What you can do
October, 2010 - The Forest Service has issued its second attempt to
write a legal Monument Plan for the Giant Sequoia National Monument.
The local Sequoia Activists of the Kern-Kaweah and Tehipite Chapters
have battled for decades to protect the Sequoias that were not included
in Sequoia Parkover half of the groves on earth! The Sierra Club's 1986
lawsuit stopped clearcutting in the groves: In a 1990 Mediation the Forest
Service agreed to protect the groves. The 2000 Clinton Proclamation
that protected all the groves in the Giant Sequoia National Monument
requires restoration from a
century of logging and fire suppression, prohibits commercial logging,
and restricts tree removal to
unique and special circumstances. BUT in 2004 the Forest Service wrote
their first Plan to manage
the Monument - a Plan would have allowed Forest Service chainsaw-addicts
to log an annual 7.5
Million Board Feet of timber. That first Plan was thrown out in its entirety
by the Federal Court. The
Forest Service should have learned its lesson. But no! After decades
of being told not to log in
groves and promising to change their ways, the Forest Service still doesn't
get it.
Yet another logging plan
The Forest Service has come out with another plan for the Monument- again
based on logging. This 'new' DEIS and Draft Plan utterly fail to protect
the magnificent ecosystem and countless priceless species and objects
it harbors. Apparently the Forest Service cannot accept they have a
national monument specifically protected from logging. Instead of specifying
the highest possible standards for restoration and protection, the
new Draft Plan goes to great lengths to justifying logging as 'protection'
and 'restoration,' thumbing its nose at the Proclamation and at sound
science. Again it will sell a sustained 'product' from this already
over-logged ecosystem. Words have changed: intent has not. This Draft
Plan continues the logging, tree-farming, and commodity-oriented mindset
that existed prior to the creation of the Monument when most of the
Monument lands were in the timber base. Worse, a Science Panel found
the plan 'not consistent with science' and often could not 'link' proposals
to science.
OUR GOAL: 100,000 letters and messages to the Forest Service!
At last count, at least 50,000 Sierra Club members and like-minded friends have responded for
protection of this National Monument.
Even if you miss the Forest Service's deadline of November 3, 2010, your
input will count! We promise that Congress and the Administration will
take note of every letter! But do not delay:
Ask the Forest Service to withdraw
their Draft Plan and DEIS and to draft a new Plan and this time to
get it right! Tell them the majority of all sequoia groves on earth-
those inside the Monument - deserve the highest standard for management,
just as those groves in Sequoia National Park receive. Demand the Monument's
ecosystems be managed consistent with the natural-process driven, science
based and non-commodity producing strategies of Sequoia National Park.
Tree removal should occur only after scientists have identified a specific
and unique situation where fire cannot be ignited or in the immediate vicinity
of structures. In most cases, prescribed and natural fire is the only
justifiable management tool for restoration and perpetuation.
ON LINE:
Go to
Take
Action. Under the
photo, click on the words " Please take a moment to submit." We urge you
to use or add your own words to the suggested text.
EMAIL: GSNM Draft EIS: comments-pacificsouthwest-sequoia@fs.fed.us
WRITE: GSNM: Marianne Thomas, Sequoia National Forest, 1839 South Newcomb
St., Porterville, CA 93257:
NOTE: The above photo is straight out of the Monument Final
Plan depicting the types of "management" allowed
for the Monument including inside groves: heavy machinery,
tremendous soil disturbance and logging!
Contact
Us to get on our Sequoia Task Force Newsletter Mailing List and e-mail Alert List. Please send your name, address, and email address to sequoia@kernkaweah.sierraclub.org
Sequoia Task Force, P.O. Box 3543, Visalia, CA 93278
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