Sarah Palin, a former governor who spent her two years in office doing everything she could to repeal laws that protect wildlife and nature, would seem like a completely bizarre choice for a nature series -particularly one produced by the Discovery Channel, which also owns Treehugger.com and the Planet Green channel. And yet that is precisely what has happened. The series “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” has been picked up by the Discovery Channel for a reported $1 million-plus per episode.
While she’ll be guiding viewers through the natural beauty of her home state of Alaska, when Palin was charged with protecting that beauty she was, by all accounts, a failure. During the summer of 2008 she sued the federal government over its listing of polar bears as “endangered,” claiming that a “comprehensive scientific review” had revealed that they were not in danger, and that listing them as such would be a threat to energy development. When pressed to provide this review, Palin refused. And when the scientific document was later unearthed by the public, it contained only evidence that the state’s polar bears were in fact endangered.
Earlier in 2008, she approved $2 million in funding for a conference that would discuss the economic impact of the Endangered Species Act, designed to inform the public that listing animals as endangered was unwarranted and costly. That money was subsequently used to pay for the polar bear lawsuit.
In 2007, her administration offered a $150 bounty for any wolf killed in the state, until the courts deemed the bounty illegal. Scientists in the state have frequently come out against the “predator control” program that encourages wolf hunting in the state, calling it unnecessary and accusing Palin of wanting simply to keep her sport-hunting supporters happy.
Palin often touted the fact that she created a climate change committee in Alaska during her run as the state’s governor, but she also continually undermined that committee’s work by publicly stating that global warming was not caused by man. “If it’s all just a natural, cyclical thing, maybe we should just all go home and read a book,” Kathie Wasserman, an adviser to Palin’s climate change committee, said at the time.
Sarah Palin also supported nearly every proposed mine in the state during her tenure, and supported oil and natural gas drilling in every part of the state, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Her Discovery Channel series, produced by Mark Burnett, the same reality TV master who brought us Survivor and The Apprentice, will reportedly focus on Alaska’s characters and traditions, as presented by the former vice-presidential candidate. It’s an idea that brings to mind another of Burnett’s gems: Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?
* Go here to sign a petition to stop Palin’s show
*Hilariously doctored photograph courtesy Earth First
This post originally appeared on The EnvironmentaList
Amy Westervelt
Amy Westervelt writes about travel and environmental issues. She writes regularly for Earth Island Journalate.com/blog/amy-westervelt" ...
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John Pelham says:
It's tragic that none of what is reported in this article is factual...just repeated talking points about Governor Palin. What most 'environmentalists' don't seem to understand that it is those brought up on the land who appreciate and understand it the most. It is Americans like Sarah Palin who have first hand knowledge of wilderness and animal issues. Whining left-wing donors to environmental causes rarely have ever been on a hike. Enough Palin bashing...she is one very smart lady who loves the land and wilderness. http://www.reagantopalin.com/
Maria says:
Really? Really?! Crazyness, whether it's true or not.
Right there above me... You, sir, are an idiot. As is Sarah Palin. Get real.
Amy Westervelt says:
Actually, every statement in this article is backed up by Palin's public record pretty easily, and the facts on her Discovery show are out there for any simple Google search to find. What exactly are you claiming is not factual? Just as you are tired of "whining left-wing donors," I am getting pretty tired of Palin supporters claiming that any part of her record that anyone could ever find fault with is merely a liberal "talking point." Funny how that line has itself become a talking point for the pro-Palin clan. As for this fantasy that Palin is the female Teddy Roosevelt, I think you'll find the facts on that are hard to find, outside of staged photo shoots and speeches intended to create a very specific image. No one is saying that hunters can't be good environmentalists - they are some of the best. And I agree that those who are brought up on the land--as I was, by the way--are the ones who appreciate it most. But I seriously doubt that the Rough Riders and the generations of Republican hunting environmentalists who followed after them and helped set up our national parks and form the whole idea of conservation would be on board with drilling for oil in the very nature preserves they helped create.
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