roadless rule

In this episode, I speak with Gary Macfarlane, Ecosystems Defense Director and Katie Bilodeau, Staff Attorney with the Friends of the Clearwater in Idaho. We talk all about roadless areas, their history, RARE I, RARE II (Roadless Area Review and Evaluation), fractures in the wilderness community over RARE II, the National Forest Policy Act, the influence of industry on roadless areas, the nitty gritty of the Clinton 2001 Roadless Rule, state specific roadless rules, loopholes in the Roadless Rule, all about the new Friends of the Clearwater Roadless Report for Idaho and Montana, duplicity in the Forest Service on what constitutes protections, out of control and accelerating timber extraction and why we must begin taking roadless lands protection seriously.

In this episode, I speak with Dan Cannon, Tongass Forest Program Manager with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. We discuss proposed old growth logging, the Roadless Rule, the importance of the Tongass and some of the politics surrounding the issues. In the next episode, I will speak with Andrew Thoms, the Executive Director with the Sitka Conservation Society where we will go into greater detail on the resource and what logging would mean for the local economy. 

Add this saga to the growing list of attacks on our public lands where local and national consensus is ignored and multi-national corporation's interests are being served. Never mind the harm and trauma to Native American tribes living in the region who depend on the land for their subsistence. Americans everywhere should be outraged. Extractor's wish lists are being given top priority. 

Since interviewing Dan, the USDA has released their long awaited draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tongass on October 15th. There are six alternatives. The first alternative leaves the Roadless Rule in place. The other five involve the logging of old growth forest with increasing levels of eligible take at each step. Alternative two would convert 18,000 acres of old growth to suitable timberland. Once you get up to Alternative Six (the option Trump is advocating for) all 9.2 million acres of existing designated roadless areas would be converted to timberland, exposing 165,000 acres of old growth to logging. Americans everywhere should be outraged. You can submit your comments here akroadlessrule@fs.fed.us Please tell the USFS to keep the Roadless Rule in place for the Tongass (Alternative One). Comments are due by December 17th, 2019. Thanks for listening.

Draft EIS https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/10/15/usda-forest-service-seeks-public-comment-draft-environmental-impact