May 14 - Friday - REI, Seattle - Land & Water Conservation Fund Micro-summit - Register by May 11 - Details below
May 21-23 - Cispus Learning Center - Randle, Wash. - Western Washington Forest Conference - Register ASAP - Details below
LWCF MICRO-SUMMIT
A Northwest Micro-summit for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) will bring together over 100 conservation and outdoor recreation leaders for a one-day conference on May 14 to organize support for full and permanent federal funding for the LWCF.
Presentations and panels will focus on traditional and growing demand for open space, parks, and public lands, as well as emerging needs in the areas of youth sports facilities, fish and wildlife habitat, and smart growth programs. Discussions will be held on how the LWCF can help meet all these needs and what can be done in the Northwest states, working together, to restore and revitalize this important federal funding program.
Speakers and panelists will include Paul Schell, mayor of Seattle; Kathy Fletcher, Exec. Director of People for Puget Sound; Steve Whitney, NW Director of The Wil-derness Society; federal and state officials; and other representatives of environmental concerns.
Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 1965 to preserve, develop, and assure that all Americans have access to quality outdoor recreation to strengthen the health and vitality of the citizens of the United States. It was a pay-as-you-go program, using revenues from resource use, primarily the Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing revenues, for the purchases of land and water to support the creation of national and community parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and open spaces to guarantee outdoor opportunities and a clean environment for all Americans.
In the 30 years since its creation, the LWCF has been responsible for the acquisition of nearly seven million acres of parkland, water resources, open space and the development of more than 37,000 state, municipal, and local parks and recreation projects.
The fund can be a good avenue to acquire and protect forest lands. The LWCF is authorized by Congress to receive $900 million each year. As much as 85 percent of the fund has been diverted for purposes other than conservation and recreation. In fact, since Congress originally made its commitment to conserve the American outdoors, it has diverted $11 billion of the fund to other uses. Every year we lost countless opportunities to conserve precious resources and open space for all Americans to enjoy.
Now is the time to restore and revitalize the LWCF. Join in for the day as working coalitions are built that will support permanent and full funding of the LWCF.
Register by May 11 for May 14 conference, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm at the REI Flagship Store and Conference Center, located in downtown Seattle at 222 Yale Ave., N. There is limited free parking at REI. Fee is $25 with checks made out to AHR, and sent to AHR, 120 State Ave., Ste. 256, Olympia, WA 98501-8212. Registration includes lunch. For more information, call Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation (AHR) at 360/754-2324.
The mini-summit is sponsored by AHR, REI, The Wilderness Society, Washington Recreation and Park Association, Washington Wildlife Federation, Pacific Rivers Council and Trust for Public Land.
WESTERN WASH. FOREST CONFERENCE
It's that time of year again! Once again you have the opportunity to gather with other forest activists in the heart of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, at the Cispus Learning Center. This year's conference will focus on the remaining unprotected public roadless forests.
Programs begin Friday evening and end early Sunday evening. To participate in the Saturday field events, attendees must arrive at the Cispus Center no later than 9:45 am on Saturday.
You can choose to participate in two of the following workshops: Plant and Tree Identification; Outdoor Photography; Orienteering - Using a Map and Compass; Wildlife Identification and Tracking; Stream Monitoring; and Timber Sale Monitoring.
There is a $15 per person registration fee. Lodging possibilities include staying at the Center for Friday/Saturday nights at $18.75 per night. The dorm-style cabins include bunk beds with mattresses, and hot showers. Bring sleeping bags, towels, soap, etc.
You may choose to camp at one of the nearly National Forest Campgrounds for free, with no hot water or indoor plumbing. There are also motels in Randle, though that's a few miles from the Center.
Coffee, tea, juice, muffins, fruit and granola are provided free each morning. Other meals include: Friday dinner -$7.25; Saturday - Hot breakfast - $4.75; Sack lunch - $5.25; Sat. evening outdoor barbecue - $7.25; Sunday - Hot Breakfast - $4.75; Sack lunch - $5.25. Please specify if you are vegetarian as vegetarian options are available for all meals.
Randle is located on Highway 12, about 50 miles east of I-5. Once in Randle turn right on Woods Creek Rd., and follow the signs to the Cispus Learning Center.
Send in your workshop, lodging, and meal choices along with a check for the $15 registration (plus whatever amounts your options cost) made out to Gifford-Pinchot Task Force, and mail to Western Washington Forest Conference, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. #321, Seattle, WA 98103. Confirmation and conference details will be sent to you within a week. For more information, including carpooling requests, call Demise Foster at 206/545-3734 or demise@pcbp.org.
CALLS NEEDED BY MAY 17
We usually focus on federal forest issues, but here's a very important state forest issue that really needs attention. The Washington Environmental Council reports:
One of the most significant challenges for the state of Washington is to protect and restore wild salmon and the habitat upon which they depend. Unfortunately, while both the timber companies and many politicians give lip service to salmon recovery, they are pushing for the adoption of new logging rules that are too risky for salmon. In return for this risky deal in SHB 2091, the timber industry is asking Governor Locke and the state Legislature for:
The proposed timber deal was not adopted in the just-concluded legislative session, but it is one of the Governor's top priorities in the upcoming special session of the Legislature. Under the deal, logging activities will con-tinue to pose a serious risk for salmon. Twenty-eight top scientists recently wrote to Governor Locke, calling for an independent scientific review of the timber deal. They noted that the deal "deviates substantially from the findings of readily available scientific literature" and said that it is not a "scientifically credible strategy to recover endangered salmon." In plain terms, it's bad policy based on questionable science. Clearly, we cannot continue to harm salmon and their habitat if we want them to re-cover.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO CALL BEFORE MAY 17. Call toll-free 1-800-562-6000 to leave a message for Governor Locke, and for those of us in Dist. 24, for Rep. Lynn Kessler, Rep. Jim Buck and Senator James Hargrove. The operator will ask for your address and your message of "Please oppose SHB 2091" (and whatever else you would like to add), and you can ask for it to be delivered to the Governor and your three legislators, all with one phone call.
So, why is our government pushing to approve this faulty plan? They contend that we should take what we can get now and improve over time. At a time when salmon are on the verge of extinction, such an approach runs counter to common sense. We should start with a plan that is conservative -- not risky. If, over time, it is learned that more logging can occur near streams without doing harm, then it could be allowed.
The Governor is pushing this timber deal. So are three federal agencies charged with protecting fish: the EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It is troubling that taxpayer-funded agencies, assigned to protect the environment from harm, are endorsing a proposal that would continue to allow harm to species in danger of extinction.
Even more troubling, this risky timber deal is expected to take the form of a contract with the federal government, including a "No Surprises" guarantee, specifically called for in the legislation. The entire reason for the "No Surprises" part of the deal is to provide 50 years of regulatory certainty for timber companies by preventing the government from requiring more protection for salmon.
What is really needed to provide clean water and good salmon habitat in Washington's forests? First, the legislation that supports this deal should be stopped. It is opposed not only by the state's environmental community, but by the League of Women Voters, several Native American tribes and some commercial fishers. In particular, they oppose the undermining of the state forestry board, which is responsible for making logging rules. The board has already begun considering five proposals for new rules, of which the timber deal is just one. The legislation creates a series of hoops the board would have to pass through if it decided to deviate in any way from the timber deal.
Second, the proposals that are already before the board should be considered on their scientific and economic merits as the board develops new rules for logging. The proposal submitted by the Washington Environmental Council and the National Audubon Society is a science-based, conservative approach to salmon recovery on millions of acres of state and private forests. It is premature for the Governor and the Legislature to endorse one proposal before the board has completed a full scientific and economic review of all the proposals it has received. As legislators get ready to return to Olympia for the upcoming special session, urge them to remember, a "NO" vote on SHB 2091 is a vote for salmon and good government.
FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS ROAD RECONSTRUCTION
American Lands reports that on April 5, a federal district court issued an injunction against the Forest Service to stop road reconstruction on over 140 projects in the Klamath National Forest, according to the Klamath Forest Alliance. The roads being reconstructed were washed out during the New Year's Day 1997 storms in the area. The landslides caused extensive damage to salmon habitat, blocking migration routes and destroying spawning beds. A lawsuit, filed by the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, challenged the Forest Service's plans to rebuild lesser-used roads that are only open for part of the year or are not maintained for passenger car traffic. For more information, contact Amy Sinden of the Earthjustice LDF at 206/343-7340, or Kyle Haines of the Klamath Forest Alliance at 530/467-5405.
MEETING HELD WITH NEW OLY SUPV.
On April 30, Alex Bradley, representing QUAFCO and Admiralty Audubon Society, and Chris Magill, representing Kitsap Audubon Society, met with new Olympic National Forest Supervisor Dale Hom. We outlined various historical topics of concern and current areas of interest. We wanted Mr. Hom to know that among our most critical issues are: protecting old growth, retaining unroaded areas, and helping get the Forest Service more funds for closing and maintaining the roads they do have. We appreciate the time Mr. Hom spent with us and look forward to working with him.
QUAFCO News May 1999
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