Blog Archives for Forest Service

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 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 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.

By Adam Rissien - January 15, 2010    Sentencing happened yesterday for a Livingston, MT man who illegally created an off-road vehicle route back in 2006: see Livingston man admits making illegal trail in forest. Francis Leroy McLain ,60, originally was indicted on a felony and faced a maximum one year in prison and $100,000 fine. After the ususal plea-bargaining his sentence was reduced to five months in federal prison, a $2,000 fine and $25,000 in restitution for damage.

By Greg Peters - January 13, 2010   

By Sarah Peters - December 23, 2009    Today Judge Molloy signed a settlement agreement between Wildlands CPR, Friends of the Bitterroot, and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest that removes authorization for snowmobile grooming in the northern half of the West Pioneers Wilderness Study Area for the 2009-2010 season, and terminates the authorization entirely after the present season. 

By Bethanie Walder - December 21, 2009    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Dec. 21, 2009 Future gets brighter for state's aging national forest roads OLYMPIA - Congress and the Obama administration are responding with on-the-ground results in response to appeals by a coalition of conservation groups and the state Departments of Ecology and Fish & Wildlife. Federal action is now occurring to repair and reclaim crumbling national forest roads in Washington state that have been harming endangered salmon and clean water.

By Bethanie Walder - December 9, 2009    On October 30, Congress appropriated $90 million for the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative.  The funds are used to protect and restore clean water by reclaiming unneeded roads and fixing the roads we do need.  We just received the 2010 regional allocations, and added them into a chart showing how they compare to the 2008 ($40 million) and 2009 ($50 million) allocations: