A Unique And Endangered Forest

The Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota and Wyoming support a diversity of life that can be found nowhere else on Earth. Supporting rare plants like foxtail sedge and rare animals like the Black Hills red-belly snake, fringe-tailed bat, and northern flying squirrel, the Black Hills National Forest is vital to the web of life.

But much of this biological wealth is at great risk. The entire forest has been logged since the late 1800's. As a result, the Black Hills have lost virtually all old growth forest habitat and few wild lands now exist. Less than 2% of the entire Black Hills National Forest is considered to be in old growth condition. And, while many National Forests in the western United States are over 30% roadless, less than 5% of the 1.2 million acre Black Hills National Forest remains in a roadless and wild condition. This situation has led to a drastic decline in diversity, pushing several native species to the brink of extinction.

Wild Life And Wild Lands At Risk: The Black Hills Need Your Help

The Forest Service has recently proposed the "Cement timber sale" - a massive industrial logging project that will impact over 5,000 acres of the Black Hills National Forest and log over 10,000,000 board feet - enough timber to fill over 2,000 logging trucks. Additionally, over 70 miles of roads will be constructed or reconstructed. The timber sale threatens many plant and animal species. The timber sale also threatens the Sand Creek roadless area, the largest roadless area on the Black Hills National Forest.

The Sand Creek roadless area is vital to the survival of many plants and animals and is one of only a few remaining wild lands on the forest. In 1991, citizens formally proposed the Sand Creek roadless area for wilderness protection.

While the Forest Service claims the Sand Creek roadless area will not be impacted by the Cement timber sale, this is not the case. Based on the 1991 citizens' boundaries, the Cement timber sale threatens to log inside the Sand Creek roadless area. Citizen surveys in 1991 determined the Sand Creek roadless area is over 10,000 acres in size. The Forest Service claims the roadless area is less than 8,000 acres, much smaller than it really is. Unfortunately, this huge error has yet to be corrected. Yet, with so little wild lands remaining on the Black Hills National Forest, every acre of Sand Creek matters and needs protection.

Currently, the Forest Service is asking for public comment on the Cement timber sale. Now is our opportunity to raise our voices in support of protecting wild life and wild lands on the Black Hills! Your voice can make a huge difference!

Please Write A Letter, E-Mail, Call, Or Fax The Forest Service And Tell Them To:

• Stay out of Sand Creek! Please tell the Forest Service that the boundaries of the Sand Creek roadless area must be based on the 1991 citizens' surveys and wilderness proposal. Please tell the Forest Service to fully protect the Sand Creek roadless area within these boundaries. Tell the Forest Service not to log, construct roads, or degrade the wilderness qualities in these vital lands.
• Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Cement timber sale. An EIS is the only way to ensure a credible and accurate analysis of environmental impacts and to ensure the wilderness values of the Sand Creek roadless area and other natural values are not significantly impacted.
• Protect all rare and imperiled plants and animals. Tell the Forest Service to fully protect "sensitive" and other rare and imperiled plants and animals. Tell the Forest Service to prohibit logging in the habitat of "sensitive" and other rare and imperiled plants and animals.
• Protect old growth forest habitat. Tell the Forest Service not to log any old growth and to protect all dense, mature forest to ensure the creation of future old growth.
• Protect "interior" forest habitat. Tell the Forest Service to protect and restore large "blocks" of mature and old growth forest to benefit sensitive woodpeckers, forest raptors, pine marten, and other species dependent on "interior" forest habitat.
• Protect water quality and soils. Tell the Forest Service not to construct any new roads and to reclaim all user-created (i.e., illegally created) and other unnecessary roads in the timber sale area. Tell the Forest Service to fully protect water quality and soils from further degradation.
• Protect non-motorized recreational opportunities. Tell the Forest Service to disallow off-road vehicle use in the Sand Creek roadless area and to not log along trails and other recreational areas.

Please send a letter, call, fax, or e-mail on or before June 9th to:

Elizabeth Krueger
Black Hills National Forest
Bear Lodge Ranger District
PO Box 680
Sundance, WY 82729

phone # (307) 283-1361
fax # (307) 283-3727
ekrueger@fs.fed.us