Moving day

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:27:19 -0700

The Endangered Places blog has a new home on Tumblr. This new location offers a more conversational experience for readers who like to comment or reblog, has a better platform for photos and videos, and makes it easier for other Tumblr users to keep tabs on news from the world’s disappearing destinations.

Don’t use Tumblr? That’s okay. You can subscribe to the new RSS feed here: http://endangeredplaces.tumblr.com/rss

Thanks for taking the journey with us!

Giving back

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 10:08:47 -0800

Here is a list of advocacy organizations that can help you learn more about these endangered places and how to give back. Many of these groups were instrumental in the reporting of Disappearing Destinations, and we encourage you to help them as they work to save some of the world’s most fragile and treasured places.

The Alps

International Commission for the Protection of the Alps
Schaan, Switzerland

Alpine Initiative
Altdorf, Switzerland

World Wildlife Fund-Austria
Alpine Programme,
Innsbruck, Austria

Amazon Basin

Amazon Watch
San Francisco, CA

Save America’s Forests
Washington, DC

Appalachia

Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment
Lewisburg, WV

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
Huntington, WV

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

The Gwich'in Steering Committee
Fairbanks, AK

Defenders of Wildlife
Anchorage, AK

Aysén, Patagonia, Chile

Ecosistemas
Santiago, Chile

CODEFF Aisén
Coyhaique, Chile

Banks Island, Canada

Climate Action Network
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

International Institute for Sustainable Development
Community Adaptation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Boreal Forests, Finland

Reindeer Herders’ Association
Rovaniemi, Finland

Canary Islands, Spain

Asociación Tinerfeña de Amigos de la Naturaleza
Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Ecologistas en Acción de Canarias
Las Palmas de GC

Cascades, Oregon and Washington

Climate Impacts Group
Center for Science in the Earth System
Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean
University of Washington, Seattle, WA

David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory
Columbia Tech Center
Vancouver, WA

Casco Bay, Maine

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
Portland, ME

Friends of Casco Bay
South Portland, ME

Chacaltaya, Bolivia

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Paris, France

The Congo, Central Africa

Wildlife Conservation Society
Bronx Zoo
Bronx, NY

Danube River and Delta

Regional Environmental Program for Central and Eastern Europe
Szentendre, Hungary

European Rivers Network
Le Puy, Southern France

World Wildlife Fund
Danube-Carpathian Programme
Bucharest, Romania

Dead Sea, Israel and Jordan

Friends of the Earth Middle East
Amman, Jordan

Global Nature Fund
International Foundation for Environment and Nature
Radolfzell, Germany

Everest National Park

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Khumaltar, Kathmandu, Nepal

WWF Nepal Program
Kathmandu, Nepal

Everglades, Florida

Earthjustice
Tallahassee, FL

Friends of the Everglades
Miami, FL

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Galápagos Conservancy
Falls Church , VA

World Wildlife Fund, Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador

Glacier National Park / Flathead Valley

Flathead Coalition
Whitefish MT

National Parks Conservation Association
Glacier Field Office
Whitefish, MT

Great Barrier Reef

Heron Island Research Station
Centre for Marine Studies
University of Queensland
Gladstone, Queensland
Austraila

ReefED
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Townsville, Queensland
Australia

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Appalachian Voices
Boone, NC

National Parks Conservation Association
Southeast Regional Office
Knoxville, TN

Hudson Bay, Canada

Inuit Circumpolar Conference
Ottawa, Ontario

Natural Resources Defense Council
New York, NY

Inner and Outer Banks, North Carolina

North Carolina Coastal Federation
Newport, NC

Inside Passage, British Columbia

Bluewater Network
San Francisco, CA

The British Columbia Environmental Network
Victoria, BC

Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters
Haines, AK

Machu Picchu, Peru

World Monuments Fund
New York, NY

Maasailand, Kenya

Maasai Environmental Resource Coalition
Washington, DC

Mesoamerican Reef, Central America

The Coral Reef Alliance
San Francisco, CA

WWF Centroamérica
San José, Costa Rica

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Climate Institute
Washington, DC

Porter Assistance Project
International Mountain Explorers Connection
Boulder, CO

Oahu, Hawaii

Sierra Club Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii

Surfrider Foundation, Oahu chapter
Honolulu, Hawaii

Rio Grande

American Rivers
Washington, DC

Amigos Bravos
Albuquerque, NM

Middle Rio Grande Water Assembly
Albuquerque, NM

Bioluminescent Bays, Puerto Rico

Fideicomiso
San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust
Vieques, Puerto Rico

Timbuktu, Mali

Timbuktu Educational Foundation
Alameda, CA

Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos National Trust
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI

Tuvalu and Maldives

Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Apia, Samoa

Seacology
Berkeley, CA

Venice, Italy

Venice in Peril
Ranelagh Gardens
London, UK

Yangtze River Valley, China

International Rivers Network
Berkeley, CA 94703

Probe International
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Yellowstone National Park

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Washington, DC

Sierra Club Grizzly Bear Project
Bozeman, MT

Buffalo Field Campaign
West Yellowstone, Montana

© 2010 Kimberly Lisagor & Heather Hansen

Two more awards for Disappearing Destinations

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 16:01:25 -0700

The American Society of Journalists and Authors awarded Disappearing Destinations the top honor in its 2009 Outstanding Book Awards in the General Nonfiction category. It is a tremendous honor even to be listed among the distinguished nominees, and we are extremely grateful to the judges for their acknowledgment of our work.

We are also proud to have won a “Top Hand” Award from the Colorado Authors League. In support of their decision to honor us with the organization’s Creative Nonfiction award, the judges made the following comments:

“Disappearing Destinations is a well-written and beautifully organized “call to arms,” regarding the environmental degradation of several popular tourist locations around the world.” Robert L. Shoop, author of several non-fiction works.

“I think this book should be required reading for all high school students and legislators—state and federal! It’s beautifully written.” Cheryl Shubert, librarian.

If you’ve read the book, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Post a review!

Adios, viajeros

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:12:41 -0700

Between the swine flu, the earthquake and the drug cartel violence, the media frenzy around Mexico’s recent misfortunes is having a devastating effect on the country’s travel professionals.

Our tourism dollars feed hundreds of thousands of families. Not to downplay the horrors of death by disease or drug violence, but the number of victims does not compare to those affected by the sudden blow to this $13.3 billion industry.

Fact: The plain old flu killed tens of thousands of Americans this year. Fact: Car accidents kill more than 42,000 Americans each year. Fact: The United States has a higher rate of gun deaths per capita than Mexico.

A recent TripAdvisor poll found that one in four travelers will change their trip plans because of the flu scare. The travel website also reported a 50 percent drop in page views of hotels in Mexico between April 27 and April 30, compared to the previous week. Page views for Caribbean hotels went up about 30 percent in the same time period.

We encourage travelers to take reasonable precautions. But please keep your fear in check.

Scientists no longer endangered

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 10:02:48 -0800

While speaking to the Department of the Interior yesterday, President Obama announced that his administration is reviewing the 11th-hour Bush ruling that allowed agencies like the Army Corp of Engineers to act without consulting federal wildlife experts, even if such projects could harm endangered species. In the interim, scientists must be involved in all decisions.

“…Today I’ve signed a memorandum that will help restore the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, a process undermined by past administrations,” said Obama. “The work of scientists and experts in my administration - including right here in the Interior Department - will be respected.”

- H.H.

Calling citizen climatologists

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 14:11:27 -0800

You may have noticed certain flowers blooming earlier than usual in your neighborhood, or maybe you’ve witnessed the disappearance of a plant species from your area entirely. If you’ve ever wanted to share your observations and do more to raise climate change awareness, there’s now an easy way to do it.

The U.S. Geological Survey announced yesterday that their partner in tracking the effects of climate change, the USA-National Phenology Network, is recruiting volunteer naturalists to report their findings on the organization’s website. You can register as an observer here. For now it’s all about plants but a wildlife project is currently in the works.

- H.H.

Thrill, baby, thrill

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 12:04:16 -0800

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar turned back the clock yesterday on the hotly debated lease of 130,000 acres in Utah for oil and gas development.

The Deseret News reported that Salazar decided to give back the $6 million the Bureau of Land Management made on the deal because the land is too close to "American iconic treasures," including Arches and Canyonlands national parks, Dinosaur National Monument and Nine Mile Canyon. He said that the sale "did not pass the smell test in terms of the environmental review process."

In its reporting on the drilling issue, the Washington Post mentioned that Salazar is also now reviewing pending leases for oil shale development in valuable wilderness areas in Colorado and Wyoming. The House Natural Resources Committee also holds its first hearings on offshore drilling next week. Stay tuned.

- H.H.