Environmentalists out on a limb

LA Times ^ | 1/24/08 | Erica Rosenberg

[NormsRevenge]

There's nothing wrong with a group of people historically at odds sitting down to find common ground. Or is there?

For decades, our public lands have been a battleground: Timber, wildlife, recreation, wilderness -- which interests and uses should dominate? But now, "collaboration" is all the rage. In collaboration, diverse stakeholders (as they invariably tag themselves) -- environmentalists, developers, off-roaders, timber companies, county officials -- hash out an agreement on how to manage their local public lands and then submit it to Congress for approval.

A few deals already have been enacted, and another half a dozen are in the works across the U.S. Collaboration has been touted as the solution to "gridlock" on our national forests. Timber companies and their allies gripe that the normal process -- extensive analysis, citizen involvement and the right to challenge agency decisions -- has ground all "management activity" (read: logging) to a halt. Western counties surrounded by public land argue that they need room to expand. Others believe lands worthy of protection are still threatened. ...

But these collaborations are troublesome, particularly for environmentalists, who risk undermining their mission as well as the very laws that are the basis of their power, effectiveness and legitimacy.

For example, a bill poised for introduction in Congress would turn into law an agreement reached by one collaborative group on how to manage Montana's 3.3-million-acre Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The stakeholders -- Montana Wilderness Assn., National Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited and timber companies -- had one thing in common: They hated the management plan proposed by the Forest Service. So they came up with their own plan specifying which areas can be logged, which can be opened up to off-roaders and which should be recommended to Congress for wilderness designation.

Sounds reasonable enough. So what's wrong? ..

[SAJ]

Time for the enviromentalcases out on a limb to meet Mr. Chainsaw.

[YOUGOTIT]

What is wrong is that “We The People” are being taken over by anti-American left-wing pig faced Nazi pimps and hos. These anti human scum want all humans to die. That is why they have this global warming scam to make sure that we as a people will be eliminated from the earth just and the Nazi and Communist wanted.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

The land’s in Montana. The story’s printed in LA. The geek writer’s a nerd from Arizona State. Butt out, mister, this doesn’t concern you or your state.

Envirowhackos are going to have to understand they live in the same economy we do, and we don’t have an unlimited amount of land to set aside forever and ever. Commerce and agriculture have to fit in somewhere. It’s a good sign the process has changed a bit, but it needs to be opened up further to more free market solutions. Multi-use public land seems to me to be a ready made problem with no good solutions.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Ping

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

By the way, norm, I didn’t mean for YOU to butt out!

[Jeff Head]

Having lived in the Dillon, MT area in the early to mid 90s, I can say that that backcountry area has been over-run with all types of enviro-whackos and liberals. It relly surprised me back then...we thought we were getting back to down to earth America and found that the disease had spread there too.

Less so here in small town Idaho.

As it is, here's the text on the deal the loggers and ranchers got:

The Beaverhead bill, for example, triples the acreage where logging can take place from what was in the Forest Service's plan. It requires an environmental analysis only for individual logging projects rather than the plan as a whole, thereby waiving the bedrock U.S. environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act. It also allows logging in roadless areas -- a radical departure from the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that environmentalists championed during the Clinton era.

Sounds like a GREAT deal...and no wonder the enviros and libs from outside are upset. I hope it does get passed and that it sets a pattern for things to come. My experience has been that logging companies, ranchers and most miners are some of the be4st stewards of the land you will find.