The 1.1 million acre Bighorn National Forest in northeastern Wyoming is accepting comments on their Draft Forest Plan Revision. Comments must be postmarked by September 30, 2004. The Plan will direct the management of the forest for the next 15 years.

This special forest is an island mountain paradise, surrounded by a sea of prairies. At 13,175 feet, Cloud Peak rises in the center of its 189,000 acre Wilderness. Outside the Wilderness, 1,800 miles of roads dissect the mountain. This Draft Plan seems to be based on the idea that only local logging views matter, it is crucial that American citizens tell the Forest Service that we need to save and protect our remaining roadless areas of the Bighorn Mountains.

There are five alternative management choices presented by the Bighorn National Forest, but only one Alternative Has Any Wilderness Recommendations, Alternative C!

Alternative C was supposedly developed in response to overwhelming public comment that the roadless lands on the forest should remain undeveloped to provide for non-motorized opportunities, natural processes, and primitive recreational settings, but the Forest Service only included a small portion of those recommendations. For the sake of the Bighorns, we can and must do better than this.

Please, take this opportunity to write to the Forest Service to not only express your support for Alternative C, but urge the Bighorn National Forest to do more. Consider including the following in your comments:

• Wilderness recommendations should include not only Little Bighorn, Rock Creek, Walker Prairie, Devil's Canyon, and Medicine Lodge, but also include Lodge Grass Creek, Pete's Hole and Cedar Creek.
  
  
• NO NEW ROAD CONSTRUCTION! 1,818 miles of roads is too many to manage and they are damaging the watersheds and elk habitat while fragmenting the Forest.
  
  
• Restore the Wilderness recommendation boundaries where the Research Natural Areas and Wild and Scenic River protections from Alt C overlap into the Final Plan for Little Bighorn River, South Rock Creek, Paintrock Creek, Porcupine Creek and Tongue River for more consistent management and protection.
  
  
• 300 foot buffer zones should be Standard for all activities to protect the water and fisheries. The ASQ (Allowable Sale Quantity) should be maintained and set for good stewardship and protection of the roadless areas, recreation, wildlife and water at no more than 2.4 million board feet per year.
  
  
• Extensive protection is urged for the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark. The Final Plan should encompass the 18,000 acres of the "area of consultation" of the Medicine Mountain and Medicine Wheel.
  
  
• Wilderness management is compatible with the Landmark protections. Devils Canyon Roadless Area was once 34,000 acres and is now reduced to only 4,500 acres. The wilderness boundaries for Devils Canyon should be extended to the same 12,476 acres in the Preliminary Alternatives.

We URGE YOU to comment - a personal letter is best! You may deliver your letter in one of 4 ways:

Letters must be postmarked by September 30. For a sample letter, please visit www.wildwyo.org/issues_04/alert_bighorn_0722.html. Thank you!