Posted on 10/15/2010 6:03:42 AM PDT by earlJam
Government would clear Manistee National Forest land to help butterfly survive
WZZM 13 ONLINE
OTTO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) -- The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public input on a proposal to clear a portion of the Manistee National Forest to give a butterfly a greater chance of survival.
The plan would also call for closing motorized access to portions of the forest.
Leaders in Otto Township in Oceana County were to hold a community meeting Thursday night to discuss the proposal with neighbors.
"Otto Township alone is made up of over 50% Manistee National Forest and state land," says township supervisor Rhonda Jibson.
The U.S. Forest Service wants to improve habitat for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly.
"This is an area where we have documented occurrence of the Karner Blue butterfly," says Chris Frederick, an environmental planner for the U.S. Forest Service.
In order to improve the habitat, 2,900 acres of the national forest would be cleared, burned and possibly spot-treated with chemicals to create the grassy areas the butterfly needs to survive.
"It would improve the habitat where we know where they are at and to provide corridors for them to expand their range," says Frederick.
But Jibson says the clearing of the forest would ruin one of her township's biggest assets.
"Hunters, fisherman, horseback riders, moto-cross, all terrain vehicles -- all kicked out, so to speak," she says.
Long-time users of the national forest not only disagree with the habitat restoration plan, they oppose the closing of forest service roads that would go along with the plan. Myrle Phillips says he needs the roads to get to his favorite hunting and fishing spots.
"I have two bad knees, and I cannot walk any distance without them swelling up," says Phillips. "If I have to walk to the river, I'm not going to be able to go fishing."
Frederick says motorized access to much of the land will be available on country roads, but the patchwork of authorized and illegal two-tracks would be closed.
"There are still going to be county roads in that area," Frederick says. "This would just close forest-system roads."
The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public comment on the proposal through October 25. Reported by Jon Mills in Oceana County
...another developer in the pockets of government, have the government clear the land (at tax payers expense) and then sell it off making huge profits....(isn’t that the way it goes Reid?)
Oh, what a horrible dilemma for the tree and butterfly huggers! CHEMICALS, even!
This land will not be sold off. It will only be cleared and destroyed.
The Democrat Party has found a way to legalize organized crime. Remember in November!
The deer will like it too - causing more car/deer accidents and increased possibly of human death.
So they want to kill off the habitat for all other creatures of nature for a butterfly. Has to be hidden agenda.
This is just more arsehole bureaucrats trying to justify their existence on the gubbermint payroll. Whoever proposed this should be fired....So he can see what he is qualified for in the dreaded private sector
Half the EPA could be fired and we will get along just fine
I ride horses in Manistee National Forest.
And these “roads” hurt no one. If anything they make it simpler for the wildlife to move around.
In thicker parts of the forest, the deer prefer the roads to the dense brush.
The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to cut or burn more than five square miles of trees in southern Oceana County to create a habitat for the endangered Karner blue butterfly.
SUBMITTING COMMENTS Comments postmarked by Oct. 25 should be submitted to: • Christopher Frederick at Baldwin-White Cloud Ranger District, 650 N. Michigan Ave., Baldwin, Mich. 49304. • Telephone: 231-745-4631, ext. 3138. • Fax: 231-745-2345. • E-mail: comments-eastern-huron-manistee-baldwin-white-cloud@fs.fed.us
2900 acres of carbon dioxide eaters (also known as “trees”) will be destroyed. Oh, the Global Warming!
I don’t know why they have public comment periods because even if 99.9% of the public are against it the government will do it anyway and if they don’t some environazi group will sue them and a fed judge will give them what they want. Twenty years from now they will find out that the butterflies actually preferred some plant that grows between trees but only after the butterflies are gone.
The crazy thing is that the butterflies are there, duh, they obviously like the forest as it is.
And in other Manistee news...
October 3, 2010
Huron-Manistee National Forest plan violated law
Officials favored snowmobilers, hunters in plan
http://record-eagle.com/statenews/x1760133687/Huron-Manistee-National-Forest-plan-violated-law
Kurt Meister argued that officials favored hunters and snowmobilers over hikers, birders and people who enjoy the quiet of the outdoors. He said the Forest Service disregarded certain procedures when it wrote the plan.
I don’t know why they have public comment periods because even if 99.9% of the public are against it the government will do it anyway and if they don’t some environazi group will sue them and a fed judge will give them what they want. Twenty years from now they will find out that the butterflies actually preferred some plant that grows between trees but only after the butterflies are gone.
The crazy thing is that the butterflies are there, duh, they obviously like the forest as it is.
This is a beautiful forest by lake MI. The story needs national attention to show how out of touch the government is getting and get it stopped. A comment at the link indicates they have already started part of this.
The forest should be managed for multiple use as it has been (or at least should have been) for the past many decades. It’s almost impossible to do that any more in our national forest here because the stupid “environmentalists” have blocked every sale they possibly can.
Who are we to question the wisdom of the Earth Goddess Gaia? If she chooses to let her forests threaten one of her humble creatures should we not defer to her? We are not worthy... /s
They need a cooperative habitat plan like Wisconsin has. Karner’s have flourished under it to the point that Wisconsin is moving toward requesting delisting.
Matbe CMS can get involved and spearhead an effort.
Why not just plant Lupine. It is a natural attractor for this endangered butterfly and grows in Michigan climate. Guess they’d need an education for this idea!
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