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Hellbender Journal Summer/Fall 2001
Fall is always a busy time up on the Allegheny Plateau. It's been a bountiful year in the garden even though we struggled through a drought year. On the homestead, our firewood has been cut, stacked and covered in anticipation of winter. The season's first snow is falling on the Allegheny National Forest as I am writing this. I thought it might be a good time to catch Allegheny Defense Project members up on all of the good news at the office. New Employee ADP recently hired Ryan Talbott as its new Forest Watch Coordinator. Ryan was born and raised in Marienville, Forest County in the Allegheny National Forest Region. Ryan's family roots in the Allegheny region go back to the 1700's. Ryan is studying biology at Clarion University and is totally dedicated to protecting the Allegheny Bioregion. ANF Fall Gathering It was a pleasure to welcome participants to the beautiful Allegheny National Forest for the Eight Annual Allegheny Defense Project Fall Gathering. Over 60 ADP supporters and family members attended. The weekend weather was beautiful after the Friday night storm. When I see how ADP has grown from a few individuals in early 90's concerned about biodiversity to our current Board, staff and members - I really do believe that dedicated individuals can make a difference in protecting our forests. During the weekend while participants were enjoying and exploring the beautiful Allegheny National Forest, they had an opportunity to attend workshops and learn how to protect the Allegheny National Forest from clearcutting and oil and gas drilling. We conducted a non-violence workshop and took time to pause and remember all of our fellow human beings who died in the September 11, terrorist attack in New York City and Washington, DC and all over our planet. Let us all make a commitment to do everything we can to stop the cycle of violence on this planet and work for social, economic and environmental justice to bring about peace. We were pleased to have Troy Firth leading the Sustainable Forestry Workshop at the Fall Gathering. Troy runs Firth Maple Products in Spartansburg, PA in Warren County. Troy is a private timberland manager who carries out sustainable forestry practices utilizing horse logging and runs a maple sugar business and two sawmills. Participants received honest answers from a person who makes his living managing private woodlands. East Side Timber Sale Lawsuit I want to update you on the second major law suit filed by ADP in Federal Court in Pittsburgh against the destruction of the East Side Timber Sale Ð the largest timber sale on public land east of the Mississippi. We just received the Forest Service response to our complaint.Ê In it the Forest Service admits to several things including that even-aged logging results in black cherry and also that no logging would result in a native beech forest type.Ê Additionally, the FS admits they are logging old growth and that their soil compaction results show noncompliance for four out of the last five years. Other Thoughts The industrial timber industry and Forest Service lies about the "management" of the Allegheny National Forest no longer stand up to public scrutiny. The illusion of the U.S. Forest Service caring for the Allegheny National Forest - Pennsylvania's only national forest is over. The public now knows that the ANF is being mismanaged as: - a black cherry tree farm for industrial forestry corporations and as a fiber supply for paper and chipboard corporations. - a private oil and gas drilling reserve for corporations where environmental laws under the Clean Water Act are not enforced. Drilling has increased 500% over the past 5 years. The first public hearing in 10 years was held by the PA Department of Environmental Protection on drilling in the Allegheny in the Salmon Creek area due to ADPÕs persistence. ADP research shows the FS has never objected to an oil and gas-drilling permit in 17 years. - Communities are being impacted by pollution from the timber industry corporationsÕ plants. - Air pollution and acid deposition are impacting the Allegheny. We have our work cut out for us in protecting the Allegheny. Sadly the National Forest Protection Alliance has identified the Allegheny National Forest as the Most Endangered National Forest on its 10 Most Endangered List. The National Forest Protection And Restoration Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Cynthia McKinney from Georgia and James Leach of Iowa, continues to gain support. It would end commercial logging on all National Forests and redirect taxpayer savings from the taxpayer financed industrial destruction of our National Forests to restoration and retraining of displaced workers. Furthermore, it would provide fixed, stable payments to timber dependent communities that have been dependent on money generated from clearcutting our National Forests. We need to continue to contact our congressional legislators and demand that our National Forests be protected permanently from all resource extraction. This year, Forest County, one of the four Allegheny National Forest counties chose fixed, stable payments from the Federal Government under the new County Payments Bill instead of opting to receive money from timber sales. For the first time in Allegheny history, Forest County is actually receiving more money than the other three counties that opted to continue receiving money from clearcutting the national forest. Your ADP board and staff look forward to working with all of you in the coming months to protect the Allegheny now and into the future. We thank you for your continued support. Dedicated individuals can make a difference in protecting our Allegheny Heritage. I have my snowshoes and cross-country skis ready. Think snow. Hope to see you this winter. Bill Belitskus |
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