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Date: Mon,  8 Nov 1999 15:34:12 -0800
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From: "cbosman" <[log in to unmask]>
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Subject: USFS Needs to Hear From YOU
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Dear Friends:

Many of you have sent a message to the White House over the past few weeks encouraging the Tongass National Forest to be included in the President's announcement on protection of roadless areas in the national forest system nationwide.  It was your action that kept Alaska's Tongass from being excluded from the policy at the outset.  We now need a few more moments of your time during the official scoping process to let the Forest Service know Alaska's Tongass and Chugach National Forests must be part of the final roadless policy. Thanks for your help and please spread the word by forwarding this alert to friends, family, co-workers etc.   Scoping comments can be personalized and sent directly to the USFS from the Alaska Rainforest Campaign website at www.akrain.org. Some suggested points to make in your scoping comments and background information appear below.

Comments can also be submitted by Dec. 20  to: USDA Forest Service-CAET, Attn: Roadless
Areas NOI, PO Box 221090, Salt Lake City, UT 84122 or
mail to: [log in to unmask]
Fax: 801-517-1021


Suggested Points for Scoping Comments  (cut, paste and forward to the USFS address above)
_______________________________________________________


Attention: Roadless Areas Notice of Intent

I urge you to consider the following points in formulating your policy to protect America's pristine roadless wildlands on national forests:

Both the new moratorium and the final policy to protect unroaded wildlands must apply to ALL National Forests, INCLUDING Alaska's Tongass and Chugach National Forests. The Tongass National Forest is the heart of the last great expanse of old-growth rainforest in the United States. It was exempted from your 18-month road moratorium, leaving two million acres of pristine roadless wildlands open to logging and other development.

Both the new moratorium and the final policy must permanently protect roadless wildlands -- especially the Tongass -- from logging, mining and other exploitation.

There is no scientific basis to exclude roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest from the proposed protections. Excluding the Tongass would severely compromise the scientific legitimacy of any national policy on the protection of roadless areas in our national forest system.


                      Signed: Your Name
                      Name: Your Name
                      Email address: Your Email
                      Residence Address: Your City, Your State, Your Zip



Background Information
________________________________________________________________________

Alaska's Tongass National Forest urgently needs your help! The Clinton Administration may decide to exclude the Tongass -- our largest national forest -- from his recently-announced proposal that would protect the remaining roadless wildlands of all other national forests.

The Tongass is the heart of the world's largest remaining expanse of coastal temperate rainforest. Today, even with new management in place, most Tongass logging will still take place in unroaded, old-growth rainforest, and efforts to increase cut levels are underway.

The proposal to protect these roadless wildlands is a great idea -- as long as it does two things: One, it must cover ALL National Forests, INCLUDING the Tongass, and two, the protections must stop logging, mining and other exploitation. A watered down version of the proposal would only stop new roads. Helicopter logging and other damaging activities that don't require roads could be permitted.

President Clinton's proposal to protect roadless areas leaves the fate of the Tongass open for now. Whether he decides to include the Tongass depends on the amount of public support expressed during the official Forest Service comment period now underway.  Send an official comment from www.akrain.org saying that you want the Forest Service to stop logging and other harmful development in ALL national forest wildlands -INCLUDING the Tongass.
____________________________________________________________________________
If at anytime you wish to unsubscribe please visit
http://www.akrain.org/howtohelp.asp
where you can easily remove yourself from the list.  To speak with someone
directly please e-mail [log in to unmask] or call 907-222-2552.

Thanks for your support.

Alaska Rainforest Campaign Staff.