Find and follow important projects on any National Forest.
At FSEEE, we are often asked how the public can stay up-to-date and informed about projects taking place on a particular National Forest. Luckily, there is an easy way to follow Forest Service projects that include road building, permit issuance for mining, grazing, and special uses, timber removal, and much more. Each quarter, every National Forest publishes a Schedule of Proposed Actions or SOPA. These documents outline every project that is currently active on the National Forest from the initial planning stages through completion.
You can find SOPA reports online at http://www.fs.fed.us/sopa/.
You can also contact the National Forest of interest and request printed copies of the SOPA report via the postal service (at no charge). SOPA reports are published the first of January, April, July, and October.
As Thomas Jefferson said: "An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will."
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FIRE RETARDANT UPDATE: Comment on the draft environmental impact statement
June 27th is the deadline for commenting on the Forest Service’s draft fire retardant EIS.
FSEEE’s comments can be read here. The associated spreadsheet collects together national forest-level data over an 11-year period on initial attack success rates, numbers of fires by size class, and retardant use. These data are the basis for FSEEE’s statistical analysis of retardant effectiveness.
Here is our take-home message:
“The fact of the matter is that each and every year the Forest Service drops millions of gallons of a toxic chemical slurry, predictably killing about a half-dozen air personnel while jeopardizing dozens of protected plant and animal species, all for a program that could best be characterized as faith-based firefighting. The Forest Service can and should do better.”
Send comments to:
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mail: USDA Forest Service
Attn: Jodi Kramer
1602 Ontario St.
Sandpoint, ID 83864
Fax: 208-265-6670
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2011 Congressional Wilderness Bills
Wilderness designation is moving forward in this Congress. Please help keep the momentum going for these important public lands bills. You can read more about FSEEE's work to protect the last of our undeveloped public lands (like the Devil's Staircase proposed wilderness) here.
Below is a list of the wilderness bills currently before Congress. Call your representatives and senators and ask them to "Protect Wilderness NOW!" Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 (or click for complete list of Senate and House contacts). Thank you!
California:
Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Act (HR 41)
Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests Protection Act (HR 113)
The California Desert Protection Act of 2011 (S 138)
The Pinnacles National Park Act (S 161)
Colorado:
Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act (HR 1701)
Idaho:
Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (HR 163)
Michigan:
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act (HR 977/S 140)
New Mexico:
Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act (HR 1241/S 667)
Manzano Wilderness Addition (HR 490)
Oregon:
Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act (HR 1413/S 766)
The Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act (S 607)
Washington:
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act (HR 608/S 322)
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Comment on the proposed National Forest Management Act Planning Rules by May 16th
The Forest Service once again in the process of revising the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) Planning Rule; the planning rule guides the management of every National Forest. The proposed planning rule and draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) have been published and the Forest Service is currently accepting public comment on these documents until May 16, 2011.
FSEEE encourages everyone to take a moment to review and comment on the new planing rule and DEIS, which will bring sweeping changes to the management of 193 million acres of public lands. Below are several points to consider when drafting your own comments:
The proposed planning language eliminates the viability rule and greatly weakens biodiversity protection.
Rather than charging the Forest Service with maintaining the viability of all vertebrate species, the new rules will only maintain protection for a limited number of already imperiled species. (Read more here to learn about the Forest Service's proposed new approach).
The NFMA dictates that planning rule regulations guarantee that forest plans “provide for diversity of plant and animal communities.” 16 U.S.C. § 1604(g)(3)(B) (Commonly referred to as the “diversity requirement”). To meet this goal, the existing 1982 planning rule mandates that “Fish and wildlife habitat shall be managed to maintain viable populations of existing native and desired non-native vertebrate species in the planning area.” 36 C.F.R. 219.19 (Commonly referred to as the “viability rule”). The viability rule has been eliminated in the proposed planning rule language. The Forest Service must meet the mandates of the diversity requirement by retaining the viability rule. If the Forest Service is truly interested in strengthening biodiversity requirements, FSEEE suggests that they maintain the viability rule and include invertebrate species as well.
The DEIS fails to disclose the impacts of the proposed rule on wildlife species.
The proposed planning rules represent a significant step backwards in biodiversity protection, but the Forest Service has not adequately addressed the significant environmental impacts of such a change in management as is require by the National Environmental Policy Act. The DEIS does not disclose how particular species will be impacted by the proposed planning rule, particularly those species that will no longer be monitored.
The Forest Service must engage in consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
As of yet, the Forest Service has not disclosed the impacts of the proposed rule change on threatened and endangered species. Such a major federal action requires that they consult with the relevant fish and wildlife agencies.
The public comment period for new plans is far too short.
The Forest Service is proposing only a 30 day comment period following the publication of a draft revised Forest Plan. We realize the agency's desire to expedite the forest planning process, which in the past has sometimes stretched to more than ten years, but minimizing the public's chance to thoroughly review and comment on Forest Plan revisions is not an appropriate place to cut corners, especially when revised plans may be complex or lengthy. A longer comment period will allow for greater and more reasoned response. We recommend increasing the comment period to at least 60, if not 90 days.
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Sweet).
Since the beginning of the revision process, FSEEE has been advocating for a set of planning rules that encompass the minimum legal mandates of the NFMA. Nothing more, nothing less. But the Forest Service has failed to include several key aspects of Forest Plans mandated by law.
The proposed rule language (see § 219.11 of the proposed planning rule) fails to include all the mandated components of a forest plan, particularly those established by NFMA (see 16 U.S.C. § 1604(f)(2)). NFMA dictates that plans include “descriptive documents, reflecting proposed and possible actions, including the planned timber sale program and the proportion of probable methods of timber harvest within the unit necessary to fulfill the plan.” Where is the planned timber sale program in the Forest Service's proposed planning rules? Missing. The proportion of probable harvest methods? Absent. If Forest Plan revisions aren't required to include these components, then the Forest Service is failing to meet the legal requirements of the NFMA.
Please take a moment to submit comments to the Forest Service regarding the proposed NFMA planning rules. The management of 193 million acres of public lands is at stake.
Submit electronic comments here or here.
Send written comments to:
Forest Service Planning DEISC/O Bear West Company
132 E 500 S
Bountiful, Utah 84010
Or send a fax to: 801-397-1605
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Celebrate Earth Day, Join in National Forests Events
Spring is in the air and we are all ready to get outdoors. Why not kick-off your 2011 outdoor adventures by participating in an Earth Day event on a National Forest near you! Earth Day 2011 is Friday, April 22, and many National Forests will have events throughout the weekend.
Volunteer planting trees, help a trail maintainance team, or take a guided (or selfguided) hike.
Check out www.volunteer.gov or call your local National Forest to find out more about planned Earth Day events.
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IMPORTANT ACTION ALERT: Stop Congress From Destroying Key Environmental Protections
Anti-environment riders have made it into the 2011 budget. Congress will vote on the budget before the end of this week (either Thursday (4/14) or Friday (4/15))! These riders include:
1) Legislatively delisting the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act. This is a job for scientists and wildlife managers, not politicians! If such a rider passes, it will open the floodgates of legislative roll-backs of key environmental legislation like the Endangered Species, Clean Water, and Clean Air Acts.
2) Halting the initiative to assess and recommend roadless areas for protection as wilderness. This is an Obama Administration initiative announced only three months ago! Signing a budget with a rider repealing his (thus far limited) environmental agenda will signal that any conservation program is fair game for defunding or repeal.
Don't let Congress get away with destroying some of our most valued environmental protections!
Please contact your U.S. Senators in the next 24 hours and urge them to vote on a clean budget that does not include these anti-environment riders.
Find the number of your Senators here or call the capitol switchboard: 877.762.8762
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Speak Up for Strong Wildlife Protections
The Forest Service is hosting public forums around the nation to hear what you have to say about the proposed National Forest Management Act (NFMA) planning rules. These rules will provide the guiding management framework for every National Forest. But the new rules do not provide the stringent protections for biodiversity and wildlife that are currently in place. Don't let the Forest Service move backward in protecting species on your public lands. Attend a nearby forum and provide comments on the proposed rule and environmental document by May 16, 2011.
Forums begin March 10 and continue throughout April. A full schedule can be found here.
The forums are free. They can also be viewed through live webcasts. For more information or to read the proposed planning rule and associated draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), visit here.
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Congressional Bills to Watch Now
S 220: Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection, and Jobs Act of 2011. Reintroduced in the new Congress after it failed to gain traction in 2010, this bill will legislatively mandate specific management practices on 8.3 million acres across six National Forests in Eastern Oregon, including specifications of the minimum acres to be treated and encouraging the harvest of trees up to 21 inches diameter (at breast height) for timber.
HR 242: A bill to exempt California’s 18 National Forests from the Travel Management Rule governing off-highway vehicle use on National Forest lands. The bill will open millions of acres to uninhibited cross-country motorized travel.
HR 509: A bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to remove the gray wolf from protective status on the endangered species list. HR 510 would prohibit gray wolves from ESA protections in the states of Idaho and Montana.
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Tribal Members: Weigh in Now on Sacred Site Policy
The USDA Office of Tribal Relations and the U.S. Forest Service are asking tribal leaders and members to weigh-in on ways to improve the agencies’ policies for sacred sites.
In a letter to Tribal leaders November 3, 2010, Undersecretary of Agriculture Harris Sherman and Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell stated, “[We] want to hear from you regarding how to improve our policies for sacred sites while simultaneously balancing the Forest Service’s mission to deliver forest goods and services for current and future generations. We need your help to examine the effectiveness of existing laws and regulations as well as recommendations for future policy or guidelines that will ensure a consistent level of sacred site protection that is more acceptable to Tribes.”
In-person and telephone listening sessions are scheduled from December to February, 2011. For more information and updates, visit the Forest Service tribal relations page.
The letter concluded with a timeline that ends in November, 2011. Throughout this initiative, comments about sacred site policies can be posted at http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/tribalrelations, or can be emailed directly to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
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Save Devil's Staircase – Time is Running Out!
We have one final chance to pass the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act during this Congress. FSEEE has planned several upcoming events to help keep the awareness alive and the pressure on Congress. Here is how you can participate and help:
- Oct. 14th, 6:30pm, EWEB Training Room: From Source to Confluence, an interactive slideshow presentation with professional photographer Tim Giraudier of Headwaters Photographic (see his picture on the left) chronicling his legendary journey through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness along Wasson Creek.
- Nov. 6th: FSEEE led hike into the Devil’s Staircase proposed wilderness area along Oxalis Ridge. Limited spots available. Those who sign up at the Oct. 14th presentation will have priority.
- Nov. 8th-12th: Call your US Senators and tell them: “I want Devil’s Staircase protected as wilderness before the end of this congress. Please make sure Senate Bill 1272 gets a vote.” See FSEEE's website congressional contact information.
Oregon residents: Please contact the Portland office for Senator Wyden at (503) 326-7525 and Senator Merkley at (503) 326-3386.
Contact Jennifer at (541) 484-2692 for more information or to sign up for the November 6th hike.
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Volunteer on National Public Lands Day (or any day) in a National Forest
Who: You! The general public.
What: A day of service for public lands
When: September 25, 2010
Where: Nationwide
How: Visit the official website for National Public Lands Day or contact the National Forest in your area to learn how you can participate in volunteer activities. Last year, volunteers:
