And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 15:01:32 -0600 To: "Wild Rockies Alerts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Wild Rockies InfoNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: LETTERS NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF ANACONDA-PINTLER WILDERNESS PLAN! Alert--Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness LETTERS NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF ANACONDA-PINTLER WILDERNESS PLAN! The Forest Service has released an Environmental Assessment for updating the management direction for the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness. Public comments will be accepted until July 15. Please take a moment to send a letter in support of strong Wilderness protection. The A-P plan is one of the most enlightened Wilderness planning efforts we have seen. While we have suggestions for improving the proposed direction, the proposed plan is moving in the right direction - non degradation of the current wilderness quality! There will be some who do not share this objective and will attempt to derail some of the good proposals. The Forest Service also needs to hear from those who love the Wilderness! The Forest Service's "Preferred Alternative" is Alternative C. It is basically a good alternative and we urge you to support it along with the changes recommended below: RECREATION Support the proposed requirement for a free, mandatory self-issued permit! Permits will be available at the trailheads. Long term monitoring and resource protection suffer from a lack of reliable data on recreation use. The self-issued permit can help fill this void. It will pose only a minor inconvenience to visitors in order to help preserve this small Wilderness jewel for future generations. Support the FS recommendation to limit the combined number of humans and recreation stock to 16, but suggest that the combined limit be further reduced to 12 as recommended in Alternative D. We applaud the agency's use of this "heartbeat" standard which recognizes that recreation stock has at least as much impact to the Wilderness as does a person on foot. Support the "no campfire" provisions within 1/4 mile of 15 popular lakes, but suggest that the provision should include the 7 additional lakes listed in Alternative D. FISH STOCKING Strongly support the provision that naturally fishless lakes shall remain fishless, and commend the Forest Service for acknowledging that fish stocking has a negative impact on native aquatic biota. Suggest there be no more fish stocking in the Wilderness. Recreational fishing is a traditional and legitimate activity in the Wilderness. However, there is no basis in the Wilderness Act to engage in aquaculture in order to enhance that activity. INSTITUTIONAL USE Oppose special provisions for institutional use (i.e. scout, church and school groups, conservation group outings, etc.). All groups should use the Wilderness under the rules applicable to all other recreation visitors. If institutional groups need O&G services, they should be directed to the already established operations, rather than creating another class of commercial users. MYSTIC LAKE CABIN Oppose using the Mystic Lake Cabin for administrative purposes. The EA shows that it has already determined that such use is not the "minimum necessary" to protect Wilderness values. Recognize the historical value of this 60-year old structure, but question whether that value is significant enough to justify the high cost of restoration and maintenance in perpetuity. NOXIOUS WEEDS Support non-chemical efforts to keep weeds from entering the Wilderness such as requiring weed-seed-free feed, preventing and/or reducing campsite impacts, and aggressive treatment of trailheads, roadsides and clearcuts outside the Wilderness. COMMERCIAL OUTFITTING AND GUIDING Support the direction that visitors using O&Gs will abide by the same rules as non-outfitted visitors, including stay limits during the hunting season. Strongly support capping O&G use at the past 10-year average actual use. The Forest Service is proposing to increase commercial guiding by setting the cap at the 10-year high use level and granting a one time annual increase of 50 service days per outfitter. We believe that each proposal for new O&G services should be analyzed through the NEPA process and subject to a showing of public need. Please send your comments (postmarked by July 15, 1999) on the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness plan to: Dennis Havig District Ranger P.O. Box 238 Wisdom, MT 59761 George Nickas Executive Director Wilderness Watch Box 9175 Missoula, Montana 59807 406/542-2048 406/542-7714 fax mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ List-Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> News Submissions or Problems: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> This list is a public service provided by WIN: http://www.wildrockies.org Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
