FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 15, 2006

CONTACT:
Eric Antebi 415-977-5747

Explore National Forest Lands for Sale with Google Earth

New Data, Mapping Tool Shows Full Scope of Administration Proposal

The Bush administration created a major stir when it recently proposed
selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest land. Now
you can use Google Earth to explore the parcels on the auction block and
see for yourself the full scope of what the administration has proposed.

The Google Earth maps are available at:
http://sierraclubplus.org/forests/maps

The administration has described the parcels it intends to sell as
"non-vital," characterizing them as isolated properties that are difficult
to manage. Viewing the parcels through Google Earth instead reveals that
far too many of the areas up for auction are within or immediately adjacent
to large blocks of public forest land. Selling these properties would only
serve to fragment undeveloped forestland, something Chief Dale Bosworth has
called one of the biggest threats to America's forest heritage.

The maps are based on the latest Forest Service data, dated March 14, 2006.


"The Bush administration's proposal to auction off national forest and
other lands is shameful," says Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra
Club. "These lands not only belong to you and me, but they also belong to
future generations, and they should not be sold off to the highest bidder
for development."


A full statement and additional background on the land sale is available at:
http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/releases/pr2006-03-15.asp
<http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/releases/pr2006-03-15.asp>