Four years ago, REP members joined forces with millions of other citizens to win one of the greatest conservation victories ever—protection of 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in our national forests.
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule of 2001 protected wild forests that deliver clean water, great hunting and fishing places, and scenic treasures. The remaining unprotected lands in national forests would be kept free of logging roads, a costly burden on the nation’s taxpayers.
Four years later, we have to start all over again. So gear up for another long, hot August of writing to the U.S. Forest Service demanding, again, protection for roadless forests that millions of citizens have already said we want left wild for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.
On July 12, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, who oversees the Forest Service, proposed a rule that would eliminate national protection for all roadless areas.
In a convoluted twist, the proposal provides that governors may petition for protection of national forest roadless areas in their states—which governors may or may not initiate, and which the Forest Service may or may not grant.
As the St. Paul (MN) Pioneer Press editorialized a few days later, there is so much wrong with the proposed rule, it is difficult to know where to start. But in a nutshell, here are the biggest deficiencies:
Public? What Public? The Forest Service adopted the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule after an outpouring of public support in the most extensive public outreach process any federal agency had ever undertaken. Citizens from all points on the political spectrum wrote letters, made phone calls, and spoke at 600 public meetings the USFS held across America. Of the 1.7 million comments received, 95 percent favored protecting roadless areas. By proposing to throw out the 2001 rule, the administration, in effect, has said that the public’s wishes do not matter.
Hold On to Your Wallet Building and maintaining logging roads is expensive. Palming those costs off onto the taxpayers is neither conservative nor responsible. The 383,000-mile network of existing national forest logging roads faces a maintenance and capital improvement backlog of $8-$10 billion. The first rule of intelligent fiscal management is to stop digging when one is in a hole. Instead, the administration has proposed to hand the Forest Service another gold-plated shovel.
Water, Water in Every Forest
We’ve known for a long time that forests provide clean water. Back in 1891, Congress authorized presidents to establish forest reserves—precursors of today’s national forests—to safeguard water supplies. Roadless areas include drinking water source areas. Protecting them would be a sound investment for the future.
In the National Interest
National forests belong to every American and must be managed in the national interest. Governors and other local officials should have an appropriate voice, but leaving the initiation of roadless area protection to individual governors is abdication, not inclusiveness.
What You Can Do Tell the Forest Service to withdraw the proposed rule repealing national protection of roadless areas. Demand full protection of all 58.5 million acres from road-building and commercial resource extraction. Full protection is the right decision for America’s environment and taxpayers.
Written comments must be received by September 14, 2004. Send letters to:
Content Analysis Team
Attn: Roadless State Petitions
USFS, PO Box 221090
Salt Lake City, UT, 84122
Happy ORV Trails
On a more positive note, the Forest Service has proposed to strengthen management of off-road vehicle (ORV) recreation in national forests.
Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth has said that “unmanaged” recreation is one of the four big problems facing our national forests. Bosworth is right on this score. Since 1972, the number of ORVs has grown from 5 million to more than 30 million. More than 5 percent of the 214 million visits that Americans made to national forests in 2002 involved ORVs.
Unmanaged, ORVs can cause costly damage, including wetlands loss, soil erosion, spread of invasive weeds, water pollution, wildlife disturbance, and noisy intrusions into the back-country recreation experience.
The Forest Service has proposed a national policy that would provide badly needed clarity for ORV users: vehicles could be used on designated roads, trails and play areas in national forests, but nowhere else. It’s a good start, but the Forest Service will need to ensure tough enforcement, which will benefit responsible ORV users and force the irresponsible ones to grow up and stop damaging other people’s property.
What You CanDo
Tell the Forest Service to move quickly to designate clearly-marked ORV roads, trails and travel areas, then commit sufficient resources to monitoring and enforcement.
Written comments must be received by September 13, 2004. Send letters to:
Content Analysis Team
Attn: ORV Rule
USFS, P.O. Box 221150
Salt Lake City, UT, 84122
Another Boondoggle in the Making?
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service wants to transfer certain management functions at the National Bison Range and nearby wildlife refuges to the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes. Missing are monitoring and accountability provisions to ensure that the jobs are done right and that wildlife are fully protected, the #1 refuge mission. The National Wildlife Refuge Association (refugenet.org), a citizens’ group dedicated to good stewardship of America’s 540 refuges, says the proposed transfer amounts to a blank check without cost or quality controls. A loosey-goosey transfer agreement would set a bad precedent for public lands management nationwide.
Public comments are due October 11, 2004. Send comments to:
National Bison Range
132 Bison Range Road
Moeise, MT, 59824
Park Chief Gagged, Then Fired
The Interior Department has fired Park Police Chief Teresa Chambers for being too outspoken in reporting that the National Park Service is understaffed and underfinanced, resulting in public safety risks in our national parks and monuments—including enduring symbols of our history and democracy. The chief was suspended last December when she first spoke up, then was pink-slipped on July 9.
The U.S. Park Police has not been beefed up since Sept. 11, 2001. That 620-person force is the thin green line that protects our parks and monuments.
The administration ought to worry more about strengthening the security of America’s crown jewels than about silencing public servants who are trying to do their jobs.
