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Letter from Allegheny Defense Project's board president: Allegheny Wild! Revisioning the Allegheny National Forest
In 1923 President Calvin Coolidge designated the Allegheny National Forest specifically for watershed protection, not timber production. Today, under the U.S. Forest Service's 1986 Forest Management Plan, the Allegheny National Forest is one of the most heavily timbered and drilled national forests in the country. The Forest Service's heavy-handed timber extraction policy relying on clearcuts to create a black cherry tree farm has contributed to a road network that exceeds 4,000 miles. For comparison, the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire has only 250 miles of roads in the entire national forest despite being nearly 300,000 acres larger than the Allegheny. The Allegheny currently hosts more oil and gas wells than the other 154 national forests combined. Over 90% of the Allegheny is available for logging and oil & gas drilling. While the Allegheny National Forest is within a day's drive of one-third of the United States population, many other facets of forest management have been ignored or severely underrepresented. The Allegheny has a low percentage of its land base in special management areas including Wilderness, National Recreation Areas, Scenic Areas, and Natural Areas when compared to other national forests. The Allegheny Defense Project has put together a unique, comprehensive plan called "Allegheny Wild!" This citizens' vision aims to restore the Allegheny to its rightful status as a source of clean air, clean water, wilderness values, and recreational opportunities, including camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. "Allegheny Wild!" envisions more than 200 miles of new hiking, bicycle, and horse trails, five new Wilderness areas totaling nearly 50,000 acres, three new National Recreation Areas totaling 18,000 acres, eight new Natural Areas totaling 6,500 acres, and the first new Scenic Area in the Allegheny in over 30 years. The Allegheny has enormous potential to provide quality wilderness and other recreational experiences that will align it more with other eastern national forests. Instead of clearcuts and oil fields, the new Allegheny National Forest will emphasize tree planting, wildlife habitat projects, road removal, and stream restoration. How do citizens, who live great distances from where the "very few" Forest Plan Revision meetings are being held, direct the Forest Service to bring about this desired vision for the Allegheny National Forest? Time and time again, public surveys have revealed that the majority of Americans do not want commercial logging, grazing, mining, or oil & gas drilling on our National Forests. During this critical time for the Allegheny, citizens do not have to be experts - much less Pennsylvania residents - to submit valid comments to the U.S. Forest Service along with endorsements of the ADP's citizens' vision for "Allegheny Wild!" Citizens can endorse "Allegheny Wild!" as individuals and/or encourage their businesses or organizations to sign on.Ê Since it was posted on June 1, the citizens' proposal has garnered endorsements from such varied folks as Dr. A. Carl Leopold, Greenline Paper Co., the PA Environmental Network, Communities for Sustainable Forestry, the Wyoming Valley Audubon Society, biologist Thomas P. Rooney, and naturalist-writer Marcia Bonta. Go to http://www.alleghenywild.org to view the Allegheny slide show. A user-friendly form for endorsements is available from the main page. Click on "White Paper" to read the Executive Summary, the 66-page main report (which includes a lengthy list of sources), a 20-page supplement with area-by-area descriptions of management proposals, and a number of attachments. Citizens can participate in a new vision to shape the future of the Allegheny National Forest - one that ends the longstanding abuses of commercial logging practices and oil and gas extraction that have created an un-natural, fragmented forest. |
This
is a critical time for Pennsylvania's only national forest. The
513,000-acre Allegheny National Forest is home to a rich variety
of wildlife and habitats, including the largest old-growth forest
between the Great Smokeys and the Adirondacks. The Forest Plan Revision
process now underway offers a rare opportunity for outdoors enthusiasts
to help shape the future of the Allegheny. In Memory of Dick Krear
The environmental community and the Allegheny River lost a longtime friend.
Dick Krear, 51, of Emlenton, PA died June 26th after an extended illness.
Dick was the river keeper on the upper Allegheny River. He devoted his life to protecting the river that he loved. He was a master falconer, taught survival courses at Slippery Rock University, and participated in many local environmental programs.
Dick will be best remembered as an educator. He loved taking his falcon to schools and teaching children about nature. He operated Red Tail Eco Tours on the Allegheny River educating the public about the river he loved.
Our sympathy goes out to Dick's family and friends.