OKAY PEOPLE! Comments Needed: U.S. National Forest Service’s New Plan

George Bush considered selling our precious parks and natural resources to the highest bidder.
We have some very serious decisions to make about our precious land and it WILL be decided with or without your participation.
The time is NOW. What's it gonna be DU?



This land is your land, this land is our land...



Comments Needed: U.S. National Forest Service’s New Plan

The U.S. National Forest Service announced it was seeking broad public input into its new 97-page plan for the country’s 193-million acre forest system. The new plan, according to The New York Times, will better enable the Forest Service to respond to natural disasters and climate change, deal with lawsuits, and empower local forest managers. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack said the updated forest management rules will encourage forest resiliency. The revamped plan, which could “potentially guide mining, logging, and wildlife protection in 155 national forests” is expected to undergo fierce public scrutiny. More than 3,000 participants in 40 public forums have already logged 25,000 comments in the first phase of review.

Forest Service officials said the new plan enables local knowledge and science to take precendence. Managers can now better draw on science related to their local areas and work out the details on the watershed areas and wildlife species that need protecting in specific forests. For example, the issues facing forests in Alaska will be far different from those in Florida.

Still, some environmental groups argue that the minimum requirements are too lax. According to The New York Times, the current forest rules, which were established under President Reagan in 1982, “require that the forest be managed to maintain ‘viable populations’ of all native fish and wildlife. Under the proposed rule, local managers could choose which species would be of ‘conservation concern’ beyond those already receiving mandatory protections under the Endangered Species Act.”

Overall, environmental groups seem split on the plan...cont'd

http://dirt.asla.org/2011/02/11/comments-needed-u-s-national-forest-services-new-plan/


How to comment: http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPwhQoY6IeDdGCqCPOBqwDLG-AAjgb6fh75uan6BdnZaY6OiooA1tkqlQ!!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfMjAwMDAwMDBBODBPSEhWTjJNMDAwMDAwMDA!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=stelprdb5269898&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&ss=119987&position=Not%20Yet%20Determined.Html&ttype=detail&pname=Planning%20Rule%20Home

taken local control over our watershed area and have formed Oregon's first marine reserve with the blessings of all the state agencies including the Governor. This is what you can accomplish when you band together and work for it. We have also won the NOAA award for the best NGO of the year. Google POORT.

Might we form a DU group that reviews the plan and submits comments? Suggestions?


:woohoo: :yourock: :woohoo: