Land Exchange in Gallatin National Forest Threatens Northern Yellowstone
10/21/96
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** Topic: Land Exchange Nightmare **
** Written 5:43 PM Oct 21, 1996 by nfn in cdp:nfn.tempforest **
From: Native Forest Network
Native Forest Network
Yellowstone Action Alert!
Gallatin Land Exchange:
Catch-22 Threatens Northern Yellowstone
A massive land exchange involving private inholdings on
Southwest Montana's Gallatin National Forest threatens to unravel
decades of forest conservation efforts.
ROBBER BARONS ISSUE ULTIMATUM
In the late 19th century, the Northern Pacific Railroad was
granted forty million acres of formerly public land, fully 2 per cent
of the Lower 48 states! Due to this legacy of Manifest Destiny, over
50,000 acres of private inholdings remain within the Gallatin NF,
one of the most wildlife-rich and pristine forests in the US. Many
other national forests are plagued with inholdings, but the situation
on the Gallatin is especially critical. The current owners of this
land are a partnership called Big Sky Lumber (BSL). Based in
Portland, Oregon, BSL have subdivided all their land into 20-acre
parcels and are threatening to sell it to housing ad resort
developers. They have given the Forest Service and the public until
October 8, 1997 to come up with a suitable offer to buy or trade for
these lands.
SHELL GAME WITH CRITICAL LANDS
The Forest Service, as directed by the 1993 Gallatin Range
Consolidation and Protection Act, has already obtained nearly
46,000 acres of BSL inholdings in critical areas of the Gallatin
Range. The Gallatin Range contains the largest unprotected roadless
area within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), and is home to
a large portion of GYE's threatened grizzly bear population.
However, as part of the first round of the Gallatin Land
Exchange, roadless public forests in the Bridger Range were traded
to BSL, who have since been roading and logging this area, critical
habitat for wolverine, mule deer, cutthroat trout and other wildlife.
BSL have been logging heavily on other inholdings as well.
Inholdings in the Gallatin, Madison, and Bridger Ranges are
currently available for purchase or trade to the the federal
government. These include important habitat in the Taylor's Fork,
west side of the Gallatins, and North Bridgers.
While the ideal scenario would involve buying BSL's inholdings
outright, the Forest Service claims that BSL is unwilling to accept
much cash. In addition, federal money available for land purchase is
very hard to come by. The primary source of such funds is the Land
and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). For 2 years running, buyout of
BSL inholdings on the Porcupine drainage of the GNF absorbed the
entire nationwide budget of LWCF. Getting more of this money for
buyouts on the Gallatin is highly unlikely.
MAKING CLEARCUTS TO BUY CLEARCUTS
The Forest Service, an agency infamous for promoting logging
at all costs, has proposed trading approximately 24,000 acres of
federal land plus 85 million board feet (mmbf) of public timber
(worth $10-15 million at current timber prices) for the 54,000
acres of BSL land available (much of which is roaded and logged
already). Up to 50 mmbf would come from the Gallatin, while the
rest would come from other eastside national forests in Montana.
On the Gallatin, logging 50 million board feet would require
dredging up a nasty potpourri of old timber sales, many of which
have been stopped in recent years due to environmental concerns.
This would include "salvage" sales which have recently been
withdrawn due to public outcry. There is no way the FS can cut 50
mmbf on the Gallatin without logging in roadless areas and in areas
already too degraded to meet forest plan standards.
Lands likely to be traded to BSL include the entire western
half of the Bangtail Mountains, an area of high recreational value
guaranteed to be subdivided for expensive homes if traded away.
BSL GETS THE LOGS, WE GET THE SHAFT
In summary, the public is likely to get shafted in this deal.
BSL holds the land; they are under no obligation to anyone and can
back out at any time. The Forest Service has a very limited array of
public resources to offer them for the land. We the public are being
asked to make some very hard choices: Do we give away large
quantities of public forests and land to obtain other lands, do we
refuse to deal with BSL and take our chances with subdivisions and
resorts in critical wildlife habitat; or do we seek a balance in
between and risk derailing the process?
SPEAK FOR THE LAND!
-Let the Forest Service and BSL hear from you. Make it clear
you are not interested in roading and logging pristine areas of the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for any reason. Tell them you will
only support timber sales as part of the land swap if they can meet
the Conservationists' Criteria (listed below), and that you would
rather see the inholdings bought outright.
-Urge the Forest Service to further investigate the possibility
of buying BSL inholdings rather than trading irreplaceable public
resources such as land and forests.
-Ask that, if timber sales must proceed as part of the land
swap, the FS abide by the Conservationists' timber sale criteria
developed by the Bozeman area conservation community.
Write:
Hal Salwasser, Chief Forester
Region 1, US Forest Service
PO Box 7669
Missoula, MT 59807
(406) 329-3511
Bob Denee
Coordinator, Gallatin Land Exchange
Galatin National Forest
PO Box 130
Bozeman, MT 59771
(406) 587-6701
2) Write to BSL (Mel MacDougal, Tim Blixseth) Ask that they help
find ways to pay market value for the Gallatin inholdings, and that
they accept cash rather than trees or land.
3) Copy your letters to Big Sky Lumber, President Clinton and the
NFN:
President Bill Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20500
White House Comments Line: (202) 456-1111
Mel MacDougal, Tim Blixseth
Big Sky Lumber
114 SW 2nd
Portland, OR 97209
Written by:
Native Forest Network Yellowstone
PO Box 6151
Bozeman, MT 59771-6151
(406) 586-3885
Conservationists Criteria for Land Swap Timber Sales:
These criteria include:
1) No logging in roadless areas
2) No new roads
3) Timber sales in Grizzly Bear habitat or occupied lands outside the
recognized recovery area will adhere to the highest conservation
standards
4) Timber harvest will follow Montana State water Quality
Standards of Non-Degradation
5) Timber sale areas outside the exchanged land base need to adhere
to all ecological Forest Plan standards within the suitable timber
base
6) Avoid "controversial" sales such as Hyalite, the Taylor Fork, and
North Hebgen.
7) No harvesting of old growth timber
8) All timber sales associated with the exchange must comply with
all applicable natural resource laws
9) Future timber sales after the completion of the exchange will be
limited to small sales outside of roadless areas.
For a complete copy of the Bozeman Area Conservationists' "Gallatin
Completion Statement of Purpose and Criteria" please contact the
Native Forest Network.