> > OVER ONE-HUNDRED GROUPS ASK FOR PROTECTION OF > PRISTINE FOREST AREAS > > Over one hundred environmental groups from around the > country have asked President Clinton to institute a policy that protects > unroaded areas on National Forests from logging. In a letter sent July > 28, the groups have asked for: > > 1) no road construction or timber cutting activities inside > previously inventoried roadless areas 1000 acres or larger, or of such > size as to be sufficiently intact and ecologically significant; > > 2) a one-year timetable for the Forest Service to complete new > inventories for roadless areas 1000 acres and larger, or of such size as > to be sufficiently intact and ecologically significant; and > > 3) protection for newly identified roadless areas. > > The letter also asks for protection of key watersheds and ancient > forests in the National Forests of the Pacific Northwest. Last spring, > Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck asked Forest Service officials to > avoid timber sales in "controversial areas," including roadless areas. > However, the Forest Service continues to move forward with sales in > certain roadless areas, prompting the current letter asking for a formal, > binding policy. Contact Ken Rait, Oregon Natural Resources Council, > (503) 283-6343 ext. 210, kr@onrc.org for more information or a copy > of the letter. > > NATIONAL GROUPS CALL FOR DOUBLING OF PROTECTED > AREAS > > A June 9 letter sent to President Clinton from national > environmental organizations called for a doubling of protected areas in > the U.S. by the year 2000. The Citizen's Call for the Protection of > Old Growth and Roadless Areas which was endorsed by every national > environmental group and over three hundred grassroots organizations > was also presented to support the request. > > The World Wildlife Fund recently released a report detailing the > continued loss of critical forest areas that harbor much of our nation's > remaining biodiversity. Only two percent of the original Old Growth > forests remain in the lower forty-eight states. Nearly three-fourths of > all forest ecoregions in the U.S. are at risk of becoming extinct or so > degraded they cannot maintain a rich variety of plant and animal > species. The letter states that "the first essential step toward achieving > this goal would be to stop the continued destruction of wildlands in the > unroaded areas and key watersheds of our National Forests and Bureau > of Land Management forests. These roadless areas represent much of > our nation's last remaining unprotected wilderness and in many places > are functioning as the last strongholds of native plant and animal > species. The second essential step is to permanently protect the > remaining native and Ancient Forests from logging and roadbuilding." > > YOU CAN HELP PROTECT OUR REMAINING UNROADED > WILDLANDS > > Please contact the President and the following Administration > officials and urge them to protect our nation's Ancient Forests, > roadless areas as well as threatened watersheds and streamside > zones and halt all timber sales and roadbuilding projects in these > areas: > > President Bill Clinton, 202/456-1111, 202/456-2883, > president@whitehouse.gov > Vice President Al Gore, 202/456-2326, 202/456-7044, > vicepresident@whitehouse.gov > Secretary Dan Glickman, USDA, 202/720-3631, 202/720-2166 fax > Katie McGinty, Council on Environmental Quality, 202/456-6224, > 202/456-2710 fax "We should never forget that exploiting the environment is more profitable than restoring it--and on the day the converse becomes true, it will be too late." BD
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