We have been deluged by responses to Barry Wynsma's thoughtful essay on Forest Service leadership - or the lack thereof. Provided here is some feedback on the essay.
W.V. "Mac" McConnell writes from Florida. He is a U.S. Forest Service retiree whose Power Point presentations have appeared on our website many times. His latest efforts are nearby: an updated version of his earlier "Timber Resource Management" Power Point and a fascinating photograph, "One Landscape: Four Views," that shows what is happening on adjacent public and private forests at Deep Creek, near Townsend, Montana.
Editor's comment concerning Mike Petersen's (Executive Director - Lands Council) Response To Dr. Tom Bonnicksen's Essay, "Death Of A Forest: Why We Should Care"
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Editor's Note:
So much for transparency in government! Remember all that stuff you heard about "transparency in government" during the last election cycle? Well, as Hugh Grant said in Mickey Blue Eyes, "Fuggeddaboudit!" Someone in the Obama Administration has (gasp) leaked a copy of a proposal to designate more national monuments around the country. While the use of the Antiquities Act to make these midnight designations isn't new - and frankly doesn't have much to do with forestry - the proposed designations are a pretty sure sign that not much has change inside the Beltway in recent years. Contempt for the "little people" who live in 'flyover country' hasn't changed one damned bit. The full report from the House Resource Committee Republicans appears below. Be sure to click on the "Internal Document" link inside the report. This will lead you to the "Internal Draft NOT FOR RELEASE" document from the Department of the Interior describing each of the proposed new monuments. Following the report below, read some interesting comments we got from our colleague, Dave Skinner, after he read the "NOT FOR RELEASE" report. Also, click below to read a letter from the Chamber of Commerce of the United States against the national monument designations. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jill Strait or Spencer Pederson Internal Document Reveals Administration Looking to Designate over a Dozen New National Monuments in the West
WASHINGTON, D.C. -A recently obtained internal document from the U.S. Department of the Interior shows the Obama Administration is covertly considering designating up to 17 new National Monuments under the Antiquities Act. In addition, it shows that the Administration is also targeting thousands of acres of private land for potential acquisition by the federal government. The proposed designations and acquisitions would lock-up at least 13 million acres of land in 11 Western states, cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and be done without Congressional approval. It would also have huge ramifications on our nation's energy, restricting access to immense oil, gas, and mineral deposits, as well as blocking pipelines and transmission corridors. In response, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) and National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Rob Bishop (UT-01) sent a letter today to President Obama expressing strong opposition to any unilateral action by the Administration to take vast amounts of land without public input. This internal document comes on the heels of a recent New York Times article detailing how "President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities." "This document exposes the hidden maneuvering of the Obama Administration to potentially lock- up tremendous amounts of public and private land without public knowledge or input. This is a gross violation of the promise of transparency and open, public decision-making," said Hastings. "The only thing this Administration isn't trying to hide is its unwavering commitment to expanding government every chance it gets. These designations would jeopardize job creation, energy production, recreational opportunities and tax revenue for local governments. While the President may be frustrated with his inability to pass his agenda through a Democrat-controlled Congress, he should not try to score political victories through secretly-plotted unilateral executive declarations that may please some special interest groups but will harm the livelihoods of countless American families and communities across the country." "The Antiquities Act has long been misused and abused beyond its original intent. If Western members seem worried it is because we have been burned by Presidential designations in the past. The designation process should be submitted to an open and transparent process," said Bishop. "If such designations were to be implemented, ranching, energy production, recreation and future tax revenue for local communities could be significantly harmed. In light of such significant implications, stakeholders, local officials and community residents deserve the opportunity to provide input and voice their opinions. Anything short of that would be completely irresponsible." In the letter, Hastings and Bishop ask that the public and communities from impacted areas be given ample opportunity to be heard before any restrictive designations are acted upon. They also call on the President to meet four criteria before designating new National Monuments:
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Chamber of Commerce Letter
Rural America's Unfunny Valentine By Dave Skinner Just before Valentine's Day, seven pages of an apparent "Internal Draft - NOT FOR RELEASE" leaked from the Obama Administration's Interior Department. The non-profit Evergreen Foundation received a copy from long-standing, trustworthy source. After reviewing the report, I could not help but feel this "draft" is either an amazing professional hoax, or more alarming, completely real. It is posted here for your study. You can draw your own conclusions. The subject matter is "Conservation Designations," broken down into three categories. The first and largest, "Prospective Conservation Designation: National Monument Designations under the Antiquities Act," might sound just slightly familiar, as are some of the locations: San Rafael Swell, Otero Mesa, Owyhee Desert, and an "expansion" of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument designated by President Clinton during his orgy of environmental legacy-building. While the Evergreen Foundation focuses mainly on forestry issues, it is impossible to not notice that almost all of the 23 areas being proposed on this list -- for either Monument designation or other status unilaterally declared by presidential decree -- have high energy and mineral potential, and are, for example, "currently under threat of oil and gas development." I was also struck by the draft's use of value-laden language such as "least appreciated wildland mosaics," "crown jewel of these areas," "attempts to meet our management goals," "environmentally-sensitive lands," and "aggressive willing seller programs." Finally, I note the irony of a secret internal draft in light of President Obama's promise of the "most transparent" Administration in history. Happy reading.
Tags: Antiquities Act House Natural Resource Republicans National Monuments
human need to use natural resources is fundamental to our continued presence on earth."