your opinion doesn't count

www.wilderness-sportsman.com



Good article on how the states are now deciding the fate of our last wild roadless national forest lands. These lands were taken from the states because local government was too corrupt with the influence of local industry. Making them federal public lands has kept half opf our national forest lands intact and wild.

In 1999-2000, Bill Clinton created the Roadless Initiative, one of the largest conservation plans of all time. This plan took the last, unprotected roadless areas on national forest lands and set them aside for future generations to enjoy in a wild state. The first, and I mean *very first* thing Bush did upon becomign president was freeze the R.I. in the federal registr, several hours after taking oath. The clinton plan kept the status quo. You could log and mine on the half of national forests lands that were already roaded, but the rare roadless areas should remain pristine. The R.I. period had the largest public comment outpour in U.S. forest service history. There were 600 local town hall meetings and a year of comments. 2.5 million people responded, and 90% favored the ruling.

Of course, Bush saw it much different. The White House gave the go ahead for several Idaho logging/paper companies to sue the government. When asked to defend the rule, the White House sent one piece of paper with one paragraph. Another local judge in Wyoming with stock in the mining industry also tried to block the plan. The Bush admin then decided to ditch the Clinton rule, instead creating it's own rule. And this new rule gave the states the ability to determine what *federal* public land stays roadless, without input from the national taxpayers who fund the land. Idaho has the largest remaining roadless acreage in the lwoer 48, around 9 million acres. Much of that will be gone. Montana is second, with Utah, Wyoming and Colorado close behind.

Idaho's Governor is conservation-challenged and loking to undo as much wild roadless national forest land as possible.

Where I grew up in Iowa there was a small corner of a section --no more than 30-40 acres that had NEVER been plowed--it was the last field like that in the entire midwest. These are the place that need to be secured and saved.

I think the R.I. referred to areas of 3000 acres or larger, but you still make a good point. Open space is a huge issue.