Rearranging the American Landscape Here in the Heartland!
Seeking to quell a public backlash, the U.S. Department of the Interior dropped the White River [Watershed National Blueway designation] on Wednesday from a new federal program that recognizes conservation and recreation efforts along waterways.Click here for the rest of the ABC News article Feds Rescind White River’s Blueway Designation.
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) issued this response:
“We all agree that we should work to protect our waterways, but a new federal Blueway program is not necessary to improve the cooperation of federal and state agencies on the management of the White River. This designation occurred without a formal process – no public comment, lack of transparency from the federal government, and without the broad support of Arkansans. We are happy to see that Secretary Jewell reviewed the program and heard the concerns of our citizens.”
This IS great news, but don’t celebrate too quickly everyone… This is like a Pandora’s box, so get prepared. At the end, this will expose U.N. Agenda 21.
Another federal agency MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) has been uncovered that involves the National Blueways, and it names the White River/Cache River Watershed as a watershed demonstration pilot!
Please take a few minutes to read this newly-found MOU . Give it time to upload, and pay attention to the terminology and language used. We are VERY concerned about what this entails.
Our first question is: why is the U.S. title not used to identify the agencies at the top of the MOU document? (National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Army Corps of Engineers)
Notice in Section I. PURPOSE, nowhere is it mentioned that local representatives or public are involved. It only mentions “the Federal partners”.
In Section II. BACKGROUND, paragraph 1, it has language as follows: “…management approach that can operate across (over the top of?) Federal agency jurisdictions, programs, and authorities.” (emphasis ours)
Does that mean international intrusion or interference “across” federal jurisdictions and/or authorities?
Paragraph 3 of that section mentions President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO) “which calls for a 21st-Century Conservation Agenda”. (This is a code name for the environmentalist. It means Sustainable Development in the 21st Century under United Nations Agenda 21.) U.S. Department of Interior Secretarial Order 3323 “Establishment of the America’s Great Outdoors Program” can be found here. If you’ll notice, Secretarial Order 3323 was implemented right on the heels of Secretarial Order 3321, the order that was just withdrawn. Thus, we believe that Secretarial Order 3323 should be withdrawn, also!
Paragraph 4 of that section says “To facilitate these shared objectives, the Federal agencies established AGO interagency regional landscape and watershed teams”. To whom do these teams report? Who makes up these teams?
It goes on to say “This MOU will formalize the initial Federal agency coordination, including providing a forum for exploring the relationships among existing landscape and watershed-based initiatives.”
The next paragraph states: “While these teams are currently organized under the umbrella of AGO’s demonstration large landscape and water initiative, the need for interagency collaboration and communication transcends any particular initiative.”
Just as we thought, this brings together many different agencies and organizations to implement their environmentalist agenda.
Section IV addresses the mutual benefit and interests of the “signatory Federal partners” which includes “many overlapping and complementary conservation interests” which provides potential for “enhanced cooperation and synergies, especially in the area of large landscape conservation where alignment of multiple resources will result in strategic and effective conservation outcomes.”
In Section V. GUIDING PRINCIPLES, subsection b, it says “…better aligning and leveraging conservation funding and authorities across the executive branch” and concentrating investments. Again, is that international power over the top of the executive branch?
In Section VI. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, subsection c says “Work to increase the pace of conservation activities applied on working farms, ranches, range land, forests, and waters.” Subsection d says “Consider ways to increase the availability of voluntary financial incentives for stewardship of working lands and waters and look for opportunities to develop and expand new markets for nature’s ecological services.”
In Section VII. IMPLEMENTATION, the Connecticut River Watershed AND the White River/ Cache River Watersheds are named as WATERSHED DEMONSTRATION PILOTS! Both of these watersheds are listed in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is connected to the two Blueways designated (the Connecticut River & the White River). See the information at the end of this email for more details about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The same section in subsection (1) mentions establishing and maintaining “interagency landscape and watershed working groups consisting of representatives at the headquarters and regional levels to provide the leadership necessary to coordinate Federal action in each of the identified landscapes.” (emphasis ours) This means NO state or local control or input!
Subsection (2) mentions establishing a “shared vision, metrics, and strategy document for each selected landscape and watershed demonstration area. The document must outline goals and objectives, as well as an implementation plan.”
Subsection (3) is full of alarming terms and verbiage. What is the definition of a “landscape partnership”?
It says in (3) b. “Support landscape partnerships … across federal agencies and partners.” Again, what is a landscape partnership?! Could it have an international element application upon our American or Arkansas property?
We want our congressional delegates to find out!
It says in (3) c. “…encourage access for hunting, fishing, hiking, recreation, and other outdoor activities across private working lands and waters.” (emphasis ours) This is over the top. The access is accomplished by acquisition private property and conservation easements.
If a landscape partnership is ONLY between the state or federal agency or NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and the stakeholders (organizations that support the Blueway), then NO local government or public input is involved!
Two important things to remember:
1. “Watersheds” follow regional boundaries.
2. “Stakeholders” does not mean property owners or the public. “Stakeholders” are organizations and agencies
which support the Blueway.
In subsection (4) it mentions convening “periodically, but at least on a quarterly basis, Federal representatives from across the landscapes and watersheds covered by this MOU to review the progress made under this MOU…” (emphasis ours) We wonder where or when they will meet, and how we may get a copy of the minutes of the meetings.
Section VIII. GENERAL PROVISIONS is the last part of the MOU before the signature pages. Subsection D. Principle Contacts mentions a “chair or co-chair of each interagency work team shall be the principle contact under this MOU for that respective landscape conservation area.” Who will these people be, and to whom do they make themselves accountable?
Why does this MOU have such a strong Agenda for the 21st Century? This is a code name for the environmentalist. It means Sustainable Development in the 21st Century .
The first step was the America’s Great Outdoor initiative.
The second step was a nomination (of the White River Watershed area as a National Blueway).
The third step was a designation (Secretary of Interior Salazar did this, but there was a failure to notify everyone – federal/state/local officials and the public).
The fourth step is an alignment – see this MOU IV. STATEMENT OF MUTUAL BENEFIT AND INTERESTS (page 2 of 7 of the MOU ).
If the Blueway designation failed, shouldn’t the alignment fail, too?
* * * * *
Now, we keep hearing from some people in certain state or federal agencies that this massive conservation effort and the Blueways Systems aren’t tied into U.N. (United Nations) Agenda 21. However, the more research we do, the more we find that they ARE tied together.
In our research, we came across Ramsar Convention of Wetlands. This is how they accumulate more wetlands. Ramsar isn’t a direct U.N. organization, but this is who educates people.
From the 63 page Nomination Document , we have tied the term “Wetlands of International Importance” to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The National Blueway System is connected to the U.N. (United Nations) via the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and other conventions and international organizations. Ducks Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy are members of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Blueway System is connected to “The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The information below is what we found in our research. We are continuing to look for more documentation…
Memoranda of understanding and cooperation with other conventions and international organizations
The Convention on Wetlands came into force for the USA on 18 April 1987. The USA presently has 35 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 1,827,196 hectares.
This is listed for Arkansas
Cache-Lower White Rivers. 21/11/89; Arkansas; 81,376 ha; 34º40’N 091º11’W. National Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife Management Area, Protected Areas. Half of the site is subject to late winter or spring flooding and permanent water consists of rivers, oxbow lakes, and swamps. Particularly notable for containing the longest continuous expanse of bottomland hardwoods (forested, periodically flooded wetlands) in the Lower Mississippi Valley, with the principal tree species varying according to frequency and duration of inundation. The area is internationally important for numerous species of wintering waterbirds, including up to 10,000 Branta canadensis and up to 100 individuals of the endangered eagle Haliaetus leucocephalus. The site supports numerous species of game and fur-bearing mammals including the endangered bear Ursus americanus. The area is also important for conservation education, outdoor recreation, and scientific research. Ramsar site no. 442. Most recent RIS information: 1993.
Click here for more information.
Tracts acquired for USA Ramsar site. Ducks Unlimited is taking a lead role in the acquisition and restoration of two tracts of land, including Raft Creek, 4,165 acres, which is part of the White River ecosystem, and the Hatchiecoon tract, consisting of 900 acres, both included within the Cache-Lower White Rivers Ramsar site (81,376 hectares, designated November 1989) in the midwestern state of Arkansas, USA. The two tracts support one of the largest concentrations of wintering waterfowl in Arkansas. Other partners in this public-private cooperative initiative include the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Wild Turkey Federation, and numerous private donors. More detail is available in this announcement to the Ramsar Forum. [31/8/00]
The Convention on Wetlands text, as amended in 1982 and 1987
Article 2
1. Each Contracting Party shall designate suitable wetlands within its territory for inclusion in a List of Wetlands of International Importance, hereinafter referred to as “the List” which is maintained by the bureau established under Article 8. The boundaries of each wetland shall be precisely described and also delimited on a map and they may incorporate riparian and coastal zones adjacent to the wetlands, and islands or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands, especially where these have importance as waterfowl habitat.
The Ramsar mission
The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem. The treaty was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and the Convention’s member countries cover all geographic regions of the planet.
Memorandum of Cooperation between The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971 and The Nature Conservancy
Ramsar/MAB Joint Programme of Work between The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971 and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Progammea
Memorandum of Cooperation between The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands and Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Memorandum of Cooperation between The Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
There are a lot more, but Ramsar Convention on Wetlands ties Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, UNESCO Man and the Biosphere to the National Blueway System. (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization)
Ramsar Convention Manual, 6th edition http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/lib/manual6-2013-e.pdf
Handbook 1 Wise use of Wetlands Ramsar Handbook 4th edition http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/lib/hbk4-01.pdf
Handbook 2 National Wetland Policies Ramsar Handbook 4th edition http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/lib/hbk4-02.pdf
Other Ramsar Convention Handbooks are available here.
As always, we will continue sending you emails regarding this important topic. Stay tuned!
Wishing you and yours a safe and Happy Fourth of July!
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