Forest Management Plan Found Lacking Spotted Owl Protection
11/19/97
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Headline: Forest Management Plan Found Lacking Spotted Owl Protection
Source: Environmental News Network
Date: 11/19/97
Copyright 1997, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved
Forest management plan found lacking
A highly critical report that says a forest management plan
does not do enough to protect the California Spotted Owl has
been embraced by several government agencies.
The California Spotted Owl Federal Advisory Committee was
appointed by Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to review the
Forest Service's Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
the management of 12 national forests in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains.
The report, compiled by 11 scientists with diverse perspectives
and expertise, found that the California Spotted Owl would not be
adequately protected, certain furbearers would have a high
probability of becoming extinct in the Sierras, fire hazards would
not be reduced, certain resource assessments regarding roads and
stream protection were flawed, timber estimates were
overestimated, and some key assumptions were undocumented.
"Unfortunately, the 1996 RDEIS missed the mark on protecting owls
and many other resources important to ecosystem integrity in the
Sierra Nevadas," said Under Secretary for Natural Resources and
Environment James R. Lyons. "We need to make sure that our final
plan protects all the forest resources and provides the basis for
sustaining communities in the region."
"I wanted a credible, independent group of the nation's top
scientists to review the Revised Draft Environmental Impact
Statement because it is important that the public have confidence
that it is based on sound science," said Glickman. "As it turns
out, the RDEIS is incomplete and needs revising and augmenting in
many areas. I'm glad that we have the committee's recommendations
to bring us back on track."
California Spotted Owls and some other species are currently
protected by interim guidelines designed to conserve sensitive
species across this region. The Forest Service's 1996 RDEIS was
intended to replace the interim strategy with a permanent set of
guidelines for protecting the habitat for owls and other species.
Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck expressed his full support for
the findings of the report and took responsibility for getting the
effort back on track. "We are going to take these recommendations
and put together a team to significantly improve the conservation
strategy through strong collaboration with partners and
researchers," said Dombeck. "Our efforts will address the
California owl and all forest resources. The strategy will stand
on the solid foundation of the best available science. Our goal is
to ensure the ecological sustainability of the entire Sierra
Nevada ecosystem and the communities that depend on it."
For more information, contact Tom Amontree, USDA, (202)720-4623,
email: tom.amontree@usda.gov.