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Biodiversity Consevation Alliance * Wyoming Outdoor Council
Citizens Petition Forest Service to Reinstate Forest Protections In an unprecedented move, conservationists, concerned Americans and over 100 current and former Olympians employed the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) to petition for a policy reversal. Wyoming conservation groups petitioning for a return to protection for roadless lands included Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Wyoming Outdoor Council, and the Wyoming Wilderness Association. “The repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule has senselessly jeopardized the future of America’s last wild forests,” said Mike Richter, three-time Olympic hockey player and silver medalist at the 2002 Salt Lake City games. “The petition filed today amounts to the American people saying ‘no:’ No to greed, special interests, and the profit of a few at the expense of our common good. Americans continue to overwhelmingly support protecting national forest lands. The only question is – do our leaders?” The APA allows citizens to request the government to issue, amend, or revoke federal rules. Backers say the unusual step was necessary after the Bush administration failed to account for overwhelming public support for retaining the 2001 rule evidenced during a public comment drive. Traditionally, citizen participation is limited to comments during rulemakings, but according to conservationists, the comments of 1.7 million Americans were largely ignored by the Bush administration in their repeal of the rule. In addition, Wyoming business leaders submitted a letter seeking a moratorium on industrial incursions into roadless lands until the final determination is reached on roadless area protection in Wyoming. “Whether you want to fish, hunt, hike, camp, ride a horse or a snowmobile or just take in the view, roadless areas provide something for everyone,” said Lisa Dardy-McGee, National Forests & Parks Program Director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council. “Wyoming people value these lands and the recreational opportunities they provide. By reinstating national protection for roadless areas, we ensure a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren, who should have the chance to know and experience Wyoming's wild places the way they exist today.” In a letter to the Forest Service, the over 100 local and national conservation groups who organized the petition demanded a prompt response to the petition as required by law. The groups said the government not only ignored strong public support for the rule, but they may have skirted federal environmental law. These legal violations are the subject of two lawsuits in federal court. “Roadless areas are worth fighting for, because they represent some of our best remaining wildlife habitats,” said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “They’re incredibly important as elk security habitats, and are the strongholds for a rich and diverse array of wildlife, from lynx to rare pure populations of native trout. It’s a lot cheaper to protect the prime habitat we have today than to spend millions trying to rehabilitate lands after they’re degraded by industrial use.” Critics say the administration’s substitute policy, which allows governors to submit plans for roadless areas in their states is unwieldy, causes uncertainty and is expensive. They also contend the process shuts out the views of Americans who do not live in states with roadless areas but support their conservation. Today’s announcement comes as pressure mounts in Congress, the courts and the general public to reinstate the protections that limited logging, drilling, and other destructive activities in special Wyoming places like the Wyoming Range, the Rock Creek proposed wilderness areas in the Big Horns and Medicine Bows, and the DuNoir valley on the Shoshone National Forest. “Wyoming is a haven for hunting and fishing, hiking and horse riding, but the prime backcountry is getting harder to find,” said Liz Howell, Director of the Wyoming Wilderness Association. “There are plenty of roads in our national forests that provide motorized access, and it just doesn’t make sense to keep building more when the Forest Service cannot afford to maintain them. Wouldn’t it make sense for Wyoming to protect all the backcountry we can? And it doesn’t cost the taxpayer a dime.” A Senate bill will be introduced shortly by Senators Maria Cantwell (WA) and Jeff Bingaman (NM) to codify the 2001 roadless rule into federal law. Last July, 145 members of Congress introduced a similar bill in the House. In addition a federal suit has been filed on behalf of three state attorneys general and two governors from four western states -- California, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon – challenging the legality of the Bush policy. Montana and Maine joined last week filing a brief in support of the suit. A second legal challenge was also filed on behalf of 20 conservation groups, including Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. A letter from Wyoming businesses and conservation groups seeking a moratorium on industrial incursions into roadless areas, a copy of the letter submitted by over 100 groups supporting the petition drive, and the APA petition are available below. More information on the roadless rule and roadless areas can be found at www.ourforests.org.
Contact Information |
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Biodiversity Conservation Alliance P.O. Box 1512, Laramie, WY 82073 (307) 742-7978 - carmi@voiceforthewild.org |
