Clinton Eyes Sequoia Protection

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org

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2/16/00

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

There is nothing quite so splendid as a President with little to

lose, and a newfound inkling to protect wild nature. President

Clinton is exploring options to protect 400,000 acres of remaining

giant sequoia groves in California. Recent environmental policy

initiatives represent significant gains in forest conservation.

However, they should have been taken long ago, and are only the

beginning of required policy necessary to maintain large, viable and

natural forest ecosystems.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Clinton Eyes Sequoia Protection

Source: Associated Press

Date: February 15, 2000

Byline: H. JOSEF HEBERT

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Clinton is considering setting aside as

much as 400,000 acres of forests in California as a federal monument

to permanently protect remaining groves of the state's giant sequoia

trees, administration officials said Tuesday.

Clinton asked Agriculture Secretary Daniel Glickman to explore whether

the trees ought to be protected under the 1906 Antiquities Act, as he

did a month ago to ensure permanent protection over a vast stretch of

land adjacent to the Grand Canyon.

``I want to ensure that these majestic cathedral groves ... are

protected for future generations to study and enjoy,'' Clinton wrote

the agriculture secretary, whose department includes the U.S. Forest

Service. He said he wanted a recommendation within 60 days.

Environmentalists for years have campaigned to impose greater

protection of the giant sequoia trees, about 70 groves in all, that

are located in Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite national parks and

nearby Sequoia National Forest in central California.

While about a third of the groves are protected within the national

park systems, the rest are in the national forest and they could be

endangered by future logging or other development. Environmentalists

fear that while the trees themselves might not be cut, nearby logging

could threaten their long-term existence.

The president's action ``is a recognition that there is a major gap in

the protection of this very, very important and majestic species. That

gap needs to be filled,'' George Frampton, the chairman of the

president's Council on Environmental Quality, said in an interview.

Frampton said a monument designation would protect 70 remaining groves

of the giant redwoods, including about 35 groves that are not

guaranteed future protection because they are in the federal forest.

At least one grove is in private hands and land would have to be

purchased, officials said.

Frampton said the intent would be to protect 330,000 to 440,000 acres

of land, or about a third of the Sequoia National Forest, to ensure

permanent protection of the giant trees.

The proposal to create a Giant Sequoia National Monument brought

immediate applause from environmentalists.

``Creation of (such a monument) would be a world class gift to the

American people,'' said Nathaniel Lawrence, an attorney for the

Natural Resources Defense Council. ''...This swath of sequoia country

should have been permanently protected long ago.''

Clinton has used the Antiquities Act on several occasions to carve out

major areas of land for special protection, each time meeting strong

criticism from some western lawmakers and state officials. White House

officials have acknowledged that the actions are part of an attempt by

the president to leave an environmental legacy.

Last month, Clinton used the backdrop of the Grand Canyon to announce

the designation of a million acres of cliffs, desert and scenic areas

adjacent to the Grand Canyon as the Grand Canyon-Parashant National

Monument. He also extended monument protection to 71,000 acres of

American Indian ruins north of Phoenix and to hundreds small islands

up and down the California coast.

Three years ago, Clinton used the 1906 law to set aside for increased

protection 1.9 million acres in southern Utah, creating the Grand

Staircase-Escalante federal monument. The action brought loud protests

from Utah officials, who called it a federal ``land grab.''

Under the monument designation, the land would have increased

protection against development such as mining or logging, although

some activities including cattle grazing might still be allowed.

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