FW: [NFPA] Judge Blocks Missionary Ridge Postfire Logging

Not good that this is what it takes, but good news (for a change).
 
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andrew George
Sent: February 03, 2004 12:32 PM
To: NFPA News
Subject: [NFPA] Judge Blocks Missionary Ridge Postfire Logging


-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 8:16 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Judge Blocks Missionary Ridge Postfire Logging


For Immediate Release
February 3, 2004

Contacts: Jeff Berman, Executive Director, Colorado Wild
970-946-3967
                  Geoff Hickcox, Attorney for Colorado Wild, Kenna &
Hickox,
P.C.      970-382-5902
                  Eric Husted, Lorax Forest Care
970-884-7047



Judge Blocks Missionary Ridge Postfire Logging
For more information: http://www.coloradowild.org/fwc


Denver, CO.  Late last Friday, a federal judge blocked logging scheduled
to
begin this week within the Missionary Ridge fire perimeter near Durango,
Colorado.  Colorado Wild, a statewide non-profit forest conservation
organization that promotes sustainable use of forest resources, sued on
December 23, 2003 to compel the Forest Service to ensure wildlife aren't
driven towards the endangered species list by logging and other
activities.
The suit also sought to prevent additional water quality impacts from
logging on steep slopes, high erosion hazard areas, and extensive road
reconstruction approved by the San Juan National Forest July 9, 2003.

According to Jeff Berman, Executive Director of Colorado Wild: "Rather
than
work in the Wildland Urban Interface where we can effectively protect
homes,
the Bush administration Forest Service is promoting environmentally
risky
and economically unsustainable timber sales like Missionary Ridge
without
even knowing what impacts they have on wildlife."

Noting that Colorado Wild was likely to succeed in its lawsuit
challenging
the timber sale, Judge Zita Weinshienk halted the logging pending
compliance
with population monitoring requirements necessary to ensure wildlife
aren't
being driven extinct.  Concluding that Colorado Wild has a "substantial"
likelihood of winning its lawsuit on the wildlife issue, Judge
Weinshienk
chose to not rule on water quality impacts and faulty analysis issues at
this time.  According to Geoff Hickcox, attorney representing Colorado
Wild:
"As a shortcut to understanding the impacts of logging and other
activities
they approve, the Forest Service is required to monitor populations of
only
a few species, known as Management Indicator Species or MIS.  Yet for
decades since adopting their MIS list, they have failed to do so."

Eric Husted, owner and operator of local logging outfit Lorax Forest
Care
that employs a half dozen workers, suggested that "Missionary Ridge
epitomizes the Forest Service's misplaced priorities.  Massive,
short-term
timber sales like this divert scarce forest personnel away from
Community
Protection Zone projects that provide good jobs, protect homes and
lives,
and often produce construction grade wood.  Hopefully, the Forest
Service
will now redirect its resources towards protecting homes and lives
rather
than ill-considered projects like this."

Mr. Berman also noted that "The overwhelming scientific consensus is
that
post-fire logging will only worsen the risk of landslides, flooding, and
erosion bringing even more water quality impacts.  Yet the San Juan
National
Forest nonetheless approved logging in known high erosion hazard areas
and
significant road construction - the single greatest factor contributing
to
increased erosion.  Reconstructing dozens of miles of roads,
constructing
three more miles from scratch, and logging areas now re-vegetated, much
at
tremendous taxpayer expense, is the epitome of irresponsible and
unsustainable logging".

On 2 September 2003, a coalition of conservation and recreation groups,
businesses, and individuals appealed Forest Service approval of
thousands of
acres of logging on areas burned by the Missionary Ridge fire in summer
2002.  Yet in a record time of three weeks, the Regional Forester upheld
the
decision of Mark Stiles, San Juan National Forest Supervisor, to proceed
with logging.  The Forest Service normally takes over six weeks to
decide
appeals.  The San Juan National Forest's decision and Final
Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS):

approved logging on up to 1,316 acres of high erosion hazard areas,
despite
Best Management Practices requiring avoidance of these areas,
ignored the EPA's recommendation that logging on steep slopes be
avoided,
rejected La Plata County's request that logging truck traffic impacts be
minimized,

approved logging on hundreds if not thousands of acres seeded following
the
fire to reduce erosion, thereby undermining the utility of these
taxpayer
funded efforts,

eliminated mitigation measures designed to protect the environment and
water
quality, all the while conditioning most others with disclaimers (i.e.
"should", "if possible", etc.).

Mr. Berman further commented: "The Forest Service's response to concerns
raised by the Town of Bayfield, La Plata County, conservation groups,
the
majority of citizens commenting on the proposal, recreation groups, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and even loggers were by and large
written
off or ignored altogether.  The forest conservation community hasn't
appealed a single other postfire salvage logging proposal in Colorado as
the
Forest Service reasonably heeded environmental and fiscal concerns.  Yet
they refused to do so with Missionary Ridge."

Judge Weinshienk's decision, Colorado Wild's Complaint for Injunctive
Relief
initiating the lawsuit, and related court filings are available online
at
www.coloradowild.org/fwc/.

###
--
Jeffrey A. Berman
Executive Director, Colorado Wild
P.O. Box 2434
Durango, CO 81302
phone: 970-385-9833
www.coloradowild.org

"There is no substitute for energy. The whole edifice of modern society
is
built on it... It is not 'just another commodity' but the precondition
of
all commodities..." E.F. Schumacher, 1973

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew George
Campaign Coordinator
National Forest Protection Alliance
PO Box 215
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0215
ph: 919 933 3073
cell: 828 280 6956
[email protected]
Not a member?  Join NFPA today at www.forestadvocate.org

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