JANUARY
5, 2007
2007 New Year’s Resolution:
~
No Accidents in 2007! ~
FROM THE WEEKLY REPORT
DEP
Issues Compliance Order to Allegheny NF:
On Dec. 14, 2006, the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a Compliance Order to the Allegheny
National Forest mandating that construction activities cease on new water and
sewage facilities and a warehouse, pending corrective action in erosion and
sedimentation control. The construction
began on June 6 at the Bradford Office
Administrative Site after five years of planning, site design, and award of a
site construction contract. The DEP made
several site visits and recommendations, which the Forest
addressed immediately. In Aug. 2006, the
Allegheny applied for a National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System
permit after notification of the requirement by DEP and after being assured that construction could continue in the
interim. A notification by the DEP on Oct. 3, 2006, that the permit application was incomplete
resulted in FS submission of a revised application on Dec. 6, 2006. Forest Supervisor Kathleen Morse has been in
communication with the head of DEP’s Northwest Pennsylvania Division and a
meeting has been set for Jan. 8, 2007, with the objective of getting the
project back on track and improving relationships. Congressman John Peterson (R-PA-5) has a high
level of interest in this project and his office has been contacted by
Kathleen.
Final
Payment Under the Secure Rural Schools Act: On December 28 Secretary of Agriculture Mike
Johanns announced that more then $385 million will be distributed to 41 states
and Puerto Rico for improvements to public
schools, roads and stewardship projects. This is the sixth and final year of
the payments as authorized under the Secure
Rural Schools
and Community Self Determination Act of 2000. The Forest
Service has distributed more than $2 billion under this legislation since 2001
to assist counties in maintaining and improving local schools and roads. The Secure Rural Schools and Community
Self-Determination Act was developed to stabilize payments to counties because
the historical 25% of revenues that counties received tended to fluctuate and
in some cases had been greatly reduced due to cuts in national forest timber
programs.
Judge Rules in Favor of the Forest
Service in Glisson v. Forest Service: On Dec. 11,
2006, Judge Michael J. Reagan denied plaintiff-intervenors’ fourth motion for
contempt in Glisson v. Forest Service, a case involving management of equestrian
recreation on the Hidden Springs Ranger District of the Shawnee National Forest (IL). The Judge found that the Forest
Service has been reasonably diligent and energetic in its law enforcement
efforts concerning un-permitted equestrian camps. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2007, to consider the
government’s request to end judicial oversight in this case.
Meeting with Congressman: On Dec. 19, 2006, the
Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region of the Forest Service met
with Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) in Salinas, CA to talk about legislation that
Farr was expected to introduce in the next Congress to create the Big Sur
National Forest. Details about the
boundaries are still being considered. The proposed new national forest will be
managed by the Los Padres National Forest
and become the 19th national forest in California.
Kings River
Project Record of Decision.
A Record of Decision for the Kings River Project was signed by the Sierra National
Forest (CA) Supervisor on Dec. 20, 2006. Recent fires in the Sierra Nevada have not only threatened communities but
have destroyed thousands of acres of habitat for sensitive wildlife species.
The selected alternative will treat more than 9,000 acres of Wildland Urban
Interface zones, create approximately 1,865 acres of Defensible Fuel Profile
zones, and implement more than 9,000 acres of fuel burn treatments and 2,000
acres of California Spotted Owl study thinning treatments. The decision is subject to appeal which must
be filed within 45 days from the publication date of the notice in the Fresno Bee.
Agreement signed on Idaho Fire Plan On Dec. 12, 2006, a strategy to
implement National Fire Plan initiatives was adopted and signed by the Idaho
State Fire Plan Working Group (State Working Group). The Idaho Statewide Implementation Strategy for
the National Fire Plan provides a collaborative framework for an
organized and coordinated approach to the implementation of the National Fire
Plan. The State Working Group is a collaborative body composed of individuals
representing state and federal agencies, counties, tribes, and non-governmental
organizations.
Forest Service Extends Comment Period
on Open Space Conservation Strategy:
On Dec.
14, 2006, a Federal Register notice was published extending the public comment period
for development of the Forest Service open
space conservation strategy and implementation plan. The strategy will help shape the agency’s
role in a national effort to address the loss of open space on private forests;
on the National Forests and Grasslands and surrounding landscape; and on
forests in cities, suburbs and towns.
The comment period was extended from Dec. 13 to Dec. 29, 2006. The Forest
Service is also seeking feedback from all levels within the agency and has conducted
three ‘by-invitation-only’ listening sessions. The Forest
Service will use input from partners and the general public to generate ideas
for programs, research, partnerships, and policy recommendations to foster open
space conservation across the
nation. The strategy will be completed
by May 2007.
Nine Projects Recognized Through New Two Chiefs’
Partnership Awards: On Dec. 7, 2006, for the first time, nine projects received
the Two
Chiefs’ Partnership Award for successful
collaborative efforts in support of conservation and forest stewardship. The awards were presented at a ceremony
following a joint meeting of the leadership of the Forest
Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and state forestry agencies. The purpose of the meeting was to identify
opportunities to collaborate more effectively on natural resource issues. The
partnership award recipients were from across the country and highlighted
existing successful partnerships among the agencies and state and local
partners. The projects were: Fire
Protection in San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties; North Dakota
Living Snow Fence Task Force; Restoration of Riparian Forests on the Hopi Reservation;
Vermont Envirothon; National Agroforestry Visual Simulation Kit; New Hampshire
Environmental Quality Incentives Program; Southeastern Silvopastural Initiative; Cooperative Conservation in
Missouri; and Arizona National Forests Environmental Quality Incentives
Program.
County Line Project Gets
Green Light: On Dec. 6, 2006, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of the Rio Grande National Forest
(CO) on the County
Line Project. Four environmental groups and three
individuals filed a lawsuit seeking to halt logging of the spruce beetle- infested forest near Trujillo Meadows Reservoir. The plaintiffs claimed the Forest
violated National Forest Management Act and National Environmental
Policy Act by not analyzing the impacts of the
proposed logging on wildlife, soils, and stream health. Judge Figa denied the request for an
injunction on all claims. The Forest is planning at least three timber sales in the
project area to salvage dead and dying trees on 841 acres and thin green trees
on 715 acres. Logging may begin as early
as June or July of 2007.
Forest Health Project Released: On
Dec. 6, 2006, the White River
National Forest (CO)
announced changes to a mountain pine beetle forest health project in response
to changing conditions and concerns raised during an appeal process. The changes include removing 280 acres of
aspen regeneration treatment from the project and placing 700 acres of
beetle-killed lodgepole pine on hold for a commercial timber sale. The Forest and the town of Vail
have agreed to perform $1.5 million worth of projects over the next five years
to remove dead and dying lodgepole pine using the Vail Valley
Forest Health Project.
Ski Area Gets Upgrade Permission: On
Dec. 8, 2006, the White River
National Forest (CO) gave
the Arapahoe Basin ski area permission to upgrade one
lift and add another, resulting in an expansion of skiable terrain from 490
acres to 837 acres. Arapahoe Basin, with
the nation’s highest skiable terrain on the Continental Divide about 70 miles
west of Denver, will have seven lifts and be able to comfortably accommodate
3,910 riders a day, compared with the existing 3,210.
Firefighters’ Families to Receive Donations: On
Dec. 9, 2006, Congress passed legislation that would allow the United Way in Hemet,
CA to distribute more than $1 million in donations to the families of the five
firefighters who were killed in the Esperanza Fire on the San Bernardino
National Forest (CA). The legislation
permits the United Way
to donate the money and still remain tax-exempt. Those who donate can benefit from a tax
write-off and the families who receive the money will not be taxed.
DOT Highway 33 Project on Wayne National Forest. The Ohio Department of Transportation (O-DOT) project to
reroute Highway 33 around the city of Nelsonville
and through parts of the Wayne
National Forest is
beginning to take shape and attract local opposition. Joint public hearings with Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency and Corps of Engineers have been held for permits that
address water quality. This, along with
progressive cutting along the proposed route on the Wayne NF, has drawn the attention of the
Sierra Club, which to date had not displayed noticeable opposition. Currently opposition is directed at the
project and O-DOT, with only mention of the potential impact to the Forest or indigenous wildlife. The project is currently estimated at more
than $130 million. Contracts are
expected to be awarded for construction in late summer 2007. The 8.75-mile bypass will take up about 375
acres of National Forest land.
AND IN THE MEDIA…..
Associated Press: On Thursday, January 4th,
the AP ran a story titled Man charged in wildfire deaths arraigned. A former U.S.
Forest Service crew boss was wrongly singled
out when he was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of four
firefighters in a 2001 wildfire, his attorney said Thursday. Ellreese N. Daniels, who was charged last
month but not arrested, appeared voluntarily in federal court where prosecutors
accused him of being grossly negligent in failing to order his firefighters out
of harm's way as flames advanced on them near Winthrop. Daniels, a seasonal U.S. Forest Service
employee, was also charged with lying to investigators. "We're horrified the government has
elected to file charges," federal public defender Tina Hunt said after her
client was released on his own recognizance. She argued any claims against her client
belonged in civil court, not criminal court. "This case has far-reaching consequences
for all people who fight fires and put themselves in danger every day,"
Hunt said.
Greenwire: On Wednesday, January 3rd,
Greenwire ran a story titled Case challenging reviews for
logging projects heads to Supreme Court conference, written by Dan Berman. The Supreme Court will consider at a
conference Friday whether to hear arguments in a case questioning how much
scientific review is necessary for logging projects in national forests. A group of Montana counties, school districts,
the timber industry and the Justice Department are asking the high court for a writ of certiorari to hear an appeal of a 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling they say imposes new scientific and
procedural requirements on the Forest Service. Justices are scheduled to decide as soon as
Monday whether to hear oral arguments in Mineral
County, et al., v. Ecology Center, Inc. Critics of the 9th Circuit
ruling say it expands what the Forest Service must do before it makes a
decision under the National Environmental Policy Act, Administrative Procedures
Act or the National Forest Management Act.
Baltimore Sun: On Tuesday, January 2nd,
the Baltimore
Sun wrote an editorial titled Shut out of the forests.
Citizen activists have been a bane to the Bush administration -- particularly
on environmental regulations. They ask questions. They file lawsuits. They try
to thwart nearly every administration attempt to cut the red tape surrounding
use of the nation's natural resources and wind up adding greatly to the cost of
these gambits. So the administration has
decided to simply eliminate the bothersome environmental reviews previously
applied to management plans for the 193 million acres of national forest. If there's no requirement to consider the
impact of activities such as mineral extraction or hazardous waste shipments,
those effects can't be used to challenge the plans. Such efficiency comes at
too high a price. Shutting citizens out of planning for the national forests is
not only anti-democratic but a dangerously short-term approach to managing a
resource intended to remain intact indefinitely.
New York Times: On Tuesday, January 2nd,
the New York Times published an article titled As Costs of Wildfires Grow, So Does a
Question: Who Should Pay?,
written by Kirk Johnson. The steeply rising cost of preventing and suppressing
wildfires, which burned more of the American landscape in 2006 than in any
other year since at least 1960, is creating a rift between Washington and state
and local governments over how the burden ought to be shouldered. A study issued in November by the inspector
general’s office of the United States Department of Agriculture, the parent
agency of the Forest Service, said the nature
of the wildfire threat was changing as private homes and communities pushed
ever closer to the boundaries of once-remote public lands. Those communities
and landowners, rather than federal taxpayers, should have to pay for more of
their own fire protection, the report concluded. States and local governments are gearing up to
fight back in Congress, arguing that decades of federal mismanagement of
national forests and open spaces, not development, created the threat and that
little communities with few resources are neither responsible for it nor
equipped to make a difference.
Missoulian – On Sunday December 31st,
the Missoulian ran an article titled Firestorm of Controversy Follows Forest Service Rule Change,
written by Perry Backus. Northern Region
1 Forester, Gail Kimbell has a pair of visual aids in her presentation about
the U.S. Forest
Service's new planning process. Resting
on her desk is a copy of the Kootenai
National Forest's 1987
land use plan - three large green binders containing the forest plan and its
accompanying environmental impact statement. The total package is maybe a foot and a half
tall. In Kimbell's hand is a copy of a
forest plan revised under the new rules. It's maybe half an inch thick. The Forest
Service is in the midst of fundamental change in the way it develops its long
range land management plans. “We're pretty excited about this new process,”
Kimbell said. “We think that it better reflects what the public wants from its
national forests.” In December, the agency completed an environmental review of
the 2005 planning rule and concluded that new forest plans no longer need
detailed environmental impact statements. The proposal to list the land use
plans as a “categorical exclusion” was then published in the Federal Register.
PERSONNEL
NEWS
STEVE WILLIAMS has accepted the
Forest Supervisor position on the Custer
National Forest in Region
1.
TINA TERRELL has accepted the
Forest Supervisor position on the Sequoia
National Forest.
PATRICIA GRANTHAM has accepted the Deputy Forest
Supervisor position on the Klamath
National Forest.
ED HOLLENSHEAD has accepted the
position of Director of Aviation and Fire Management.
IN
THE NEAR FUTURE
CHIEF DALE BOSWORTH AND THE DEPUTY CHIEF FOR BUSINESS OPERATIONS
HANK KASHDAN
will be traveling to the
Albuquerque Service Center for the Open House of the Human
Capital Management Building …ASSOCIATE CHIEF SALLY COLLINS will be
traveling to Lake Arrowhead for the Partners Outdoors Meeting at the beginning of the
week and then will be back in DC by Friday for a NACO MOU signing ceremony at
the White House…
The Weekly Report is compiled from input by field units and Washington Office staffs
as well as from news articles, newsletters and other sources.