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PROTECTING OUR PUBLIC LANDSALONG CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST

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July 20, 2006

 

Groups Appeal Management Plan for

LOS PADRES National Forest

  

California Resources Agency, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Also Seek Stronger Protections for Forests


A coalition of conservation organizations today appealed the newly revised Land Management Plans for Southern California’s four national forests, outlining a litany of flaws that would result in more environmental damage on these popular, biologically rich forests.

The 250-page administrative appeal cites numerous problems with the management plans, including an inadequate study of roadless and wilderness areas, plants and forests, and native wildlife species.  The organizations charge that the plans focus too much on expanding roads, motorized recreation and commercial, extractive uses such as logging and oil drilling rather than protecting the natural values and low-impact recreational uses that so many citizens enjoy.

The groups' appeal follows on the heels of a similar appeal filed by two state agencies last week. In their appeal, the California Resources Agency and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection called the new plan "deficient" for allowing road construction and development in the forests' roadless areas. The agencies also criticized the Forest Service for failing to uphold its promise to the State of California to protect these roadless areas.

“The new management plan allows road construction and development in 74% of the pristine, roadless areas of the Los Padres National Forest,” said Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch.  “This plan represents a giant step backwards in protecting these open spaces that are so valuable to our local communities.”

The Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland national forests are within a couple of hours’ drive of 20 million people, and boast some of the country’s most popular places to hike, camp, picnic, fish and hunt, bird watch, rock-climb, mountain bike, horseback ride, stargaze, and indulge in a host of other nature-based activities.  These 3.5 million acres of public forests also are part of the California Floristic Province, which is recognized as a global biological “hotspot” – defined as an area that harbors an incredible diversity of life but is also undergoing rapid habitat loss.  As such, the forest plans are tremendously important for both people and the native plants and animals of the region.

The revised forest plans serve as a blueprint, outlining management goals and strategies for the four national forests during the next 15 years and the specific standards that the Forest Service must follow when overseeing these public lands.  The forests are already confronted with grave threats from hydroelectric projects, transmission lines and utility corridors, oil and gas drilling, pipelines, mining operations, road building, unmanaged livestock grazing, logging, and illegal off-road vehicle use.  Because of these threats, the Los Padres National Forest was recently featured in a report titled America’s Most Endangered Forests.

The formal administrative appeal was submitted to Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth in Washington D.C.  The appellants include Los Padres ForestWatch, the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, California Wilderness Coalition, California Native Plant Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, and Environment California.

The Forest Service has 160 days to issue a decision on the appeals.

 

 

MORE INFO

Appeal Summary

Entire Appeal (1 MB)

State of California Appeal

 

Read more about the new management plan by clicking here.


All material copyright © 2004-2009 Los Padres ForestWatch, Inc.