp industry, a $6 billion global business, has destroyed a million hectares of critical coastal wetlands (including mangrove forests), disrupted and displaced traditional fishing communities and contaminated freshwater supplies. At the November 19 meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Council, MAP co-director and ISA Net steering member Alfredo Quarto participated in the "Shrimp Break" campaign, calling for a temporary moratorium on purchasing farm-raised shrimp. You can sign on to the Shrimp Break by writing MAP at 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N, No. 321, Seattle, WA 98103 or mangroveap@olympus.net.

No Heart of Gold: One of the world's six most sacred Tibetan Buddhist sites, the Alkhanay Mountain region on the Chinese, Russian and Mongolian borders, is threatened by unconstrained open-pit gold mining and processing. EII's Baikal Watch (BW) is working with local activists to launch the first public-interest environmental impact assessment (EIA) in eastern Russia. BW hopes the EIA will protect the region's endangered Siberian lynx, sable, the Himalayan bear as well as the region's gold miners, who ingest the "maximum annual dose" of radioactivity every 100 hours.

Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP) welcomes Jennifer Krill and Teri Shore to their team. Jennifer (reknowned for her climbing and banner- hanging skills in nonviolent direct actions for anti-toxics and forest campaigns) is managing STRP's office and coordinating outreach, while former outreach director Iseult Creutchfield pursues her music career with the band "42." Teri is coordinating the Turtle-Safe Shrimp Certification Program. Kim Gunther-Webster is RTP's new information specialist. BWN recently hired jetski campaign intern Sheila Gallardi.

A Lost World Is Rediscovered: In 1963, shortly before Glen Canyon vanished beneath the waters of the Glen Canyon Dam, Dave Brower wandered through this doomed natural wonder and documented its magnificence with a 16-mm movie camera. Rediscovered after 30 years, this rare footage forms the core of a new Lili Schad film, Let the River Run: A Journey into Glen Canyon. Copies of the 20-minute film are now available to EII members. Send checks for $16 to The Brower Fund, 300 Broadway, No. 28, San Francisco, CA 94133.

Earth Island Journal was honored to receive a nomination for UTNE Reader's 1997 Alternative Press Award in the area of Scientific and Environmental Reporting. Actual winners are still to be announced.

Eco Cities in Africa: Richard Register's cover story in the Spring 1996 Journal, has grown into an exceptionally beautiful and inspiring book chronicling, in words and photos, the Third International EcoCity Conference in Yoff, Nigeria. Village Wisdom / Future Cities is available for $21 from EcoCity Builders [5427 Telegraph Avenue, Suite W-2, Oakland, CA 94609]; $24 for foreign orders (surface mail).

Medicine Mountain: On November 6, the Sacred Land Film Project [SLPF, PO Box C-151, La Honda, CA 94020] premiered by SLFP director Toby McLeod's latest work, A Thousands Years of Ceremony. The film, which opened the American Indian Film Festival at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, is narrated by Peter Coyote. A Thousands Years of Ceremony tells the story of native activist Florence Jones and the Winnemem Wintu's struggle to preserve their spiritual and ceremonial connection to Mt. Shasta, a towering snow-covered volcanic peak in northern California.