May 31, Sat. 8 p.m. or June 1, Sun. 7 p.m. - Benefit for Northwest Ecosystem Alliance - Dance, theater, poetry, music - Dance on Capitol Hill, 340 15th E., Seattle - Suggested ticket donation $15 - Call 206/325-6697 for tickets and info
Recently the Endangered Species Act (ESA) survived yet another Republican attack in Congress. On May 7, the House of Representatives defeated by a tally of 227-196, H.R. 478, a proposal sponsored by Reps. Wally Herger (R-CA) and Richard Pombo (R-CA) that would have per-manently waived ESA requirements for nearly every flood control-related activity including levee construction and the maintenance of huge hydropower dams. In place of the harmful Pombo/Herger bill the House did accept a more limited amendment that would allow repairs of damaged flood control facilities but still protect imperiled species.
Our Rep. Norm Dicks deserves recognition for voting against the Pombo/Herger bill. Brian Vincent of Northwest Ecosystem Alliance credits Mr. Dicks, among others, as helping derail an all-out assault on endangered species. While Vincent is not thrilled that Congress supported an exemption to the ESA, he's relieved that attempts to gut the Act were defeated.
It would also be timely to thank Mr. Dicks for advocating wolf reintroduction into Olympic National Park. Opposition is gearing up, so we need to let Mr. Dicks know we want him to continue his positive efforts.
Tell him to please support predator reintroductions into other park systems as well. It's important to help restore these missing niches to have healthy, functioning ecosystems.
Reps. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) and John Porter (R-IL) have launched the effort to end funding for new logging roads in this year's appropriations process. While specific language has not yet been written, their Kennedy/Porter amendment will likely eliminate all funding for new and reconstructed timber roads--about 2,500 miles of road altogether, saving a total of $41 million. Funds for recreation roads and maintenance, which are both sepa-rate line items in the Forest Service's budget, would remain intact.
Now Mr. Dicks was a key factor in a similar measure not being passed last year, and seems similarly inclined this year. He believes more roads are needed for recreation, timber harvest and firefighting access. We must provide pressure not only to keep Mr. Dicks from working against the amendment this time, but also to ask him to support and vote for it.
The Natl. Forest system already contains over 369,000 miles of roads, and is $440 million behind in road maintenance funds. Unmaintained roads can wash out and dump sediment into jeopardized fish habitat and municipal water supplies.
Mr. Dicks has said that most of the new roadbuilding would occur in the South. What is he doing advocating for new roadbuilding funds for other parts of the country, when Forest Service roads in his own district seriously need more maintenance money?
Please contact him and say that instead of working to keep funding for new roads, he should be working to get more maintenance funds to fix the troubled roads the country's already got!
When you write, it's generally better to discuss issues separately, so write brief letters of thanks and another one to address the roads issue (same envelope is okay). Here are the many ways to contact Rep. Dicks:
In D.C.: The Honorable Norm Dicks, 2467 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515; 202/225-5916; 800/962-3524 (Capitol Switchboard); fax 202/226-1176
In Tacoma: 1717 Pacific Ave. #2244, Tacoma, WA 98402; 800/947-6676
There were about a hundred attendees earlier this month at the Western Washington Forest Conference, though no Administration representatives were among them. Jim Lyons, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and En-vironment, was initially scheduled to give the keynote speech on "The Role of Public Involvement in Forest Service Decision-making." Mr. Lyons then needed to cancel his appearance and designated a replacement, Brooks Preston, who also canceled at a rather late date.
We were annoyed by the Administration's non-appearance and took it to be an example of just how they do regard the value of public involvement. However, in-stead of just staying angry, we decided to have some sarcastic fun with the situation and provided our own keynote speakers.
Making sure to note that we did appreciate the Forest Service personnel who attended, including Region 6 Forester Bob Williams as well as Olympic and Gifford Pinchot National Forest staff, the Gang of 3 Players presented a brief sock puppet show over the top of a free-standing blackboard.
The moderator began by noting that Mr. Lyons had been out to Washington State recently to speak at a timber industry meeting and wished he would remember that we are also part of his constituency. So once again we didn't get Option 1, Jim Lyons; or Option 2, his deputy; or even the bottom-line Option 3, Brooks Preston; we didn't get Tom Tuchmann, or new Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck; Bob Williams was already presenting in the afternoon; Gifford Pinchot was dead; even Socks the cat didn't show; until finally once again we were stuck with Option 9, Mr. Robert (Bobby) Socks.
Bobby began, "I'm here in support of the Northwest Forest Plan. As you know the Record of Decision, known as the ROD, was signed in April 1994. Wait a minute...I thought I had a ROD in my pocket...but I guess I'm just glad to see you."
The moderator continued that we had hoped to have the President speak, or at least Al Gore (but we had some wood already), but are glad that Katie McGinty, Director of the Office of Environmental Quality could attend.
KM: "Natural resource management, natural resource management..."
M: "Katie, I did want to send a message back to the President. If it weren't for his signing the Salvage Timber Rider, I wouldn't have my job--nor would many of us in the audience. We're glad that the President is bringing jobs to the Pacific Northwest."
KM: "The President wishes he could be here today. When he first heard about kayaking on the Cispus River, he was really excited, but then he found out there was just too much whitewater. He had also assessed the fundraising opportunities in this audience, and decided that no one here could afford to rent the Lincoln bedroom."
The moderator then asked for questions that she knew audience members had:
Q: "We know the Administration is very much in favor of AMAs. Could you explain just what AMA stands for?"
BS: "AMA stands for Adaptive Management Area, or as we like to think of them, Always More Alternatives."
Q: "Bobby, Jim said when he invited himself to this conference as our keynote speaker that he wanted to show that the Administration was a strong supporter of the President's Forest Plan. As Jim's representative today, is this an attitude that is still prevalent?"
BS: "Well, Jim's not here. What do you think it means?"
"Q: "The draft EIS for eastside forests came out just last week. As you know, the environmental community has been very concerned that the preferred alternative really doesn't protect forests. Once again, the eastside forests are our forgotten forests and are getting even less protection than those under the Northwest Forest Plan. What would Jim's response be to this question?"
BS: "Hey, you know that you guys just don't have the political clout over there. I guess you haven't been paying off enough politicians...uh, uh...No, I mean Jim told me to say that, "This isn't about politics. We're talking about natural resource management."
Q: "Even before the Northwest Forest Plan was signed three years ago Jim made a major commitment to in-crease public involvement. What is his position on public involvement now?"
BS: "We feel that spending more time saying less to more people and holding more meetings keep people more busy with more public involvement to allow more opportunities for our foresters to cut more trees while more people experience more exhaustion--and finally, we hope they'll give up, buy a six-pack and watch Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. This is otherwise known as Sock and Log."
Q: "Why did the President sign the Salvage Timber Rider two years ago?"
KM: "Well, the President tells me he found himself between a ROD and a hard place."
Q: "We've all heard this talk about the new face of the Forest Service. Just what is this new face?"
KM: "Well, to respond to that question, I'd like to introduce Ranger Barney."
RB: "I love you."
The moderator said we had time for a couple of unanticipated questions from the audience, which were bureaucratically answered by BS and KM, "We value your input and are appointing a bipartisan committee to address that issue."
The final wildcard question was clever: "Is it true that the Forest Service is just a puppet of the timber industry?" to which BS and KM replied, "Pay no attention to the people behind the board."
The moderator called for closing comments:
KM: "Natural resource management, natural resource management..."
RB: "I love you."
BS: "I guess the message you want me to take back to Jim Lyons is that the Administration's non-appearance here today really socks!"
M: "Yes, well you did get the message. I'd like to thank you all for coming. I guess I'd like to close with saying that if you're going to talk the talk, you'd better walk the walk, or we'll sock it to you."
Unfortunately the video equipment didn't function, or we would have made a sockumentary. Due to consideration for our audience, and fear of their throwing accuracy, we did not address sock-eye salmon, spotted spot, or marbled socklet issues. The Gang of 3 Players consisted of Moderator-Bonnie Phillips, KM & RB-Dave Ward, BS-Alex Bradley.
WAFC reports that in a penetrating article in the latest Harper's Magazine, Paul Roberts lays bare the lack of scientific credibility of the forest health scare being perpetrated in Congress and the Forest Service.
He notes that salvage logging has not decreased fire danger nor eradicated insect infestations in the National Forests. "Forestry scientists remain divided over whether 'treatment' by salvage logging isn't worse for the forests than bugs or fire."
For activists looking for a nice refresher on the issues or a devastating handout for education, pick up the June Harper's Magazine.
QUAFCO News May 1997
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