(Fighting Irresponsible Radical Environmentalism In ARIZONA!!)
Posted on 02/04/2003 9:41:45 AM PST by EBUCK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2/04/2003
CONTACT:
Eric Buckner
FIRE! (Fighting Irresponsible Radical Environmentalism)
ericb@azfire.org
http://www.azfire.org/preleases/arizona/AZprelease.html
Heber, Arizona, 02/04/2003 - FIRE, a non-profit political action group, has erected a billboard near Heber Arizona, site of the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire. The purpose of the project is to express outrage at the disastrous wildfires largely due to the destructive demands of environmentalists.
It reads:
FIRE! (Fighting Irresponsible Radical Environmentalism)
P.O. Box 3360
Albany, OR 97321-0713
Eric Buckner, lead organizer for FIRE! explains, "It's time we held environmentalists and their cohorts accountable for the failure of their policies. Activists, bureaucrats, politicians, and judges now bear full responsibility for the ongoing destruction of forest habitat in the West."
This is the second billboard for the organization (the first was near the Biscuit fire in Oregon). The group believes that although fire may be part of the natural order, 80 years of irresponsible government logging, fire-suppression, and poor control of noxious weeds have created stand conditions from which there may be no recovery from a fire without significant preparatory work.
Buckner explains, "This disaster has been building for decades and environmentalists have barred nearly every attempt to avert it. They were warned and didn't listen. Instead, they sued repeatedly until they got their way. Well, look at what it got the forests of Arizona: nearly 470,000 acres denuded more thoroughly than any clear-cut. If it rains hard, rivers and streams will be choked with mud. Then weeds will spread rapidly with little competition from native plants. If we don't remove the fuel and it burns again in ten years or so the damage may be irreversible."
"We all know who's responsible. In their hatred for the timber industry, activists, judges, and bureaucrats have nearly wiped out the infrastructure that could have prevented Rodeo-Chedeski. Now that the fire is over, who is going to fix the mess to prevent an even worse disaster? Millions of acres desperately need restoration work while tribes have been robbed of their principle asset and tens of thousands of those skilled in timber harvesting are now either unemployed, have other jobs, or have left the area. Meanwhile, activist lawyers are STILL standing in the way, doing very well for themselves making demands that promise to destroy what's left.
"This isn't about who cares about nature any more. We're just as concerned about long-term, systemic solutions to these problems as are the activists. This is about who is going to fix it, how to pay for it, and how to verify performance and assure accountability that the restoration project will be performed optimally and efficiently. We believe that free enterprise can do a better job caring for nature than politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers, and urban activists who, so far, are STILL ducking their complicity for this disaster. Private Property rights, water rights, and recreational and commercial land uses are big issues with us. We plan to continue this campaign, perhaps with similar promotional efforts throughout the West."
For additional information or a sample copy, contact Eric Buckner of FIRE! at ericb@azfire.org.
CONTACT:
Eric Buckner
FIRE! (Fighting Irresponsible Radical Environmentalism)
ericb@azfire.org
http://www.AZFIRE.org
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FIRE!, 2003
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