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Siskiyou Wild Rivers News - 6/24/04
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed new rules concerning use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on our National Forests. Although they represent a small step forward, they fall far short of what is needed to truly bring about meaningful reform.
In this Issue:
1. Action Alert: Protect Forests from Off-Road Vehicle Damage
2. Hike to Fiddler Mountain - this Sunday
3. Biscuit Fire Update
4. Siskiyou Ecology: the Rough-Skinned Newt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Action Alert: Protect Forests from Off-Road Vehicle Damage
Photo: Erosion from an unlawful ORV road pollutes the Wild & Scenic Illinois Rivers
(c) Rolf Skar
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed new rules concerning use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on our National Forests. Although they represent a small step forward, they fall far short of what is needed to truly bring about meaningful reform. ORVs are posing a great threat to the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area - spreading non-native diseases, weeds, creating erosion and damaging sensitive ecosystems. Please urge the Forest Service to strengthen the draft rules by sending a comment today.
TAKE ACTION
Please ask the Forest Service to:
1. Complete off-road vehicle route designations within 2 years of the effective date of the rule
2. Designate roads and routes, including any unauthorized renegade route, for off-road use only after public participation and site-specific analysis of environmental impacts and user-conflicts
3. Immediately end use of all unauthorized renegade ATV and dirt bike routes pending site-specific study and official designation
4. Ensure that the Forest Service can afford, maintain and manage any system of roads and routes designated for off-roads vehicle use.
In addition, please urge the Forest Service to retain the following in the final rule:
1. The general prohibition on motorized cross-country recreation, provided that any area designated as available for off-road vehicle use be limited and discrete
2. The requirement that off-road vehicle use be authorized only on those roads and routes specifically designated as open on use maps
3. The conclusion that forests are not required to inventory and/or map unauthorized renegade routes prior to commencing the official route designation process.
Remember to share personal experiences and observations in your comments.
SEND COMMENTS TO:
Proposed Rule for Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use
c/o Content Analysis Team
P.O. Box 221150
Salt Lake City, Utah 84122-1150
Email: trvman [at] fs.fed.us
Fax: (801) 517-1014
MORE INFO:
The future of our National Forests and the values they represent are threatened by growing and uncontrolled use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes and other ORVs.
In many National Forests today, off-road vehicles can go drive almost anywhere. The Forest Service reports that more than 273,000 miles of roads and other routes are open to various off-road vehicles. On some forests, ATVs and dirt bikes can travel virtually without limit across hundreds of thousands -- even millions -- of acres.
According to the Forest Service, millions more people visit our National Forests to hike, view nature, hunt or fish than visit to ride off road vehicles. But with vehicles almost everywhere, there are fewer places where families can go for a quiet walk in the woods or a picnic, where hunters and fishermen can find quality experiences, or where hikers and horseback riders can avoid dangerous conflicts.
In April 2003, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth identified unmanaged off-road vehicle use as one of the four greatest threats to America's National Forests. "We're seeing more and more erosion, water degradation and habitat destruction. We're seeing more and more conflicts between users. We're seeing more damage to cultural sites and more violation of sites scared to American Indians. And those are just some of the impacts."
In 2001, the Forest Service estimated that forests nationwide were scarred with at least 60,000 miles of unauthorized roads, many blazed by off-road vehicles. This figure has only grown over the past few years.
The draft rules issued by the Forest Service on July 7, 2004 fall far short of what is needed to bring about meaningful reform and to respond to the ever growing threat on National Forests. They do include some policy changes that would be beneficial if effectively implemented on the ground, including:
1. Prohibiting cross-country motorized travel across entire forests;
2. Authorizing ATV and dirt bike use only on roads and off-road vehicle routes specifically designated as open for such use; and
3. Concluding that forests do not have to inventory and/or map unauthorized renegade routes prior to commencing the designation process.
Overall, however, the draft rules do not address critical problems, and fail to reflect the urgency highlighted by Chief Bosworth only a few months ago.
For more info, see: http://www.americanlands.org/orv_comment_drive_kit.htm
Please take action today - together we can make a difference.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Hike Fiddler Mountain - this Sunday
Join us for a moderate four mile round trip hike into the Biscuit Fire area with Siskiyou Project staff this Sunday. Experience some of world class Siskiyou Wild Rivers area while learning about the affects of the Biscuit fire. You will get to see natural rejuvenation as you drive towards Babyfoot Lake and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. In addition, you'll get to see areas imminently threatened by the extreme Biscuit fire logging project.
Meet at the Selma Market (on highway 199) in Selma, Oregon at 10:00 AM on this Sunday, July 26th. Make sure to bring sturdy shoes, plenty of water and food. Breathable long pants may be advisable to help avoid poison oak, brambles and scrapes from woody debris.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Biscuit Fire Update
Natural rejuvenation continues to thrive in the Biscuit fire area - even as the Forest Service moves ahead with the largest logging project in the modern history of our National Forests. Last Friday, the Forest Service tried to auction the first five Biscuit timber sales. Yet, when they put these "emergency" logging projects to bid, only one of them received competive bidding, and two received no bids at all.
The Flattop and Cedar timber sales received no bids, while the 14.5 million board foot (mmbf) Fiddler and the 12.8 mmbf board foot Berry timber sales each received a single, minimum bid. The Fiddler logging sale threatens an area of particular concern to the Siskiyou Project. Not only is its size larger than most other timber sales in the Pacific Northwest, it would impact old-growth reserves and the uninventoried roadless watersheds on Fiddler Mountain. You can learn more about Fiddler Mountain at the Siskiyou Project website http://www.siskiyou.org by clicking on the
Fiddler Mountain brochure link in the bottom right corner.
The Siskiyou Project, leading a coalition of groups, has filed a lawsuit on the so-called "Biscuit Fire Recovery Project." There are, in fact, three lawsuits from conservation groups seeking to stop various parts of this unbalanced logging scheme. Logging companies, led by the American Forest Resources Council, have also filed a lawsuit over the project. Among other things, the logging industry lawsuit contends that the Forest Service has not proposed enough logging. This, of course, begs the question: if the logging industry is not happy with the largest timber grab in the modern history of our National Forests, what will make them happy?
More Biscuit fire timber sales are scheduled to be auctioned in coming weeks. The coming weeks are important for the wild Siskiyou politically as well. Congress just began its August recess - but when elected officials reconvene in September, the threat of a "rider" or special legislation exempting the Biscuit logging project from environmental rules becomes a very real possiblity. This means that we need to make our voices heard during the next few weeks to help protect the wild Siskiyou. Stay tuned for info on call-in days, opportunities to share concerns with elected
officials, and more!
Remember that you can always learn more about the Biscuit logging project, the proposed Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Conservation Area and send a free, instant fax from the Siskiyou Project website: http://www.siskiyou.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Siskiyou Ecology: Oregon Grape
photo: berries ripening on an Oregon Grape plant (c) Rolf Skar
Oregon Grape, (Mahonia aquifolium) is an understory shrub native to the Pacific Northwest. With shiny, evergreen leaves that resemble holly, it is a popular ornamental. In the spring, Oregon Grape issues clusters of small, but showy, bright yellow flowers. Though its flowers are not particularly well-known, in 1892, the Oregon Horticultural Society named Oregon Grape the state flower of Oregon. This tall species of Oregon grape often grows single, unbranched stems up to 10 feet tall.
In native ecosystems, Oregon Grape grows in a wide variety of areas - from moist forest floors, to open rocky sites. Animals, such as birds and bears that consume Oregon Grape berries, help distribute the plant to different habitats - including areas recently affected by fire.
Humans also make use of Oregon Grape. Native Americans ate the purple berries and used the root and bark and for a wide variety of medicinal uses. Traditional uses for the plant included treating jaundice, arthritis and poor appetite. Today, it is still a popular herbal medicinal plant - the alkaloids berberine and hydrastine in the plant are similar to those found in Goldenseal and other medicinal plants. The berries edible - and though not the sweetest native berries, make quite tasty jellies and jams.
If you enjoy learning about Siskiyou ecology, you'll love the Siskiyou Field Institute - a chance to learn about the wonders of the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion with experts in a hands-on way. Go to: http://www.siskiyou.org/sfi/ for more
information on courses and events.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Siskiyou Project
9335 Takilma Road, Cave Junction, OR 97523
(541) 592-4459
Siskiyou Project - Campaign Office
917 SW Oak, Suite 407 Portland, OR 97205
(503) 222-6101
Protecting the world-class Siskiyou Wild Rivers area for future generations of all species
1. Action Alert: Protect Forests from Off-Road Vehicle Damage
2. Hike to Fiddler Mountain - this Sunday
3. Biscuit Fire Update
4. Siskiyou Ecology: the Rough-Skinned Newt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Action Alert: Protect Forests from Off-Road Vehicle Damage
Photo: Erosion from an unlawful ORV road pollutes the Wild & Scenic Illinois Rivers
(c) Rolf Skar
The U.S. Forest Service has proposed new rules concerning use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on our National Forests. Although they represent a small step forward, they fall far short of what is needed to truly bring about meaningful reform. ORVs are posing a great threat to the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area - spreading non-native diseases, weeds, creating erosion and damaging sensitive ecosystems. Please urge the Forest Service to strengthen the draft rules by sending a comment today.
TAKE ACTION
Please ask the Forest Service to:
1. Complete off-road vehicle route designations within 2 years of the effective date of the rule
2. Designate roads and routes, including any unauthorized renegade route, for off-road use only after public participation and site-specific analysis of environmental impacts and user-conflicts
3. Immediately end use of all unauthorized renegade ATV and dirt bike routes pending site-specific study and official designation
4. Ensure that the Forest Service can afford, maintain and manage any system of roads and routes designated for off-roads vehicle use.
In addition, please urge the Forest Service to retain the following in the final rule:
1. The general prohibition on motorized cross-country recreation, provided that any area designated as available for off-road vehicle use be limited and discrete
2. The requirement that off-road vehicle use be authorized only on those roads and routes specifically designated as open on use maps
3. The conclusion that forests are not required to inventory and/or map unauthorized renegade routes prior to commencing the official route designation process.
Remember to share personal experiences and observations in your comments.
SEND COMMENTS TO:
Proposed Rule for Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use
c/o Content Analysis Team
P.O. Box 221150
Salt Lake City, Utah 84122-1150
Email: trvman [at] fs.fed.us
Fax: (801) 517-1014
MORE INFO:
The future of our National Forests and the values they represent are threatened by growing and uncontrolled use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes and other ORVs.
In many National Forests today, off-road vehicles can go drive almost anywhere. The Forest Service reports that more than 273,000 miles of roads and other routes are open to various off-road vehicles. On some forests, ATVs and dirt bikes can travel virtually without limit across hundreds of thousands -- even millions -- of acres.
According to the Forest Service, millions more people visit our National Forests to hike, view nature, hunt or fish than visit to ride off road vehicles. But with vehicles almost everywhere, there are fewer places where families can go for a quiet walk in the woods or a picnic, where hunters and fishermen can find quality experiences, or where hikers and horseback riders can avoid dangerous conflicts.
In April 2003, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth identified unmanaged off-road vehicle use as one of the four greatest threats to America's National Forests. "We're seeing more and more erosion, water degradation and habitat destruction. We're seeing more and more conflicts between users. We're seeing more damage to cultural sites and more violation of sites scared to American Indians. And those are just some of the impacts."
In 2001, the Forest Service estimated that forests nationwide were scarred with at least 60,000 miles of unauthorized roads, many blazed by off-road vehicles. This figure has only grown over the past few years.
The draft rules issued by the Forest Service on July 7, 2004 fall far short of what is needed to bring about meaningful reform and to respond to the ever growing threat on National Forests. They do include some policy changes that would be beneficial if effectively implemented on the ground, including:
1. Prohibiting cross-country motorized travel across entire forests;
2. Authorizing ATV and dirt bike use only on roads and off-road vehicle routes specifically designated as open for such use; and
3. Concluding that forests do not have to inventory and/or map unauthorized renegade routes prior to commencing the designation process.
Overall, however, the draft rules do not address critical problems, and fail to reflect the urgency highlighted by Chief Bosworth only a few months ago.
For more info, see: http://www.americanlands.org/orv_comment_drive_kit.htm
Please take action today - together we can make a difference.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Hike Fiddler Mountain - this Sunday
Join us for a moderate four mile round trip hike into the Biscuit Fire area with Siskiyou Project staff this Sunday. Experience some of world class Siskiyou Wild Rivers area while learning about the affects of the Biscuit fire. You will get to see natural rejuvenation as you drive towards Babyfoot Lake and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. In addition, you'll get to see areas imminently threatened by the extreme Biscuit fire logging project.
Meet at the Selma Market (on highway 199) in Selma, Oregon at 10:00 AM on this Sunday, July 26th. Make sure to bring sturdy shoes, plenty of water and food. Breathable long pants may be advisable to help avoid poison oak, brambles and scrapes from woody debris.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Biscuit Fire Update
Natural rejuvenation continues to thrive in the Biscuit fire area - even as the Forest Service moves ahead with the largest logging project in the modern history of our National Forests. Last Friday, the Forest Service tried to auction the first five Biscuit timber sales. Yet, when they put these "emergency" logging projects to bid, only one of them received competive bidding, and two received no bids at all.
The Flattop and Cedar timber sales received no bids, while the 14.5 million board foot (mmbf) Fiddler and the 12.8 mmbf board foot Berry timber sales each received a single, minimum bid. The Fiddler logging sale threatens an area of particular concern to the Siskiyou Project. Not only is its size larger than most other timber sales in the Pacific Northwest, it would impact old-growth reserves and the uninventoried roadless watersheds on Fiddler Mountain. You can learn more about Fiddler Mountain at the Siskiyou Project website http://www.siskiyou.org by clicking on the
Fiddler Mountain brochure link in the bottom right corner.
The Siskiyou Project, leading a coalition of groups, has filed a lawsuit on the so-called "Biscuit Fire Recovery Project." There are, in fact, three lawsuits from conservation groups seeking to stop various parts of this unbalanced logging scheme. Logging companies, led by the American Forest Resources Council, have also filed a lawsuit over the project. Among other things, the logging industry lawsuit contends that the Forest Service has not proposed enough logging. This, of course, begs the question: if the logging industry is not happy with the largest timber grab in the modern history of our National Forests, what will make them happy?
More Biscuit fire timber sales are scheduled to be auctioned in coming weeks. The coming weeks are important for the wild Siskiyou politically as well. Congress just began its August recess - but when elected officials reconvene in September, the threat of a "rider" or special legislation exempting the Biscuit logging project from environmental rules becomes a very real possiblity. This means that we need to make our voices heard during the next few weeks to help protect the wild Siskiyou. Stay tuned for info on call-in days, opportunities to share concerns with elected
officials, and more!
Remember that you can always learn more about the Biscuit logging project, the proposed Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Conservation Area and send a free, instant fax from the Siskiyou Project website: http://www.siskiyou.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Siskiyou Ecology: Oregon Grape
photo: berries ripening on an Oregon Grape plant (c) Rolf Skar
Oregon Grape, (Mahonia aquifolium) is an understory shrub native to the Pacific Northwest. With shiny, evergreen leaves that resemble holly, it is a popular ornamental. In the spring, Oregon Grape issues clusters of small, but showy, bright yellow flowers. Though its flowers are not particularly well-known, in 1892, the Oregon Horticultural Society named Oregon Grape the state flower of Oregon. This tall species of Oregon grape often grows single, unbranched stems up to 10 feet tall.
In native ecosystems, Oregon Grape grows in a wide variety of areas - from moist forest floors, to open rocky sites. Animals, such as birds and bears that consume Oregon Grape berries, help distribute the plant to different habitats - including areas recently affected by fire.
Humans also make use of Oregon Grape. Native Americans ate the purple berries and used the root and bark and for a wide variety of medicinal uses. Traditional uses for the plant included treating jaundice, arthritis and poor appetite. Today, it is still a popular herbal medicinal plant - the alkaloids berberine and hydrastine in the plant are similar to those found in Goldenseal and other medicinal plants. The berries edible - and though not the sweetest native berries, make quite tasty jellies and jams.
If you enjoy learning about Siskiyou ecology, you'll love the Siskiyou Field Institute - a chance to learn about the wonders of the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion with experts in a hands-on way. Go to: http://www.siskiyou.org/sfi/ for more
information on courses and events.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Siskiyou Project
9335 Takilma Road, Cave Junction, OR 97523
(541) 592-4459
Siskiyou Project - Campaign Office
917 SW Oak, Suite 407 Portland, OR 97205
(503) 222-6101
Protecting the world-class Siskiyou Wild Rivers area for future generations of all species
For more information:
http://www.siskiyou.org
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