July 20, 2006
Groups Appeal Management Plan for
LOS PADRES National Forest
California Resources Agency,
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Also Seek Stronger
Protections for Forests
A coalition of conservation organizations today appealed the
newly revised Land Management Plans for Southern California’s
four national forests, outlining a litany of flaws that would
result in more environmental damage on these popular,
biologically rich forests.
The 250-page administrative appeal
cites numerous problems with the management plans, including an
inadequate study of roadless and wilderness areas, plants and
forests, and native wildlife species. The organizations charge
that the plans focus too much on expanding roads, motorized
recreation and commercial, extractive uses such as logging and
oil drilling rather than protecting the natural values and
low-impact recreational uses that so many citizens enjoy.
The groups' appeal follows on the
heels of a similar appeal filed by two state agencies last week.
In their appeal, the California Resources Agency and the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection called the
new plan "deficient" for allowing road construction and
development in the forests' roadless areas. The agencies also
criticized the Forest Service for failing to uphold its promise
to the State of California to protect these roadless areas.
“The new management plan allows
road construction and development in 74% of the pristine,
roadless areas of the Los Padres National Forest,” said Jeff
Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch. “This
plan represents a giant step backwards in protecting these open
spaces that are so valuable to our local communities.”
The Los Padres, Angeles, San
Bernardino and Cleveland national forests are within a couple of
hours’ drive of 20 million people, and boast some of the
country’s most popular places to hike, camp, picnic, fish and
hunt, bird watch, rock-climb, mountain bike, horseback ride,
stargaze, and indulge in a host of other nature-based
activities. These 3.5 million acres of public forests also are
part of the California Floristic Province, which is recognized
as a global biological “hotspot” – defined as an area that
harbors an incredible diversity of life but is also undergoing
rapid habitat loss. As such, the forest plans are tremendously
important for both people and the native plants and animals of
the region.
The revised forest plans serve as
a blueprint, outlining management goals and strategies for the
four national forests during the next 15 years and the specific
standards that the Forest Service must follow when overseeing
these public lands. The forests are already confronted with
grave threats from hydroelectric projects, transmission lines
and utility corridors, oil and gas drilling, pipelines, mining
operations, road building, unmanaged livestock grazing, logging,
and illegal off-road vehicle use. Because of these threats, the
Los Padres National Forest was recently featured in a report
titled America’s Most Endangered Forests.
The formal administrative appeal
was submitted to Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth in
Washington D.C. The appellants include Los Padres ForestWatch,
the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, California
Wilderness Coalition, California Native Plant Society, Natural
Resources Defense Council, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of
Wildlife, and Environment California.
The Forest Service has 160 days to
issue a decision on the appeals.
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