THE FOREST SERVICE NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU!
**  Send in Your Personal Comments by APRIL 7th  **

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 requires the US Forest
Service to develop a management plan for each National Forest or
administrative unit. The regulations (or rule) that implements this law are
key in detailing the requirements that the agency must follow in developing
the plan. As part of its barrage of damaging proposals the Bush
administration has announced changes to the NFMA rules. The draft proposal
would greatly reduce the amount of environmental analysis, wildlife
protection, and public involvement currently required in the development
and revision of forest management plans and the management of our National
Forests.

The current regulations, first implemented early in the Reagan
administration, were revised and updated in 2000 after significant
scientific and public input. But after complaints from the timber industry,
the Bush administration put the revised safeguards on the chopping block.
Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey, a former
lobbyist for the American Forest and Paper Association, has led the charge.
Unremarkably, today's NFMA changes mirror the timber industry "wish list"
from the American Forest and Paper Association's 2001 congressional
testimony.

The Bush administration's proposed NFMA rules would:

** Effectively exempt the plan revisions from the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA.) By not requiring a full environmental impact analysis of
the revised plan, this one step would give agency managers total discretion
on when and how much they wanted to involve the public and how they would
weigh public input.

** Eliminate the requirement to maintain viable populations of native
wildlife species. This current requirement is one of the most important
legal safeguards of National Forest wildlife habitat.

** Eliminates requirements in the 2000 regulations to evaluate and protect
wild roadless forests.

** Increase the likelihood of harmful logging projects based on "multiple
use values."  This would allow commercial logging under the guise of
"wildlife habitat improvement," or "fuel reduction," among other reasons.

** Reduces overall environmental standards and accountability by allowing
management plans to be revised to accommodate individual projects and opens
loopholes for "adaptable management."

** Drastically limit public involvement and allow no opportunity to request
administrative review or an appeal of the final plan.

YOU CAN HELP!  -- Send official comments to the Forest Service and a copy
of your comments to your Congressional representatives. Comments should be
sent by April 7! Please raise the above points in your comments and use
the sample latter below.

Your Comments should by sent to:

USDA FS Planning Rule
Content Analysis Team
P.O. Box 8359
Missoula, MT 59807
via email [log in to unmask]
fax (406) 329-3556

To find your representatives name and address, enter your zip code here:
http://www.congress.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Forest Service:

Many Americans relish their trips to any of America's 155 National Forests
today, thanks in large part to forest protection measures that have been in
place for decades. But if the Bush administration and its timber industry
allies get their way, the public's forests will be managed to maximize
commercial logging profits with little consideration of harm to fish and
wildlife, clean water and recreation.

I oppose the Bush Administration's Proposed Changes to National Forest
Management (NFMA) regulations. These proposed regulations would weaken
environmental and wildlife safeguards, harm wild forests and clean water,
drastically limit public involvement, increase damaging commercial logging
projects and reduce agency accountability. Please completely withdraw these
harmful proposed NFMA regulations.

Our National Forests belong to all Americans, not just those who wield
chainsaws and donate money to political campaigns. Instead of undermining
current National Forest and wildlife protections, the Bush Administration
and the Forest Service should be working to protect our wild roadless
forests, stop damaging commercial logging and logging road construction and
restore our National Forests. Please count this as my offcial comment on
these proposed regulations.

Sincerely,

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]