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EarthWINS Daily #3.93
2/7/98
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 1998 12:09:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Alice McCombs <amccombs@igc.apc.org>
Contents
1. ARIZONA: Judge Dismisses Suit On Hopi-Navajo Pact
2. BC Indian Land Claims
3. World Water Initiative in the Works
4. International Year of Biodiversity
5. Sustainable Business Network: February Site - Update
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. ARIZONA: Judge Dismisses Suit On Hopi-Navajo Pact
>Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 11:46:33 -0700
>From: Navajo Nation News <rezman@infomagic.com>
>Reply-To: rezman@infomagic.com
>Organization: Navajo-Hopi Land Commission
>Sender: owner-sovernet-l@speakeasy.org
>
>The story is submitted here by the Navajo Nation:
>
>http://www.sltrib.com/020698/utah/21304.htm
>
>Judge Dismisses Suit On Hopi-Navajo Pact
>
> THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
> FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A federal judge
has dismissed a lawsuit that
>challenged a settlement of a century-old land dispute between the
Navajo
>and Hopi tribes.
> U.S. District Judge Earl Carroll ruled
Jan. 26 that he did not
>have jurisdiction to rule
> whether the accommodation agreement was illegal because the
case
>involved two sovereign
> tribes and was ratified by Congress.
> Eight Navajos living on a disputed
area of the Hopi reservation
>filed a suit last October
> challenging the settlement, which was signed into federal law
by
>President Clinton in 1996
> and allowed Navajos in the disputed area to sign 75-year leases
with
>the Hopi tribe.
> The suit claimed the settlement was
unfair because it didn't
>provide for infrastructure
> improvements and limited Navajos living on the Hopi land ``to
only
>subsistence activities.''
> If the case isn't appealed, Hopi officials
said the tribe can
>ratify the leases with the 316
> Navajo families who last year agreed to live under Hopi jurisdiction
>rather than be relocated.
>
> For the 28 families who refuse to sign
leases and refuse to move,
>Hopi officials said the
> deadline for to be off Hopi-partitioned land is Feb. 1, 2000.
>
> [Image] [Image] Friday,
February 6, 1998 [Image] [Image]
>
>
Judge Dismisses Suit On Hopi-Navajo Pact
>
> THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
> FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. --
> A federal judge has
> dismissed a lawsuit that challenged a settlement of a century-old
> land dispute between the Navajo and Hopi tribes.
> U.S. District Judge Earl Carroll ruled Jan.
26 that he did not
> have jurisdiction to rule whether the accommodation agreement was
> illegal because the case involved two sovereign tribes and was
> ratified by Congress.
> Eight Navajos living on a disputed area of
the Hopi reservation
> filed a suit last October challenging the settlement, which was
> signed into federal law by President Clinton in 1996 and allowed
> Navajos in the disputed area to sign 75-year leases with the Hopi
> tribe.
> The suit claimed the settlement was unfair
because it didn't
> provide for infrastructure improvements and limited Navajos living
on
> the Hopi land ``to only subsistence activities.''
> If the case isn't appealed, Hopi officials
said the tribe can
> ratify the leases with the 316 Navajo families who last year agreed
> to live under Hopi jurisdiction rather than be relocated.
> For the 28 families who refuse to sign leases
and refuse to move,
> Hopi officials said the deadline for to be off Hopi-partitioned land
> is Feb. 1, 2000.
>
> © Copyright 1998, The Salt Lake Tribune
>
> All material found on Utah OnLine is copyrighted The Salt Lake
> Tribune and associated news services. No material may be reproduced
> or reused without explicit permission from The Salt Lake Tribune.
> --------------------------------------------------
> Contact The Salt Lake Tribune or Utah OnLine
by clicking here.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 19:14:20 -0800
Reply-To: Ecol-Econ@csf.colorado.edu
Sender: owner-Ecol-Econ@csf.colorado.edu
From: Ed Deak <thinker@uniserve.com>
Vancouver Sun, Feb.2,1998.
B.C. INDIAN CHIEFS LAY CLAIM TO ENTIRE PROVINCE, RESOURCES. By Rick Ouston.
THE PROVINCIAL GOVT. IS REVIEWING A DEMAND BY THE FIRST NATIONS SUMMIT
FOR
AN IMMEDIATE FREEZE ON ANY DEVELOPMENT OF LAND RESOURCES ANYWHERE IN
B.C.
BC's native Indians are laying claim to every tree, every rock, every
fish
and every animal in the province.
In an unprecedented set of demands, the province's reserve Indians are
brandishing a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision they say grants
them
unfettered control of the entire BC land mass, including forests, mines
and fish
The First Nations Summit laid out its list of demands to federal Indian
Affairs Minister Jane Stewart and provincial Aboriginals Affairs Minister
John Cashore in a meeting Saturday. Neither Minister would comment
at the
end of the meeting.
Peter Smith, manager of media relations for the provincial aboriginal
affairs ministry, said Sunday the BC government is reviewing the demands
"and will respond at some point but it's a bit early at this point
to say
when and how we will respond."
Various native groups have staked their claims to portions of BC over
the years.
The borders of the individual claims - representing areas where native
bands
historically fished, hunted, gathered or traded- overlap, covering
the
entire province.
But the natives have, until now, never demanded land or profit from
land in
private hands. And for the first time they are speaking in a united
voice to
demand, simply, legal title to BC.
The natives want an immediate freeze on any development anywhwere in
the
province, of land and resources. The natives said they understand the
enormity of their claims, and what they could mean to the finacial
lifeblood
of BC.
"It is not First Nations' intention to bankrupt the economy of the
province", they said in a written statement. "Rather, it is our objective
to
assme our rightful place and fully participate in the economy of this
province."
Robert Louie, of the Westbank First Nation in the Okanagan, said natives
are
offering respectful and good faith negotiations" with the government.
But he
noted that the native land claim has serious repercussions on future
investment in the province.
"As long as treaties are left unresolved there can be no legal or economic
certainty in BC," he said.
The natives say proof of aboriginal title lies in the ruling by the
Supreme
Court in a case called Delgamuukw, in which Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en
Indians
laid claim to a huge parcel of north-central BC.
While the BC Supreme Court ruled against the natives, the Supreme Court
of
Canada determined the lower court erred in law by not allowing important
evidence proving longstanding native habitation and unextinguished
rights.
The ruling agreed with the natives' position they they still have ownership
of land they once controlled, including the right to veto Crown land-use
decisions.
Since the Dec.11 ruling, all sides in the case remained silent, figuring
out
what the binding decision means. The natives were first off the mark
Saturday, softening their position of strength by offering a "cooling
off
period" to allow natives and government to fully consider the implications
of Delgamuukw on the BC economy and people.
But, warned Grand Chief Edward John of the Tl'azt'en Nation near Fort
St.James,
north-west of Prince George :"The BC and federal government cannot
continue
with a business as usual approach."
To that end, the natives say anything they consider an "alienation of
lands
and resources" must be suspended until natives give informed consent.
All
actions, inclusing licenses, leases and permits-would constitute "unlawful
infringements" of native rights, they say.
"Where First Nations consent to infringement, fair compensation must
be
provided," the natives said, adding that compensation could include
"revenue
sharing" such as stumpage rates, the amount of money the government
charges
forestry companies to harvest trees on Crown land.
And unlike the current treaty system in which bands are loaned millions
of
dollars to pay legal bills of lawyers engaged in negotiations-with
the
understanding the money will be repaid out of the final settlement-
the
natives now say they should receive outright cash contributions to
meet
their legal bills, and that all existing loans should be forgiven.
If the governments do not accede to the demands, the natives say they
will
pursue their interests in ther courts. Armed with the high court ruling
as
legal precedent, the natives say any court fight over the issue would
surely
result in an order in their favour.
" The Supreme Court said aboriginal people have aboriginal title, which
is a
legal interest in the land and a right to the land itself," the statement
said.
"The court also acknowledged that aboriginal title is on an equal footing
with Crown title".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question: How does this ruling affect federal treaty making rights, i.e.MAI?
How does the ruling affect aboriginal landclaims in other countries,
i.e.
NZ, Australia, Africa, USA, etc. ad infinitum?
All the very best, Ed. (Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC, Canada)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3. World Water Initiative in the Works
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 09:46:33 -0500
Reply-To: newsdesk@envirolink.org
Sender: owner-environews@envirolink.org
From: EnviroLink News Service <newsdesk@envirolink.org>
WORLD WATER INITIATIVE IN THE WORKS
HARARE, Zimbabwe, February 2, 1998 (ENS) - Experts on freshwater resources
from around the world ended four days of talks here Friday with
recommendations that could form the basis of a global initiative to
conserve and protect freshwater.
The meeting of more than 120 water experts was the first in a series
set
for the next few months to address the world's growing water crisis,
leading up to talks at the sixth session of the Commission on Sustainable
Development in late April.
Governments gave this issue highest priority at the Earth Summit+5 special
session of the General Assembly last June. They based their urgency
on an
alarming report showing that by 2025, two thirds of the world's people
will
live in countries facing moderate to severe water stress unless action
is
taken now.
The expert group recommended that governments establish national water
policies to ensure "efficient and equitable" allocation of freshwater
for
health, basic human needs and food security.
While noting that full costs have to be covered in order for water
providers to remain financially viable, the experts proposed that subsidies
for specific groups, particularly the poor, might be needed in some
countries. International cooperation to support national action was
seen as
very important in such areas as finance, technology and training.
The group stressed the need for sustainability and recognition of the
role
of ecosystems in water management, and strongly recommended the involvement
of all stakeholders at all levels and transparency in policy decisions
and
management of the resources.
In many countries, women, who play a key role in providing and safeguarding
domestic water, need to be empowered and included in water management
schemes, the experts recognized.
Closing the meeting, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rural Resources
and
Water Development, Zimbabwe, Finnie Munyira, said that it is now evident
that water is a resource whose problems defy political boundaries,
and
consequently solutions will require global cooperation and mutual assistance.
The Harare meeting, organized by the United Nations, was hosted by the
Government of Zimbabwe with sponsorship from the European Commission
and
the Governments of Denmark, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden and
the
United Kingdom.
Governments will take up the expert group's recommendations at the
Commission's intersessional working group on freshwater from February
23 to
27 in New York.
They will then seek to build consensus at a ministerial-level International
Conference on Water and Sustainable Development, to be held in Paris
from
March 19 to 21, sponsored by the French Government. Elements of an
international initiative could be agreed upon at the Commission's session,
which runs from April 20 to May 1, in New York.
The 1997 Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the
World,
prepared by the United Nations and the Stockholm Environment Institute
for
the Earth Summit review session, found that:
* By 2025, two thirds of the world population - close to 5.5 billion
people - will live in countries in which efforts to achieve economic
growth
and social progress are likely to face serious problems, given the
continuation of current water usage and management policies.
* Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population
increase during this century.
* In 1995, 20 per cent of the world population did not have access
to safe
drinking water and 50 per cent lacked proper sanitation.
* At any given time, approximately one half of the people in the
developing world are suffering from a sickness associated with unclean
water.
---
The EnviroNews Service
| E-Mail: newsdesk@envirolink.org
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IF YOU WISH TO REPRINT ANYTHING WITHIN THESE ARTICLES, please send e-mail
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within is Copyright (c) 1997 The EnviroLink Network unless noted otherwise.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
4. International Year of Biodiversity
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 09:25:43 -0500
Reply-To: newsdesk@envirolink.org
Sender: owner-environews@envirolink.org
From: EnviroLink News Service <newsdesk@envirolink.org>
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY
STANFORD, California, February 4, 1998 (ENS) - Secretary-general of
the
International Council of Scientific Unions, Harold Mooney, who is also
professor of biological sciences at Stanford University is spearheading
a
worldwide effort to assess the state of biodiversity on Earth.
On Friday, February 13, at the annual meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Philadelphia, Mooney and four
other internationally prominent scientists will introduce plans for
the
International Biodiversity Observation Year, to begin in 2001.
"We're asking the world's best scientists to take a year or two to put
their minds to this problem: How can biodiversity science be elevated
to
the forefront of the scientific agenda?" Mooney expalined. Human activities
now dominate the natural systems of the planet, Mooney said. "In a
very
real sense, we cannot escape responsibility for managing our impact
on
those systems. It's time for scientists to take stock of what we know,
and
what we need to learn, so society can act on that responsibility."
Mooney is co-organizer of a symposium at the AAAS meeting with population
ecologist Jos Sarukhn, professor and former rector of UNAM, the National
Autonomous University of Mexico. Sarukhn, currently a visiting professor
at
the Center for Conservation Biology and the Center for Latin American
Studies at Stanford, is the chair of a committee of scientists who
have
volunteered to organize the International Biodiversity Observation
Year
dubbed IBOY.
He and Mooney will be joined in the symposium by three other prominent
scientists. Microbiologist Rita Colwell is past president of AAAS and
current president of the Biotechnology Institute at the University
of
Maryland. President Bill Clinton recently announced his intention to
nominate her as deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
AAAS
past president Jane Lubchenco, a marine ecologist at Oregon State
University, is a member of the National Science Board. Evolutionary
biologist Michael J. Donoghue is director of the Harvard University
Herbaria.
The five will discuss the urgent need to fill in the gaps of information
about biodiversity at every level, from the genetic variability of
individual species to the workings of ecosystems and to add that to
data
about how human societies interact with and depend on natural systems.
They'll suggest some short-term, intensive international projects that
could achieve concrete results during IBOY.
Among the projects already proposed for IBOY is a global census of deep-sea
organisms, drawn from scientific collections around the world, to make
photos and data about sea creatures available to all via the World
Wide Web.
Another project will launch a world-wide system to watch out for the
health
of coral reefs: scientists experienced in evaluating coral ecosystems
will
train scientists in tropical nations to monitor their own local reefs.
The project is to be coordinated by DIVERSITAS, a scientific program
headquartered in Paris and operating under the auspices of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), the International Council of Scientific Unions,
the
Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), the
International Union of Biological Sciences
(IUBS), the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS)
and the
International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP). The mission of DIVERSITAS
is to promote research on fundamental aspects of biodiversity, and
to
relate the results to policies on conservation and sustainable management.
"Most nations in world except the U.S. have ratified the 1992 Convention
on
Biodiversity," Sarukhn said. "The benefit of IBOY to these nations,
and to
the international organizations working with them on sustainability
issues,
will be scientific information to help fulfill the provisions of that
convention."
Sarukhn said that IBOY is inspired by the International Geophysical
Year in
1957, when scientists worked together across national and academic
boundaries to advance knowledge about the earth, oceans and atmosphere.
"Like the IGY, this process will focus on projects amenable to
international cooperation in data collection, with room for scientists
from
developing nations to participate, however modestly. We expect to integrate
what is already known and to add new data to advance the state of knowledge
about biodiversity and earth's living systems."
---
The EnviroNews Service
| E-Mail: newsdesk@envirolink.org
A Project of the EnviroLink Network | Phone : (412) 683-6400
General Info: info@envirolink.org | Fax : (412)
683-8460
To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message from the account you are subscribed
to: listproc@envirolink.org with the following as the ONLY line of
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EnviroLink is a member supported non-profit organization, for membership
information, visit: http://www.envirolink.org/membership or call
412-683-6400
IF YOU WISH TO REPRINT ANYTHING WITHIN THESE ARTICLES, please send e-mail
to: support@envirolink.org to request permission. All information
contained
within is Copyright (c) 1997 The EnviroLink Network unless noted otherwise.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5. Sustainable Business Network: February Site - Update
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998
13:07:28 -0500
Reply-To: List for Environmental Information <ENVINF-L@NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Sender: List for Environmental Information <ENVINF-L@NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Hello Friends,
The Sustainable Business Network is updated for February at
http://www.envirolink.org/sbn
I'd like to alert you to this month's Business Activism section. Several
bills are moving through the U.S. government which deserve your comments:
<> Comprehensive National Energy Strategy
<> USDA's Proposed Organic Rules
<> Wind Energy Production Tax Credit
You'll find a new section on the home page, Classifieds!
The letters we receive asking us how to find a green job ceased when
we put
up Green Dream Jobs. Same for letters from people looking for investors,
distributors, and capital when we put up Business Opportunities.
The letters keep coming in asking, "How can I support SBN (without spending
a lot of money!) and "How can I let SBN'ers know about my green business?"
By placing a Classified on SBN, you can do both! This is a win-win.
Where
else can you reach out to 400,000 monthly visitors interested specifically
in sustainable business? Feel free to send me your comments...
Selections from February's SBN Journal:
Briefs (selections)
<> Preserve Organics
<> American Tour de Sol Comes to Mid-Atlantic
<> Boston to New York on One Charge!
<> Green-e Renewable Electric Branding Program
<> European Electronics Takeback Proposal
<> Canadian Voluntary Environmental Principles Agreed On
<> Share Price Linked to Environmental Performance
Features
<> A Window to the Future: Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
FROM Solar Today
<> Beyond Wood
FROM E Magazine
<> Environmental Regs & Industry in Developing Countries
FROM Greener Management International
<> Communities Make Their Own Money: Literally
FROM The Schumacher Society and Coop America
Spotlight: (selections)
<> Poland Breathes Easier With Geothermal
<> How the Danes Promote Renewable Energy
<> Green-<b>e</b> Power Producers: list
Also:
Green Dream Jobs... Business Opportunities... Business Activism ....
New
Resources .... Events
ENJOY!
Unsubscribe info: You received this message because you visited
the SBN
site and asked for notification/announcements or you have been referred
to
us as an "interested party". To Unsubscribe: Send mail to:
listproc@envirolink.org; In the message, type: unsubscribe sbn
Rona Fried, Ph.D.
Executive Editor, Sustainable Business Network
http://www.envirolink.org/sbn
516-423-3277
f: 4725
-- The Sustainable Business Network is a focal point for the sustainable
business community on the Internet: SBN Journal, Library, Business
Opportunities and, Green Dream Jobs
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