July, 2003
Dear Friends of and Letter Writers for Yaak Valley's last roadless
areas--
Here's some news about an important call-in day on July 16th, asking
your Senator to oppose the So-Called Healthy Forest INitiative. You can
also call the switchboard at 202/224-3121 and ask for the senators from
your state. This bill would suspend important requirements involving public
participation and right-to-participate; would allow logging in wild areas;
and lists several insects as "dangers" top the forests, which aren't really
dangers. (Refer the Senators to www.fseee.org/eactivist/insectmemo.shtml
for more info).
While you have them on the phone, ask that they work to protect the last 15
roadless areas in the Yaak as wilderness. There is potential for
sustainable timber harvest in places, in the Yaak--but not in the
backcountry--thank you--
Action Kit for Wednesday, July 16th -- Senate Call-in Day
1. Email Alert
2. Call-in script
3. Talking points for a letter to the editor
4. Network Activation Tips
5. Web alert
_______________________________________________________________
1. Email Alert
National Call-In Day to the Senate
Wednesday, July 16th
Help us stop the Senate logging bill!
CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-839-5276
If you value wildlife habitat, clean water and government accountability, we
urge you to help us stop an upcoming vote in the Senate that will undermine
public participation and increase logging in national forests.
America's national forests comprise some of the most biologically and
economically significant land left on earth. The 191 million acres that
comprise our national forest system is the best wildlife habitat in the US
for over 3,000 fish and wildlife species and 10,000 plants. In fact, more
than one quarter of the nation's imperiled species are found on national
forests.
Despite high value of these irreplaceable treasures, the Senate is voting on
legislation misleadingly called the "Healthy Forests Restoration Act," HR
1904, that will massively increase logging and decrease pubic participation
for national forests. The bottom line is if this potentially historic bill
passes, logging corporations will have more authority over national forests
than the Americans who own them.
THE GOOD NEWS - We have a chance of stopping HR 1904. Many Senate offices
are still undecided on HR 1904 - they need to hear from us loud and clear.
It is up to each one of us to call on our elected leaders to protect
forests!
The goal of the National Call in Day is to get as many calls as we possibly
can to the Senate to block efforts to pass the Bush Administration's
so-called Healthy Forests Initiative. Please mark your calendars,
participate, and activate all of your networks for the National Call in Day
on July 16.
SENATE ACTION CENTER -
Find your Senators at - http://capwiz.com/vys/dbq/officials/
Write a letter to the editor - http://capwiz.com/vys/dbq/media/
Send an email or letter at - http://capwiz.com/vys/dbq/officials/
WHAT TO TELL YOUR SENATORS - Please ask your Senator to Oppose HR 1904. Tell
them about the damaging effects this legislation will have on the ground in
our National Forests. Tell them that H.R.1904 will:
1. Not ensure any increased protection for communities at risk from fires.
Protecting communities and lives must be the top priority for fire
legislation.
2. Focus on logging in the backcountry miles away from communities at risk.
3. Take away your democratic right to participate in decisions about how
your public lands are managed.
4. Interfere with the Independent Judiciary by restricting our democratic
rights to seek redress in the court involving grievances with the federal
government for damaging "forest health" projects. This bill shifts the
balance to favor the timber industry over citizens.
In addition please tell Senators to:
1. Support community protection by requiring that fuels projects be
concentrated to the Community Protection Zone to provide community and
firefighter protection.
2. Direct at least 85% of the National Fire Plan hazardous fuels budget to
states and local communities to ensure community and homeowner protection in
the Community Protection Zone. (Note: 85% of the lands within the Community
Protection Zone are State, tribal, county and non-industrial private lands.)
3. Oppose any fire legislation that excludes environmental analysis, limits
public participation and citizen's rights to appeal projects.
4. Oppose any fire legislation that would effect our ability to challenge
hazardous fuels projects, and the use of goods for services contracts. This
lets logging companies to be given trees instead of cash as payment for
fuels reduction logging on public lands.
For more information contact the National Forest Protection Alliance at
(919)-933 2959, andrew@forestadvocate, www.forestadvocate.org. Or contact
the American Lands Alliance at ldix@americanlands.org, (202)-547-9105,
www.americanlands.org.
_______________________________________________________________
2. Call-in script
Hello, I would like to speak with the environmental legislative assistant
(LA) about how Senator X plans to vote on the upcoming logging vote HR 1904.
LA - I'm calling to urge Senator X to vote no on the Senate version of HR
1904. I'm concerned that this bill does nothing to protect rural homeowners
from wildfire. Instead it plays on the public's fear of fire to limit
citizen participation and undermine our nation's environmental laws in order
to increase logging on America's National Forests.
I specifically have 4 areas of concern:
1. HR 1904 doesn't ensure any increased protection for communities at risk
from fires. Protecting communities and lives must be the top priority for
fire legislation.
2. It focuses on logging in the backcountry miles away from communities at
risk.
3. It take away your democratic right to participate in decisions about how
your public lands are managed.
4. It also interferes with the Independent Judiciary by restricting our
democratic rights to seek redress in the court involving grievances with the
federal government for damaging "forest health" projects. This bill shifts
the balance to favor the timber industry over citizens.
Lastly, I want to encourage Senator x to vote for fire legislation that
achieves the following:
1. Supports community protection by requiring that fuels projects be
concentrated to the Community Protection Zone to provide community and
firefighter protection.
2. Directs at least 85% of the National Fire Plan hazardous fuels budget to
states and local communities to ensure community and homeowner protection in
the Community Protection Zone. (Note: 85% of the lands within the Community
Protection Zone are State, tribal, county and non-industrial private lands.)
3. Opposes any fire legislation that excludes environmental analysis, limits
public participation and citizen's rights to appeal projects.
5. Opposes any fire legislation that would effect our ability to challenge
hazardous fuels projects, and the use of goods for services contracts. This
lets logging companies to be given trees instead of cash as payment for
fuels reduction logging on public lands.
How do you expect Senator x to vote?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
_______________________________________________________________
3. Talking points for a letter to the editor - Send via
http://capwiz.com/vys/dbq/media/
... If NAME OF YOUR SENATORS are truly committed to protecting communities
and homes from wilfire, I urge them to vote against upcoming legislation
misleadingly called the "Healthy Forests Restoration Act," HR 1904 -
otherwise called the Senate logging bill.
... This Senate logging bill does nothing to protect rural homeowners from
wildfire. The Forest Service's own research shows that the protection of a
home depends entirely on treatment of the home itself and the area within
200 feet of the home. Instead it plays on the public's fear of fire to limit
citizen participation and undermine our nation's environmental laws in order
to increase logging on America's National Forests.
... Specifically, the Senate logging bill focuses on logging in the
backcountry miles away from communities at risk, takes away our democratic
right to participate in decisions about how your public lands are managed
and actually directs the courts to rule to favor the timber industry.
... The very premise of HR 1904 and the Bush "Healthy Forest Initiative" has
been undermined by the GAO's findings that 95% of Forest Service fuels
reduction projects were ready for implementation within 90 days and that 97%
of the projects went forward without litigation.
... It is the Forest Service that continues to violate the law by illegally
logging our national forests, building miles of new roads, and suppressing
over 98% of fires across the landscape -- all activities that continue to
increase fire risks and exacerbate restoration needs. It is the Forest
Service's illegal activities, all counter to any notion of "forest health"
that will continue to go unchecked if the Senate passes this legislation.
... Make no mistake, the administration is not trying to remove red-tape,
this is about preventing citizen involvement and undermining environmental
laws in order to increase logging in our national forests - the
Administration's stated goal since day one.
... The real "forest health" problem on our national forest is from logging
and roadbuilding. We have cut over 95% of our nation's ancient, old-growth
forests and our national forests contain over 400,000 miles of logging
roads.
... Commercial logging and road-building in national forests costs us, U.S.
Taxpayer's, over $1.2 BILLION a year to supply the country with only 2% of
the wood we use.
... It's imperative that NAME OF SENATOR vote against HR 1904 and should
support legislation such as the National Forest Protection and Restoration
Act, a bi-partisian bill before Congress that would protect national forests
from logging while putting people to work restoring our national forests and
protection communities from wildfire.
_______________________________________________________________
4. Network Activation Tips for July 16th Call-in Day
Here are a few tips that will help get more folks to make calls.
1. Send at least 2 emails to remind folks about the call-in day. Make sure
to send an email the day of the call-in.
2. Ask other organizations to send this announcement this week and the
call-in day.
3. Organize a phone-bank and call everyone the night before. Start gathering
your names now and find a location for phone banking.
4. Post on your website.
_______________________________________________________________
5. Web alert
Call your Senators Today
Help us stop the Senate logging bill!
CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-839-5276
If you value wildlife habitat, clean water and government accountability, we
urge you to help us stop an upcoming vote in the Senate that will undermine
public participation and increase logging in national forests.
America's national forests comprise some of the most biologically and
economically significant land left on earth. The 191 million acres that
comprise our national forest system is the best wildlife habitat in the US
for over 3,000 fish and wildlife species and 10,000 plants. In fact, more
than one quarter of the nation's imperiled species are found on national
forests.
Despite high value of these irreplaceable treasures, the Senate is voting on
legislation misleadingly called the "Healthy Forests Restoration Act," HR
1904, that will massively increase logging and decrease pubic participation
for national forests. The bottom line is if this potentially historic bill
passes, logging corporations will have more authority over national forests
than the Americans who own them.
THE GOOD NEWS - We have a chance of stopping HR 1904. Many Senate offices
are still undecided on HR 1904 - they need to hear from us loud and clear.
It is up to each one of us to call on our elected leaders to protect
forests! The goal of the National Call in Day is to get as many calls as we
possibly can to the Senate to block efforts to pass the Bush
Administration's so-called Healthy Forests Initiative. Please mark your
calendars, participate, and activate all of your networks for the National
Call in Day on July 16.
SENATE ACTION CENTER -
Find your Senators at - http://capwiz.com/vys/dbq/officials/
Write a letter to the editor - http://capwiz.com/vys/dbq/media/
Please ask your Senator to Oppose HR 1904. Tell them about the damaging
effects this legislation will have on the ground in our National Forests.
Tell them that H.R.1904 will:
1. Not ensure any increased protection for communities at risk from fires.
Protecting communities and lives must be the top priority for fire
legislation.
2. Focus on logging in the backcountry miles away from communities at risk.
3. Take away your democratic right to participate in decisions about how
your public lands are managed.
4. Interfere with the Independent Judiciary by restricting our democratic
rights to seek redress in the court involving grievances with the federal
government for damaging "forest health" projects. This bill shifts the
balance to favor the timber industry over citizens.
In addition please tell Senators to:
1. Support community protection by requiring that fuels projects be
concentrated to the Community Protection Zone to provide community and
firefighter protection.
2. Direct at least 85% of the National Fire Plan hazardous fuels budget to
states and local communities to ensure community and homeowner protection in
the Community Protection Zone. (Note: 85% of the lands within the Community
Protection Zone are State, tribal, county and non-industrial private lands.)
3. Oppose any fire legislation that excludes environmental analysis, limits
public participation and citizen's rights to appeal projects.
4. Oppose any fire legislation that would effect our ability to challenge
hazardous fuels projects, and the use of goods for services contracts. This
lets logging companies to be given trees instead of cash as payment for
fuels reduction logging on public lands.
Thank you.
Return to Yaak Website Directory
Contact us at: morri051@tc.umn.edu
Yaak Website address: www.oocities.org/RainForest/Vines/5054
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page