FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 20, 2007

CONTACTS: Marnie Criley, Restoration Coordinator, 406-543-9551
Sue Gunn, Washington Representative, 360-754-1520

 

Missoula, MT -- Yesterday, Congress passed an appropriations bill which included $39.4 million for urgently needed watershed restoration on national forest lands. Once President Bush signs this bill, the money will go to areas where decaying U.S. Forest Service roads contribute to water quality problems, especially in areas that support threatened or endangered species, like bull trout, and provide clean drinking water for communities.

"Not only will this allocation save the Forest Service money in the long run by addressing road issues before they become road nightmares for fisheries and streams, but it will also provide restoration jobs to people living in Montana's rural communities," said Marnie Criley, Restoration Coordinator for Wildlands CPR.

The Forest Service is responsible for managing over 32,000 miles of roads throughout Montana. Thousands of miles of these roads are unneeded and harmful--they degrade water quality and are prone to washing out and harming bull trout habitat. Road decommissioning and reclamation is the least expensive option for fixing the problem while also reaping benefits for local workers, water sources, fish and wildlife.

This infusion of $40 million for road reclamation and remediation can provide more than 580 family-wage jobs. The investment in restoration can also protect drinking water for more than 60 million people in 3,400 communities whose water originates on Forest Service lands. This appropriation is a great first step toward addressing these long-standing needs.

Road decommissioning and reclamation is the best and least expensive option. The Forest Service estimates that road decommissioning could save taxpayers up to $1,200 annually per mile of decommissioned road. Being proactive is another key strategy. It is cheaper to remove a road before it fails than to remove the sediment from the stream after a road fails. Some engineers have estimated that road reclamation can cost at least 50% less than fixing the problem after the roads fail.

While state-by-state allocations of the Forest Service funding have not been made, the money will be shared among forests where decaying roads, impassable culverts, and storm damage impair fish habitat for threatened and endangered species. Streams with threatened bull trout in Montana could be improved by road reclamation projects funded by this appropriation.

This appropriation can also be one more infusion into the growing restoration economy in Montana. In 2007 the Montana legislature created a new statewide office of restoration housed at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. In addition, the state allocated $34 million for restoration projects. In a separate effort 29 people, representing a very broad set of interests including conservation, hunting and fishing, outfitting, logging, mill operations, state government and the Forest Service drafted and adopted a landmark set of 13 principles for restoring Montana’s forests, watersheds and wildlife. Montana is at the forefront of a growing national interest in restoration, as reflected by this significant Congressional appropriation today.

“This funding is an important first step toward addressing our longer-term needs and our coalition will continue to work to secure sustained watershed restoration funding,” said Sue Gunn, Wildlands CPR’s Washinton State representative. Sue and several conservation groups and state leaders worked cooperatively with Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Maria Cantwell to champion this effort in Congress.

This initial investment in watershed restoration is an important first step to an enormous problem that will require significant long-term investments. Wildlands CPR will encourage the Forest Service to use these funds to reclaim unneeded roads in order to restore fish and wildlife habitat, secure sources of clean drinking water, and improve wildlife habitat throughout the state.

Listen to a 2-minute radio interview with Wildlands CPR Restoration Coordinator Marnie Criley on Montana Evening Edition [1] and fast forward to the beginning of the segment at 6:57.

Read articles by The Missoula Independent [2] about the appropriation.

 

For more information, please visit:
http://www.wildlandscpr.org/Montana [3]
http://www.wildlandscpr.org/washington [4]