edward
07-18-2007, 10:11 PM
According to the Forest Service, 64 million acres of open space, recreation lands, and forests will be developed by 2020, with higher rates of development around national forests and other public lands. This amounts to the size of Colorado, with 6,000 acres coming under development per day (about 250 football field's worth of open space every hour).
The US Forest Service recently issued a draft Open Space Conservation Strategy. The plan acknowledges the need to protect rapidly decreasing open spaces but lays out no plans for greater investment in federal land conservation programs such as the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy.
The Forest Service is accepting comments on the draft Open Space Conservation Strategy through July 23rd. Please click here to send a letter to the Forest Service today. <http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/usfs_open_space/8i6uxwd4hbbkkd7?>
Sincerely,
Kathy Kilmer, The Wilderness Society
What's at Stake
Between 1982 and 2001, about 34 million acres of open space were lost to development (about the size of Illinois). 57 percent of U.S. forest lands are privately owned, meaning they have no protection from development. The Forest Service estimates that another 64 million acres of open space, recreation lands, and forests will be developed by 2020.
To address this concern, the Forest Service issued a draft Open Space Conservation Strategy. The Forest Service's draft is to be commended for several important measures. Firstly, the draft acknowledges the vital need to protect our rapidly decreasing open spaces. The strategy drafts a strong blueprint for conserving these open spaces, including achievable goals and priorities. The draft calls for protections of priority lands through land acquisition and conservation easements, including lands within national forest boundaries threatened by development. Finally, the draft calls for a 21st century vision of an "interconnected network of open space across the landscape that supports healthy ecosystems and a high quality of life for Americans."
What's Missing From The Plan
While the plan does include a strong blueprint for conserving open spaces, funding to achieve these goals is left out of the draft. The Open Space Conservation Strategy should clearly recognize the need for a greater investment in federal land conservation programs, specifically the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy. From 2002 to 2006, funding for the LWCF has been cut by 75%, and Forest Legacy has only a fraction of the funds it needs. Without an increase in funding to these programs, the goals listed in the draft cannot be met.
Furthermore, our national forests should form the centerpiece of any national open space conservation plan. They must be better protected through land acquisition, improved management, protection of roadless areas, and increases in designated wilderness acres.
How You Can Help
You can click here to send a letter to the Forest Service right now. <http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/usfs_open_space/8i6uxwd4hbbkkd7?> If you can, add your own words to the letter - talk about the value of forests and open space to your daily life. Personal stories and examples always carry more weight.
The Forest Service is accepting comments from the public until July 23. Contact information is provided below, along with a sample letter that suggests the most important points to make.
Send comments to:
Claire Harper
Forest Service, Cooperative Forestry
Mail Stop Code 1123
1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington D.C., 20250-1123.
Or via email to openspace@fs.fed.us
Sample Letter
Dear Ms. Harper,
I am writing to comment on the Forest Service's draft Open Space Conservation Strategy, as published in the June 22, 2007 Federal Register, Volume 72, page 34430.
The loss of open spaces is a growing threat to the health of our nation's forests, with thousands of acres coming under development each day. The draft adequately acknowledges this threat to our forests, and drafts a strong blueprint for conserving open spaces with achievable goals and priorities. Also commendable in the draft is the call to protect priority lands through land acquisition and conservation easements, including lands within national forest boundaries threatened by development. The vision of an "interconnected network" of forests across the country is a vitally important goal.
However, the Open Space Conservation Strategy draft omits a prescription for increasing funding to the degree necessary to achieve the Forest Service's stated goals. While the report recommends protection of priority lands through federal land conservation programs such as the Land & Water Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy, it doesn't call for the funding increases to these programs needed to achieve this goal. Conservation programs, specifically the LWCF and Forest Legacy, desperately need an increase in funding to achieve any meaningful results.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on issues affecting our public lands.
Sincerely,
[your name and address]
The US Forest Service recently issued a draft Open Space Conservation Strategy. The plan acknowledges the need to protect rapidly decreasing open spaces but lays out no plans for greater investment in federal land conservation programs such as the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy.
The Forest Service is accepting comments on the draft Open Space Conservation Strategy through July 23rd. Please click here to send a letter to the Forest Service today. <http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/usfs_open_space/8i6uxwd4hbbkkd7?>
Sincerely,
Kathy Kilmer, The Wilderness Society
What's at Stake
Between 1982 and 2001, about 34 million acres of open space were lost to development (about the size of Illinois). 57 percent of U.S. forest lands are privately owned, meaning they have no protection from development. The Forest Service estimates that another 64 million acres of open space, recreation lands, and forests will be developed by 2020.
To address this concern, the Forest Service issued a draft Open Space Conservation Strategy. The Forest Service's draft is to be commended for several important measures. Firstly, the draft acknowledges the vital need to protect our rapidly decreasing open spaces. The strategy drafts a strong blueprint for conserving these open spaces, including achievable goals and priorities. The draft calls for protections of priority lands through land acquisition and conservation easements, including lands within national forest boundaries threatened by development. Finally, the draft calls for a 21st century vision of an "interconnected network of open space across the landscape that supports healthy ecosystems and a high quality of life for Americans."
What's Missing From The Plan
While the plan does include a strong blueprint for conserving open spaces, funding to achieve these goals is left out of the draft. The Open Space Conservation Strategy should clearly recognize the need for a greater investment in federal land conservation programs, specifically the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy. From 2002 to 2006, funding for the LWCF has been cut by 75%, and Forest Legacy has only a fraction of the funds it needs. Without an increase in funding to these programs, the goals listed in the draft cannot be met.
Furthermore, our national forests should form the centerpiece of any national open space conservation plan. They must be better protected through land acquisition, improved management, protection of roadless areas, and increases in designated wilderness acres.
How You Can Help
You can click here to send a letter to the Forest Service right now. <http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/usfs_open_space/8i6uxwd4hbbkkd7?> If you can, add your own words to the letter - talk about the value of forests and open space to your daily life. Personal stories and examples always carry more weight.
The Forest Service is accepting comments from the public until July 23. Contact information is provided below, along with a sample letter that suggests the most important points to make.
Send comments to:
Claire Harper
Forest Service, Cooperative Forestry
Mail Stop Code 1123
1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington D.C., 20250-1123.
Or via email to openspace@fs.fed.us
Sample Letter
Dear Ms. Harper,
I am writing to comment on the Forest Service's draft Open Space Conservation Strategy, as published in the June 22, 2007 Federal Register, Volume 72, page 34430.
The loss of open spaces is a growing threat to the health of our nation's forests, with thousands of acres coming under development each day. The draft adequately acknowledges this threat to our forests, and drafts a strong blueprint for conserving open spaces with achievable goals and priorities. Also commendable in the draft is the call to protect priority lands through land acquisition and conservation easements, including lands within national forest boundaries threatened by development. The vision of an "interconnected network" of forests across the country is a vitally important goal.
However, the Open Space Conservation Strategy draft omits a prescription for increasing funding to the degree necessary to achieve the Forest Service's stated goals. While the report recommends protection of priority lands through federal land conservation programs such as the Land & Water Conservation Fund and Forest Legacy, it doesn't call for the funding increases to these programs needed to achieve this goal. Conservation programs, specifically the LWCF and Forest Legacy, desperately need an increase in funding to achieve any meaningful results.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on issues affecting our public lands.
Sincerely,
[your name and address]