Blog Archives for Forest Service

By cathy - September 2, 2010    Groups remove, repair Wash. forest roads A coalition of 18 groups is pushing to restore national forest lands in Washington state through the removal and repair of forest roads left behind from decades of timber harvesting.

By Sarah Peters - September 2, 2010    Each year the Siuslaw National Forest Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area allows a privately sponsored motorized event to occur on the lands it manages - DunesFest.  An article published yesterday in the Umpqua Post released some interesting numbers regarding law enforcement and citations.  This event requires five times the law enforcement presence just to try to keep the crowds under control.

By cathy - August 31, 2010    Read the original news article in the Helena Independent Record here.

By cathy - August 27, 2010    Mt. Hood National Forest published a plan Friday, August, 27 for the management of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) such as ATVs and dirt bikes on the forest. The OHV Plan provides for a total of 146 miles for OHV routes on roads and trails in four areas of the forest. Bark, forest users and other environmental groups are applauding the new plan.

By Bethanie Walder - August 27, 2010    The Forest Service has finally released their FY10 final list of Legacy Roads and Trails projects.  Though the funding increased significantly from 2009 ($50 million) to 2010 ($90 million), when comparing the total projected accomplishments between the two years you might notice that the anticipated outcomes are not necessarily doubled.  We are pleased to see that numerous regions and forests have dedicated at least a portion of FY10 funding to project planning, survery and design.

By Greg Peters - August 26, 2010    Congressman Norm Dicks, reporters and Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative coalition members spent part of Tuesday, August 24, visiting a Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative project in action in the Skokomish watershed of the Olympic National Forest. This work is not only restoring the watershed by reducing sediment and road pollution, but is supporting local businesses with family wage jobs and keeping some contractors afloat during this prolonged economic downturn.

By Greg Peters - August 26, 2010    Wildlands CPR, The Wilderness Society, and the Helena National Forest hosted a field tour on the Helena National Forest yesterday, August 25th.  The tour highlighted the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative, visiting a site where road reclamation is ongoing to protect and restore clean water supplies. Once in the woods, the tour met up with excavator operator Karry Cross, who ran his excavator to give the camera crews from 3 local t.v.

By Bethanie Walder - July 23, 2010    The House Interior and Environmental Appropriations subcommittee approved legislation yesterday to provide Forest Service and other agency and environmental funding for fiscal year 2011.  While there are many steps yet to go, we are very happy to report that the subcommittee included $90 million for the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative. For more information, read the news directly from Congressman Norm Dicks' office.

By Bethanie Walder - July 22, 2010   On July 20, the Forest Service released their new Climate Change Roadmap, along with a new “scorecard” that will enable the national office to annually rate how each individual national forest is adapting to and mitigating for climate change.

By Sarah Peters - July 22, 2010    Although the use of alcohol at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area was banned several years ago, as highlighted in our report "Six Strategies for Effective Enforcement," it is still apparently a problem.  An article from yesterday's Umpqua Post highlights the issue.