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WORLDWIDE
BIODIVERSITY/FOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS
Protect
Endangered Species/Habitats, Stop Anti-Forest Legislation
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Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
April
1, 1995
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE
The
Greater Yellowstone Coalition reports that Sen. Larry Craig
(R-Idaho)
wants to "cure" forests with logging, and has introduced
a bill
to mandate it. Craig's bill, S. 391, is
perhaps the most
serious
attack ever by the timber industry and their friends on
our
forested public lands. Under S. 391, by declaring a forest a
"health
emergency area," the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land
Management will be able to conduct aggressive salvage logging
without
performing an Environmental Impact Statement or being
subject
to citizen appeals. Ironically, while citizens would be
unable
to administratively challenge decisions to designate such
an area. Sen. Craig's license-to-log would even
include potential
wilderness,
pristine forests and watersheds as yet undisturbed by
logging
or forest road-building. Please take
the time to call you
Senator
as requested.
This
item is 5 days old, and it does not say at what stage this
bill is
in the legislative process.
Nonetheless, it is crucial we
be
aware of these efforts.
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TEXT STARTS HERE:
/*
Written 4:09 PM Mar 27, 1995 by dyurman in idaho.forests
*/
/*
---------- "ESA alert" ---------- */
From:
Dan Yurman <dyurman>
From:
lsmith@desktop.org (Lang Smith)
Greater Yellowstone Coalition
Subject:
Protect Endangered Species and Habitats
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 09:24:20 -0700
Message-Id:
<2655645694.42281208@desktop.org>
Organization:
WestNet @ Desktop Assistance @ Helena MT
Protect
Endangered Species and Their Habitats
Stop
Anti-Forest Legislation
*
* Call Senators to stop unregulated forest
destruction. *
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It is
no secret that the single biggest threat to the survival of
the
planet's creatures is the destruction of habitat. Like the
proverbial
canary in the coal mine, species are a measure of the
condition
of ecosystems. In the Pacific
Northwest, more than 90%
of the
ancient forests have been clearcut. The
spotted owl has
come to
symbolize the plight of the ancient forests, but to blame
the owl
for loss of timber jobs is like blaming the smoke alarm
for the
fire. Many other old growth dependent
species are in
danger
as well. For instance, the pacific yew
is a tree
traditionally
considered a "trash" timber tree.
Recently,
however,
it has been discovered that the yew contains taxol, a
drug
shown to be effective in curing breast and ovarian cancer in
women. The lesson from taxol is that there are no
useless
species;
just species whose "value" has not yet been discovered.
Our
nation's forests are already "on the edge," but now Congress
wants
to push them over that edge.
In the
middle ages, doctors used to bleed patients with leeches to
"cure"
them. Now, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho)
wants to "cure"
forests
with logging and has introduced a bill to mandate it.
Craig's
bill, S. 391, is perhaps the most serious attack ever by
the
timber industry and their friends on our forested public
lands.
Under S. 391, by declaring a forest a "health emergency
area,"
the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will
be able
to conduct aggressive salvage logging without performing
an
Environmental Impact Statement or being subject to citizen
appeals.
Ironically, while citizens would be unable to
administratively
challenge decisions to designate such an area,
the
public would be allowed under Craig's bill to demand that more
"emergency
areas" be established. Sen. Craig's license-to-log
would
even include potential wilderness, pristine forests and
watersheds
as yet undisturbed by logging or forest road-building.
Worse
yet, it directly authorizes not only salvage logging but the
logging
of live trees.
Chainsaws
roaring, bulldozers punching in new roads and log-
hauling
tractors compacting soils do not improve forest health.
But
Sen. Craig is now chairman of the Public Lands and Forests
subcommittee
of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,
and he
has more power than ever to advance this devastating bill.
U.S.
Senate Bill S. 391:
? Gives the timber industry and others the
right to petition
that
areas of our national forests be declared "forest health
emergency
areas";
? Declares that areas in federal forests
qualify for this
emergency
status if as few as 50 percent of the trees are dead --
or even
thought to be dying;
? Allows destructive logging and road
building, even in
sensitive
habitats off limits in current forest plans;
? Sets no limit on the number, maximum size
or duration of the
"emergency
areas";
? Prevents citizens from administratively
appealing logging in
these
areas;
? Declares that no environmental impact
statements are needed,
no
matter how large or destructive timber activities may be to
wildlife
habitat or watersheds.
? Circumvents ESA protection for imperiled
species by expediting
analysis
and exempting agencies from review of cumulative effects
of
multiple activities --- one of the most important causes of
species
decline.
Please
make your voice heard at this critical time for our public
forests!
Phone
your two Senators' offices and ask them to OPPOSE S. 391
because:
?Logging
will not improve forest health!
?Our
last remaining roadless areas must not be opened up to
logging
for any reason.
?Forest
streams and watersheds and the complex web of forest life
must be
safeguarded from destructive logging, not subjected to
even
more.
?The
management of our public lands must not be placed off-limits
to
public oversight and appeal!
Call
the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for
your
Senators' offices. Ask to talk to the
environmental
legislative
aide.
WestNet,
the Information Service for People with a Passion for
this
Place
Modem:
406/442-3697 (28800-8N1-VT100) Info via Internet:
westnet@desktop.org
###RELAYED
TEXT ENDS###
You are
encouraged to utilize this information for personal
campaign
use; including writing letters, organizing campaigns and
forwarding. All efforts are made to provide accurate,
timely
pieces;
though ultimate responsibility for verifying all
information
rests with the reader. Check out our
Gaia Forest
Conservation
Archives at URL=
http://forests.lic.wisc.edu/forests/gaia.html
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Enterprises
Email
(best way to contact)-> gbarry@forests.org
Phone->(608)
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