Juniper Springs, Ocala National Forest, Fla.
BREAKING: Amid pointed questions from conservation organizations, the Obama administration is hosting a series of public meetings beginning in Washington, D.C. today to explain and respond to questions over its recently released draft plan for managing national forests and grasslands.
Conservation groups are concerned that the Obama administration’s draft rule ignores scientific recommendations it has received on wildlife diversity protection and misses key opportunities to advance wildlife conservation on national forests by making longstanding requirements that the Forest Service maintain wildlife populations largely optional.
The following is a statement from Rodger Schlickeisen, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife:
“President Obama holds the future of our nation’s forests and wildlife heritage in his hands as his administration crafts the new rule governing national forest policy. His administration has an opportunity to lead us into a new century of forest management. Unfortunately, in its present form, the draft rule promises much more than it delivers, leaving the future of wildlife on 193 million acres of land belonging to the American people mostly up to chance.
President Obama holds the future of our nation’s forests and wildlife heritage in his hands as his administration crafts the new rule governing national forest policy. His administration has an opportunity to lead us into a new century of forest management.
Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen
“Our nation’s forests and grasslands today provide us with clean air, fresh drinking water, abundant recreational opportunities and strong economies. To ensure these vital benefits continue, the Forest Service needs a clear directive to protect, monitor and conserve our nation’s water, wildlife and lands. This must not be left to chance. The draft rule is long on vision but short on establishing clear duties to fulfill that vision. We believe that the Obama administration wants to leave a strong conservation legacy, but this draft rule won’t do that. We will work with the administration to fix the problems in the draft rule so that the final rule hopefully delivers on its promise.”
Background:
The Obama administration announced the draft National Forest Management Act regulations last month, outlining how the U.S. Forest Service will manage 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands—a land area as big as Texas. For the next several weeks, the agency is seeking public input on its proposed plan.
The new policy comes after a decade-long legal dispute between conservation organizations and the federal government over regulations originally drafted during the Bush administration, which were widely viewed as a timber industry wish list. The Bush administration’s proposals were overturned twice by the courts, providing the Obama administration with the opportunity to craft forest planning rules that will ensure national forests and national grasslands continue to provide the many benefits Americans enjoy from them.
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