Get
Forestry-Involved
Participating in NEPA is the easiest and most fundamental
way to let the Forest Service know that you support the practice of forestry in
the Black Hills.
Each time the Forest Service (and all other Federal
Agencies) proposes to do something - whether it’s performing a timber sale or
putting up a toll booth -- the National Environmental Policy Act requires them
to analyze potential environmental effects, disclose them, and seek public
input. The public input phase is
done in several steps, and represents your opportunity to influence what an
agency does or does not do.
First among the public involvement steps for a Forest
Service project is the “scoping” phase.
Here, the Forest Service lays out a description of what sort of project
they propose to do, its location, and some preliminary information about the
desired outcome of their proposal - what their objectives are for the condition
of the land, and what outputs, such as timber, will be produced in the process.
“Scoping”, as the name implies, establishes the scope of the project
and the decision that is to be made upon either proceeding with the proposed
action or with an alternative thereto.
After scoping is completed, the Forest Service considers
the comments it has received on the proposed action, and proceeds to draft a
more detailed Environmental Assessment (or simply, ‘EA’).
Once the Draft EA is complete, it is sent out to all the people who
responded to scoping for another round of comments.
After these second comments are received and analyzed, a decision on the
project is issued, and an appeal period begins before implementation can
proceed.
Under NEPA’s requirements, you have two separate chances
to tell the Forest Service what you want them to do, and as they say, “the
world is run by those who show up.”
So you’re thinking, “how do I find out what projects
are open for comment?” There are
three things you can do:
§
Most projects
are generated at the level of local District Offices; in the Black Hills, these
are located in Custer, Rapid City, Spearfish, and Sundance.
You may simply call or write any or all of the Districts and request to
be added to their mailing list for future projects.
Here are the phone numbers and addresses:
Hell
Canyon Ranger District
Mystic Ranger District
330
Mt. Rushmore Rd.
803 Soo San Dr.
Custer,
SD 57730
Rapid City, SD 57702
Ph:
(605) 673-4853
Ph: (605) 343-1567
FAX:
(605) 673-5461
FAX: (605) 343-7134
Northern
Hills Ranger District
Bearlodge Ranger District
2014
North Main St.
US 14 East, Box 680
Spearfish,
SD 57783
Sundance, WY 82729
Ph:
(605) 642-4622
Ph: (307) 283-1361
FAX:
(605) 642-4156
FAX: (307) 283-3727
§
The second
option is to receive the Black Hills NF’s ‘Schedule of Proposed Actions’.
This is a document produced quarterly at the Supervisor’s Office in
Custer, and it details all projects (not just forestry ones) that are either
proposed or in-process, in a list that’s broken down by individual Districts.
This is a good way to track the progress of a project, or to just find
out what the Forest Service is up to. The
Schedule also provides information as to which Forest Service employee is
heading-up a given project, so that you can contact them directly. To receive this publication, just call or write the
Supervisor’s Office and say you’d like to get on the mailing list for the
Schedule of Proposed Actions:
(605)
673-2300
Black
Hills National Forest
Supervisor's
Office
25041
North Highway 16
Custer,
SD 57730
§
Yet a third
means by which to involve yourself in the NEPA process is to go poke around on
the Black Hills NF web site. New or
ongoing projects are routinely posted and updated in electronic format, along
with other news and info about the goings-on with the Black Hills.
The Black Hills NF home page is here,
and the page devoted to NEPA projects is here.
The BHFRA tracks, engages Forest Service personnel, and
submits formal substantive comment letters upon each and every significant
forest management project the Black Hills NF proposes. If you have any questions about what something in a project
proposal means (EA’s tend to contain overly technical lingo), or would like to
know what issues might be important to bring up in a project comment letter,
feel free to contact
us, using the project’s name in the email subject line.
We’ll say it again: “the
world is run by those who show up.”
Participating in NEPA is the best way to begin engaging the Forest
Service about your views on continuing active forest management in the Black
Hills. You don’t have to be a
forest policy expert, or know all the regulations to make a contribution to how
your forest is managed.
Here are some general tips on writing comment letters to
the Forest Service:
1. Tell them what you want, and then tell them why you want it. There’s no need to cite some obscure legal precedent, or
recount the letter of Standards and Guidelines from the Forest Plan, but you
should be sure to let the Forest Service know the reasoning behind your beliefs.
Simply making a statement about your wishes regarding different aspects
forest management doesn’t really give them anything they can respond to
favorably. What is the reason for
your concern about the health of the forest, or wildfire risk, or road closures,
or water quality, or wildlife habitat? Do
you live near the project area? Do
you have a special use permit for an activity in the area?
Does your economic livelihood depend on your use of the area? Do you hunt, fish, or otherwise recreate in the project area?
Do you belong to an organization whose interests are affected by the
proposal? What expertise can you
share with those who are planning the project?
These are just examples of things to ask yourself, but always have the
“why” in mind.
2. Be constructive. When
opposing a certain aspect of a project, it’s useful to provide an alternative
practice or strategy for the Forest Service to consider.
This way, they can at least evaluate how such a proposal would fit into
the regulations they’re obligated to conform with.
Overridingly, though, it’s important to remember that there are real
people on the other end reading your letter who have likely been working on the
project for a number of months or even years.
No one really likes to be told that they might be off-base.
Your chances of a favorable response increase if you can present your
arguments in a constructive fashion.
3. Ask questions. One
of the key tenets of NEPA is full disclosure of effects, so if you’re
wondering about something and would like the answer to your question aired
publicly, just ask the Forest Service to disclose that information in their
analysis. For instance, if the
Forest Service proposes to refrain from treatment in certain areas (usually this
is for wildlife reasons), you might ask that they reasonably disclose how much
acreage is being deferred and on what basis.
Alternatively, if road closures or other access restrictions are proposed
as part of the project, you might ask the Forest Service to disclose the
estimated increase in fire suppression response time or decreased recreational
opportunities that accompany such closures.
Another example would be asking the Forest Service to disclose the
environmentally beneficial effects of the proposed forest management, such as
habitat for different wildlife species, and the reduction in the risk of
wildfire or mountain pine beetle infestations.
Too often, environmental documents like these are framed in the context
of what “bad” things “might” happen if the project is implemented.
Ignored are the “bad” things that are imminent, should nothing
happen, as well as the “good” things that come from doing something.
4. Confine your comments to the project itself.
There is a hierarchy in the world of Forest Service projects.
First, the Forest completes a long-term Land and Resource Management Plan
- this is a big, programmatic document that lays out the framework for how the
forest is to be managed over the long-term.
Each project that is proposed on a national forest must comply with the
goals, objectives, standards, and guidelines of the Forest Plan - this concept
is known as “tiering” (the project is “tiered” to the Forest Plan).
If the Forest Service cites a Forest Plan standard, for example, as their
reasoning behind a particular aspect of a project proposal, they cannot be
expected to deviate from this standard (even if it doesn’t make sense).
Generally, projects can’t change the Forest Plan, so telling the Forest
Service that their standards don’t make sense, while it might be true,
doesn’t get you very far. Instead,
try focusing on the way the standard has been interpreted
in the project, or on other resource management concerns that might out-weigh a
particular standard’s direction. These
interpretive and priority-setting issues are the kinds of things that can be
addressed at the project decision-making level. If you’d like to get more familiar with what the Land and
resource Management Plan says, contact the forest Supervisor’s Office at the
address above and request a copy (be warned, it’s big!).
Please, take the
time to write!
There are two major factors that influence how the Forest
Service manages (or does not manage) our national forests.
These are: their internal policies and rulemakings, and the policy
Congress institutes through lawmaking. You
have a chance to influence both.
Most people are under the impression that our nation’s
Federal Agency and Congressional leaders don’t read their mail, but this is
false! Time and again, BHFRA has
witnessed the impact of active citizen involvement in policy-making, and
especially through regular letter-writing.
You can
make a difference, and here are the people with whom you ought to correspond:
Mr.
Dale Bosworth, Chief
USDA
Forest Service
P.O.
Box 96090
Washington,
D.C. 20090-6090
Ph:
(202) 205-1661
FAX:
(202) 205-1765
The Chief is the number-one decision-maker within the
Forest Service. He helps craft
policies and rulemakings, and creates guidance for their implementation once
they get on-the-ground at the forest level.
The Chief is also the Forest Service’s “leader”, and has the
responsibility of instilling conviction about multiple-use forest management in
his employees, along with attending to morale issues.
However, it’s important to remember that the Forest Service (and all
other agencies) are public servants, and therefore must hear the public’s
viewpoints in order to carry out their wishes.
Write the Chief and tell him
you support forest management.
Mr.
Mark Rey
Under
Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment
US
Department of Agriculture
1400
Independence Ave., SW
Washington,
DC 20250
Ph:
(202) 720-7133
FAX:
(202) 720-0632
mark.rey@usda.gov
The Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment
oversees the rules and regulations that govern the US Forest Service and Natural
Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) - so,
Mark Rey is Dale Bosworth’s boss, for lack of a better term.
Internal policies and rulemakings for the Forest Service are usually
finalized at the level of the Under Secretary.
In fact, many individual components of the Healthy Forests Initiative
proposed last summer will need to be created at this internal policy level.
Perhaps even more than Chief
Bosworth, Mark Rey needs to hear that you support his efforts to continue and
improve forest management on national forests.
President
George W. Bush
The
White House
1600
Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington,
DC 20500
Ph:
(202) 456-1111
FAX:
(202) 456-2461
“President Bush?”, you say. Yes indeed. President
Bush, whether you agree with his other policies or not, has made a strong
personal commitment to restoring the health of our nation’s forests.
In August, 2002, he proposed the Healthy Forests Initiative, which is a
series of administrative rulemakings designed to allow the Forest Service to
more effectively manage the risks of catastrophic wildfire, insects and disease,
and overall forest health. The
President also had a strong hand in crafting and securing a favorable,
bipartisan House of Representatives vote on H.R. 1904, the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003. Despite
the vision and leadership of this Administration on the issue of forest health
and restoration, environmental special interest groups seek to discredit,
defame, and dislodge proposals like the Healthy Forests Initiative and Healthy
Forests Restoration Act. The
President needs your help; let him know you support his forest management
policies with a letter or phone call.
Just as important on the list of officials who need to hear
from you is your Congressional delegation. Many people don’t know it, but the Forest Service (and all
other Federal Agencies) cannot lobby Congress.
Congress can call upon the Forest Service to answer questions in formal
hearings and such, but the agency is forbidden from independently influencing
legislation that can affect or enhance their ability to manage the forest.
Therefore, this obligation falls to people like you.
In South Dakota and Wyoming, our Representatives and
Senators have historically had, and continue to exert considerable influence
over the course of national forest policy.
The laws they craft form the overriding framework within which the Forest
Service conducts their management activities. Here are their addresses and other contact info:
Senator
Tom Daschle (D-SD)
Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD)
509
Hart Senate Office Bldg.
324 Hart Senate
Office Bldg.
Washington,
DC 20510
Washington, DC 20510
Ph:
(202) 224-2321
Ph: (202) 224-5842
FAX:
(202) 224-6603
FAX: (202) 228-5765
Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY)
Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY)
307 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
290 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: (202) 224-6441
Ph: (202) 224-3424
FAX: (202) 224-1724
FAX: (202) 228-0359
Rep. William Janklow (R-SD)
Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY)
1504 Longworth House Office Bldg. 1114
Longworth House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Washington, DC 20515
Ph: (202) 225-2801
Ph: (202) 225-2311
FAX: (202) 225-5823
FAX: (202) 225-3057
Additionally, the Governors of South Dakota and Wyoming,
their State Legislatures, and individual County governments have historically
taken an active role in influence the direction of forest policy on the national
forest system. In the west, and
especially in Wyoming, the federal government controls much of the land base
that would ordinarily support industries and jobs, along with generating tax
revenue. Therefore, local
governments are key participants in the policy-making process and have a vested
interest in seeing that our natural resources are managed sustainably, for the
overall long-term benefit of the public and the environment.
Below is a list of key contacts with State and County governments:
Governor Mike Rounds
Governor David
Freudenthal
500 East Capitol Avenue
State Capitol, Room 124
Pierre, South Dakota 57501-5070
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Ph: (605) 773-3212
Ph: (307) 777-7434
Mr. Larry Gabriel, Secretary
Mr. Grant Sumbough, Manager
SD Department of Ag
WY Department of Ag
523 E Capitol Ave
Natural Resources Division
Pierre, SD 57501-3182
2219 Carey Avenue
Ph: (605) 773-5425
Cheyenne, WY
82002-0100
Ph: (307) 777-7321
Mr. John Cooper, Secretary
Mr. Brent Manning, Director
SD Department of Game, Fish & Parks
WY Department of Game & Fish
523 E Capitol Ave
5400 Bishop Blvd.
Pierre, SD
57501-3182
Cheyenne, WY 82006
Ph: (605) 773-3718
Ph: (307)
777-4600
Mr. Ray Sowers, State Forester
Mr. Dan Perko, State Forester
SD Department of Ag
Ofc. of State Lands & Investments
Div. Resource Conservation & Forestry
Division of Forestry
523 E Capitol Ave
1100 W. 22nd St.
Pierre, SD
57501-3182
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Ph: (605) 773-3623
Ph: (307)
777-5659
Find
your State Representatives and Senators at:
South
Dakota Legislature
Wyoming
Legislature
Aside from the BHFRA, there are many local organizations
who constructively involve themselves with forestry and management on the Black
Hills National Forest. Here are
just a few:
Black Hills Regional
Multiple Use Coalition
BHRMUC is a broad, diverse coalition of groups, formed in
1991, who sought to speak with a unified voice in advocating continued
sustainable management on the Black Hills National Forest, with all the
multiple-users of the forest in mind. Their
motto is “finding common ground with common sense”, and their members range
among all forms of recreationists and sportsmen, ranchers and stock growers,
farmers, community development organizations, and the forest products industry
(including BHFRA). Annual
membership for individuals is $15.00 and membership for organizations is $100,
pending approval by the Board of Directors.
They can be reached by phone through the BHFRA at 605-341-0875, or by
mail at: PO Box 9496; Rapid City,
SD 57709.
Black
Hills and Wyoming chapters of Women in Timber:
Our
local chapters of WIT are affiliates of a larger organization, Federated Women
in Timber, who have for many years been a strong force in natural resource
policy-making and activism. Their
members are composed of individuals whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly
related to the forest products industry. They often partner with the BHFRA to conduct training under
the Logger Education to Advance Professionalism (LEAP) curricula, which schools
forest harvesters in things like ecology, biology, silviculture, water quality,
and on-the-job safety. Black Hills
WIT can be reached c/o Ms. Druse Kellogg, at 2310 Maitland Rd.; Spearfish, SD
57783; Wyoming WIT can be reached c/o Ms. Kathleen Jachowski, at 217 Rd.
6&H; Cody, WY 82414.
Black
Hills National Forest Advisory Board
The
Black Hills NFAB is the first-of-its-kind citizen’s body created to advise the
national forest on forest management issues.
The Board is comprised of representative stakeholders from South Dakota
and Wyoming, appointed by US Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, from a myriad
of interests including the BHFRA. The
genesis of this body came from a request on behalf of South Dakota Senator Tom
Daschle, in his hopes that bringing parties together at the same table would
quell some of the persistent controversy surrounding national forest management.
The board first met in March, 2003 and has since begun to delve into some
of these contentious issues. Meetings
are open to the public, and time is reserved at the end of each agenda for
public comments and questions.
Keep
South Dakota Green Association:
KSDG is an historic non-profit organization which was
formed in 1952, after a severe 1949 fire season that destroyed 50 homes in the
Black Hills, by foresters and citizens wishing to develop a fire prevention
program for South Dakota. KSDG is
still active today through community programs, the Project Learning Tree
environmental education curricula, and the American Tree Farm System. You can reach KSDG at PO Box 3, Pierre, SD 57501 for more
information; annual memberships range from $50 to $25.
Tree Farm is a program, under the administration of KSDG,
in which private landowners may enroll their forested acres in order to receive
professional forestry assistance with the management of their property.
They can be contacted through the local offices of the SD
Division of Resource Conservation and Forestry and the WY
Division of Forestry.
Stay tuned...
More links and information to come!
Land Sense is a grassroots effort to protect our
over-populated, dense forests from catastrophic wildfire and disease, and the
home of a campaign called ‘Project Protect’. The project focuses on restoring the health of our nation's
forest ecosystems through sensible forest management.
Here, you’ll find a host of news and updates, and many chances to help
shape policies that protect the health of our forests, watersheds, and wildlife
habitat.
AFF is a nonprofit education and conservation organization
working for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and to help people
make informed decisions about our communities and our world. The
Foundation’s two main goals are: 1) to ensure that America's family owned
forests continue to provide clean water, fertile soil, quality recreation, homes
for wildlife, and wood for products, and 2) to help young people learn the
skills they will need to become responsible environmental decision makers.
AFF offers many opportunities to volunteer with their various projects
and education programs.
American Forest and Paper
Association:
AF&PA is a national organization of forest products
companies, associations, and related businesses (including BHFRA).
They play an integral role in advocating for sound forest management
practices, both on private and public lands.
Their website contains numerous opportunities to learn about and get
involved with forestry, the industry, and national forest policies.
The AFA is a nationwide grassroots organization of ‘true
conservationists’ - that is, those who love the land because they earn their
living caring for it. The Alliance
is headquartered in Spearfish, SD, and involves itself in a wide range of
natural resource management and land-use issues, with the idea that “all
politics is local”. A great way
to get involved is right at home!
Water for the West is an organization that provides a forum
intended to bring people together to discuss and debate a wide spectrum of
environmental issues and policies that affect not only ‘water’ and ‘the
west’, but all of our country and each of our lives and livelihoods.
Their goal is to restore a modicum of objectivity and reason to the
environmental policies chosen. How?
By a process of learning from some and educating others through the
sharing of information, thoughts, and philosophies.
Society of
American Foresters:
SAF is the national organization representing the
profession of forestry in the United States.
The Society plays a role national policy-making, public education, and
furthering the advancement of our scientific knowledge of forestry.
If you aren’t a forester, you may still join SAF as a ‘corresponding
member’ and receive all their publications, including a monthly newsletter and
quarterly scientific journal. Also, SAF is always interested in performing outreach, so if
you spot an opportunity to promote forestry in your community, just let ‘em
know!
Mountain
States Legal Foundation
The MSLF is a nonprofit, public interest legal center
dedicated to individual liberty, the right to own and use property, limited and
ethical government and the free enterprise system. Specifically, they focus on access and use of Federal and
State lands and resources, the Endangered Species Act and private property
takings, and environmental accountability.
If you’ve got a legal problem with an environmental law, but don’t
know what to do about it, MSLF is a good place to start.
The Paragon Foundation is an organization that provides
financial support to individuals and organizations involved in litigation,
education, research, and exchange of ideas to protect our individual freedoms
and private property rights, and maintain rural customs, culture, and
lifestyles. Their focus in recent
times has been on the Endangered Species Act and private property takings, and
in this capacity, they serve in a similar role to MSLF.
Except where
otherwise indicated, the BHFRA claims no affiliation with the groups above.
They are sources of information and outlets through which you may become
involved or informed about forestry and public lands issues.
Their views are their own, and not necessarily those of BHFRA.