Blog Archives for February, 2010

By Bethanie Walder - February 26, 2010    Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell spent some time on Capitol Hill this week explaining the Forest Service’s proposed 2011 budget with Congressional appropriators and oversight committees.   The new budget proposes to pool numerous existing line items into one large “Integrated Resource Restoration” (IRR) program.  The idea is that this would enable the agency to move forward more effectively toward all restoration objectives, including watershed restoration.

By Thomas R Petersen - February 26, 2010    Canada's grizzly bears are in the news again, and this time not directly because of the controversial bear hunt, but because of "...massive hunting mortality along B.C.'s highways."

By Bethanie Walder - February 23, 2010   New Study Points to Off-Road Vehicle Activity as Primary Source of Air Pollution at Nipomo Mesa, California The San Luis Obispo Air Control Board released a study yesterday (Feb 22) on the impacts of off-road vehicle use at the Oceano Dunes and the resultant air pollution at the nearby Nipomo Mesa.  The study was initially slated for release in December 2009, but was postponed until this week.

By Greg Peters - February 23, 2010   

By Greg Peters - February 22, 2010   At the tail end of 2009, two prominent political bodies, the Western Governors Association (WGA) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) each sent letters to the USDA extolling watershed restoration, the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative, and "Right-Sizing" the Forest Road System.

By Adam Rissien - February 19, 2010    Today we joined with the Pryors Coalition in challenging the Custer National Forest's Beartooth Travel Plan. In the Pryor Mountains, the Forest Service designated 124 miles (99%) of roads and trails for motorized use, and less than one and a half miles (1%) for those who rely on a quiet setting to enjoy traditional Montana activities.  There are eight designated motorized routes up the south and west slopes of Big Pryor Mountain and no quiet trails.

By Thomas R Petersen - February 19, 2010    Seven of Canada's Rocky Mt. National Parks are getting a total of $945,000 to fix culverts that block fish from entering important mountain streams, which will improve aquatic connectivity.

By Bethanie Walder - February 11, 2010    Eastmans’ Hunting Journal recently posted a poll to their readers about ATV violations and penalties.  While it’s not a scientific poll, and they didn’t list how many people responded to the poll, the hunters who did respond overwhelmingly supported stronger penalties for ATV violations.  The results were released in the February/March 2010 issue of the journal. Here are just a few of the quotes from respondents that Eastmans highlighted:

By Bethanie Walder - February 2, 2010   The President’s budget was just released, and with it came increased attention to restoration within the Forest Service, unfortunately that was coupled with what appears to be a decrease in focus on the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative.   After a cursory view, it also seems that the increased attention on restoration continues a long-running trend within the Forest Service of creating new euphemisms for the old habit of logging.

By Adam Rissien - February 2, 2010    The Ravalli Republic ran a story about how a four wheeler drove around gates closing the Forest Service roads to motor vehicles in the Como Lake area on the Bitterroot National Forest.