And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 16:52:30 -0600 To: "Wild Rockies Alerts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Wild Rockies InfoNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Forest Service Acknowledges Illegalities, Drops Rye Creek Timber Sale For Immediate Release: July 8, 1999 Contact: Deb Kmon, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED], Mary Anne Peine 406/728-5733, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Forest Service Acknowledges Illegalities, Drops Rye Creek Timber Sale Missoula, MT - Under pressure by a lawsuit, the U.S. Forest Service withdrew its decision to log in the Rye Creek area of the Bitterroot National Forest. In so doing, the Forest Service acknowledged that their decision to short-cut public process and ignore the best science was not in accordance with Federal law. The lawsuit was filed by Friends of the Bitterroot, American Wildlands, Sierra Club Bitterroot-Mission Group, and The Ecology Center, with legal counsel provided by the Western Environmental Law Center. "This is a great victory for the Bitterroot valley," said Jim Olsen, President of Friends of the Bitterroot. "It's just too bad that we had to take the Forest Service to court to resolve the issue." The Rye Creek area, located in the Sapphire Range southwest of Darby, Montana, was burnt by a wildfire last August and has already been subjected to logging and road building. The Forest Service's timber sale proposal called for logging on the steep and highly erosive slopes and more road building. The Forest Service has acknowledged that each proposed logging unit greatly exceeds regional standards for soil damage and that the streams are highly sensitive and severely degraded. Although numerous citizens and environmental groups questioned the legality of the Rye Creek logging proposal since its inception, the Forest Service categorically dismissed their complaints. Darby District Ranger Stuart Lovejoy insisted that he could exempt the Rye Creek proposal from full environmental analysis and public review, even though the area has been severely damaged by past logging and road building. During an administrative appeal of this decision to Regional Forester Dale Bosworth, the regional office also denied any wrongdoing. However, when faced with the task of explaining their decision to the U.S. District Court, the Forest Service immediately capitulated. "What has happened in the Rye Creek is emblematic of how federal agencies often operate," explained Judi Brawer of American Wildlands. "They knowingly break the law, deny citizen appeals, and wait to see if they will be held accountable in court. This time, they got caught." In contrast to their proposal to log the Rye Creek area, the Forest Service has recently helped broker the purchase of over 17 square miles of abused and abandoned timberlands in and adjacent to the Rye Creek watershed. The purchase of these lands was widely endorsed and offers an opportunity for restoration of these badly damaged lands. "The importance of protecting the Rye Creek area has gained national attention," stated Deb Kmon of the Ecology Center. "It's time to restore, not further damage, this sensitive area." ~~~ Deborah Kmon Ecosystem Defense The Ecology Center 801 Sherwood, Suite B Missoula, MT 59802 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (406) 728-5733 (406) 728-9432 fax 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/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
