Att'n: Tiffany Benna, Team Leader
I urgently ask that you consider the fate of the very last of the ancients before turning them into needless paper. Those old trees hold a sacred power that is greater than the greatest of us; to be bought, sold, and sawed to pieces is an Act that will further denigrate our species and lower our overall consciousness. There are thousands of ways to mitigate the "problem" that these paper firms complain about, but it seems all they care about is killing our planet. Please consider any of the other alternatives suggested, for each ancient tree that dies, a significant amount of human consciousness is sacrificed.
Nick Ogrizovich
My letter to Tiffany Benna, Team Leader. For more INFO, read the rest.
Is nothing sacred? Some of the worst news I've heard in my life earlier this year regarding the brazen initiatives in The Alaskan National Refuge and now this: removing 4,000 acres of sacred, ancient trees just so someone can have the puffy charmins for their repug ass. Call me crazy, but I think a 4' diameter tree that has been here since time immemorial deserves to be treated better than as another plywood sheet slapped on yet another cookie cutter home. Enough is enough already?!!
Take an action if you haven't done so.
____
Check http://www.wsdp.org/arc_related_efforts2.htm#031904 for a brief background.
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
June 8, 2005
--Action Alerts--
- Tell the Bush administration not to log the Bitterroot Mountains' old growth forests
- Tell the Forest Service not to log the Tongass National Forest's ancient spruce trees
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
=
=
=
=
Action Alerts
=
=
=
=
=
1. Tell the Bush administration not to log the Bitterroot Mountains' old growth forests
The Bitterroot Mountains in southwestern Montana are a stunning range of glaciated canyons that are home to ancient forests, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, bears, wolves, trout, woodpeckers and owls. But the Forest Service has proposed logging some of the Bitterroot's last remaining wild areas.
Although the proposed project includes some beneficial work to reduce fire risk in the immediate vicinity of homes and community structures, much of the logging would take place miles away from the nearest home, and would actually immediately increase fire risk. The project calls for logging 4,000 acres of
old growth, including trees up to four feet in diameter, in some of the most valuable wildlife habitat in the region. These remaining pristine forest areas are islands surrounded by a sea of previously logged areas that are already suffering from severe soil damage and impaired stream quality.
Local homeowners, conservationists, firefighters and foresters have developed an alternative to the Forest Service's proposal that would provide more
community protection, restore some of the damaged forest areas and save taxpayers money. But the Forest Service is ignoring this plan.
The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the project through June 13th.
=
What to do =
Send a message, before the June 13th comment deadline, urging the Forest Service to avoid logging old growth areas that are not near communities, and to adopt the Bitterroot community's alternative to maximize both community
protection and forest health.
=
Contact information =
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send your own message.
MEF - Comments, Sula Ranger District
Att'n: District Ranger Tracy Hollingshead
Bitterroot National Forest
7338 Hwy. 93 South
Sula, Montana 59871
Email: comments-northern-bitterroot@fs.fed.us
=
Sample letter =
Subject: MEF - Comments
Dear District Ranger Hollingshead,
I oppose your proposal to log some of the Bitterroot's remaining wild areas. I am concerned that your preferred proposal would log old growth forests, including trees up to four feet in diameter. I am also concerned that the project would damage wildlife habitat and further degrade soil and water quality. In addition, it could actually increase fire risk to the local
community, with devastating results.
Instead, I urge you to adopt Alternative 3 -- the Community Protection and Local Economy Alternative. This alternative would provide greater community protection from wildfires, restore forest health from previous damage and
preserve the wildest old growth forests and the most valuable wildlife habitat.
Alternative 3 is supported by homeowners, firefighters and other local interests, and would save taxpayers money.
Again, I urge you to adopt Alternative 3.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
2. Tell the Forest Service not to log the Tongass National Forest's ancient spruce trees
The 500-year-old spruce trees of Alaska's Tongass National Forest soar over 200 feet high, protecting the cedar and hemlock trees slowly maturing in their shadows. Their broad, moss-draped limbs furnish nests for birds, and in the winter their canopy protects the wildlife on the forest floor, blocking harsh snows and preserving bushes through the coldest months. Without these ancient giants, much of the life below them would collapse.
The Bush administration, however, wants to let logging companies tear down these trees and all the life they support. Although the Roadless Rule halted logging and road construction in wild national forests, the administration has eliminated the Roadless Rule and is moving ahead with dozens of huge timber sales in Tongass roadless areas.
One of the most devastating of these timber sales would clearcut parts of Port Houghton -- the largest unbroken tract of unprotected old growth forest left in the Tongass. This spectacular wildland is graced with stands of enormous old
growth spruce and hemlock and extraordinary wildlife habitat. Black bears, mountain goats, wolverines, mink, marten, river otters and wolves find refuge here. Steelhead and cutthroat trout abound, and countless salmon return to its
streams to spawn each year. Hunters and anglers travel from around the world to visit this extraordinary area.
Federal law requires the Forest Service to consider public comments on whether the area should be considered for logging. The agency has requested comments by June 17th, although it will continue to accept comments beyond that date.
=
What to do =
Send a message urging the Forest Service to preserve this pristine area, and to permanently reject any possibility of logging it.
=
Contact information ==
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send your own message.
Petersburg Ranger District, Tongass National Forest
Att'n: Tiffany Benna, Team Leader
Port Houghton/Cape Fanshaw Landscape Assessment
P.O. Box 1328
Petersburg, AK 99833
Fax: 907-772-5995
Email: comments-alaska-tongass-petersburg@fs.fed.us