My Page: Nancy Jacques

Unfiltered Commentary

Cooperative Conservation became an Executive Order August 26, 2004. Oh, you didn’t hear?

The fanfare then was a whisper, but now it’s time to notice. Leaders of federal agencies responsible for the environment are coming to the public, holding “Listening Sessions” around the country. They’re inviting us to answer specific questions. Leaders will take responses back to Washington in the spirit of “cooperative conservation.” They say. [more]

Guest Commentary

Taking to heart what Mark Twain said - "It’s old news but there’s nothing else the matter with it" – I’ve called upon elders from the past to comment on the current state of this country’s affairs.

So, reader, bone up on the contents of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, and welcome former presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and the genius of Benjamin Franklin. Their familiarity with these documents is, shall we say, uncontested? [more]

Rep. Pombo strikes again

You don’t have to live where tidal spray leaves the skin crusty to love the ocean and care about its future. So when I first caught a hint of The American Fisheries Management and Marine Life Enhancement Act, HR 5018 for short, the hairs on the back of my neck stiffened and I took notice. Living 1,000 or more miles from seawater doesn’t make the landlocked soul a helpless bystander of oceans taking a dive.

The first hint of trouble is the bill’s sponsor: Rep. Richard Pombo.... [more]

Local government on offense

Better than John Grisham’s courtroom fiction or episodes of Law and Order, real- life legal contests being waged over global warming, intended to make polluters accountable, are quietly wending their ways through American courts. They’re worth watching.

Maybe this reads like a yawn, and maybe these legal contests seem like arcane and tortuous routes to recognizing the obvious, but decisions in these cases could force Washington to do more than leave emissions standards and the effects of global warming to the oxymoronic “personal conscience” of industry. [more]

Kiss Your Grass Goodbye!

Ahhh, it’s May. Which reminds me of how growing grass and fighting to keep it green in the West is as logical as cultivating sage in swamps of Mississippi. Now picture luscious ripe red tomatoes drooping off rooftops and balconies of apartments from Los Angeles to New York. In residential front and backyards, vacant lots, parks and plazas spy sweet peas, cukes, squash and watermelons. Victory Gardens. During WWII, Americans joined together to feed everyone through community self-reliance. Victory gardens weren’t romantic earth-muffin notions three generations ago, and they aren’t today. [more]

An Earth Day letter

As my Rite of Spring, my hope blooming eternal for Earth Day, I decided to write President Bush a letter a few days ago. I realize my letter stands as much chance of reaching the president as Wal-Mart going broke, and I have no illusions that my words could dent a megalomanical mind bent on Rapturesque stardom, nevertheless my need to catharsisize outweighed reality. The outspoken ignorance of our Commander-in-Chief compelled me to write.
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A place that matters to all

I’ve been thinking lately that former Enron executives must be managing the national books. It’s as reasonable an explanation as any for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge becoming an answer to halving the nation’s $400 billion deficit by 2009. Sure the House has dropped drilling the Arctic from their latest version of budget reconciliation, but not the Senate. They’ll likely attempt offsetting 2007 budget expenditures by using Coastal Plain (aka "1002 Area") oil leasing revenues at rates triple those used in the 2006 budget, which passed the House of Representatives days before this new slant on accounting was introduced. What a stroke of Enron-like genius: In an election year members of Congress won’t be voting again to drill; they’ll be promoting fiscal responsibility. [more]

Creating sacred spaces

Drive a couple of hours east of Denver. While some would say there's nothing out there, others might see a million acres of pasture, small towns or Kansas. Laina Corazon Coit and Rick Chase see potential, a prairie restored, the largest privately held wilderness area in America, which also will serve as the last resting place for thousands of Americans wanting to be buried naturally. Coit and Chase's goals are lofty, but they're neither unrealistic nor impractical when others also believe. Matter of fact, people from coast to coast are pursuing similar endeavors, preserving natural landscapes by creating green burial havens, or eco-cemeteries. [more]

Before You Sue ...

The West comes replete with myths about the inalienable-ness of individual property rights. Myths crop up like bind weed, choking off dialogue just when communities attempt to plan. They spur organized property rights movements. This is the shortest history on property rights - that is, real estate - you’ll read in the next 15 minutes. Like balancing a checking account, an occasional review of property rights history aids in avoiding embarrassing moments and expensive errors. [more]