Summer 2008: Smart Growth, Western Battles, Scarce Species

Smart Growth

Smart growth communities such as those Tim Folger writes about in "The De-Malling of America" help reduce global warming pollution by making it easy to ditch your car and walk, bike, or take public transit instead. NRDC is working with California's transportation and land use planners to create the smart growth communities that will help the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. Visit www.nrdc.org/smartgrowth.

Western Battles

Montana's Yaak Valley is threatened by wildfires and water shortages, both of which are likely to worsen as the climate warms, reports Rick Bass in "Montana Gives Peace a Chance." To learn about how global warming may affect the West, check out NRDC's report "Hotter and Drier: The West's Changed Cli­mate" at www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/west/contents.asp.

Scarce Species

While Ted Levin highlights the threats posed to western diamondbacks in "We Have Rattlesnakes," NRDC is working to help another predatory species: the gray wolf. In April, NRDC filed suit against the federal government for removing the wolf from the Endangered Species Act. For more about NRDC's work to protect wildlife, visit www.nrdc.org/wildlife/.