Greg Mumm Greg lives in South Dakota and his interests include 4-Wheeling, fly-fishing, and camping. |
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The Open Gate
May/June 2010
By Greg Mumm
On December 18, 2009, the Forest Service released its notice of intent (NOI) soliciting comments to develop a new planning rule that will provide a framework for management of national forests and grasslands. Dubbed the New Forest Service Land and Resource Management Planning Rule, the impetus of this effort has a long and sordid history, including legal actions on the latest rule during the Bush administration that were ultimately tossed out by the courts, leading back to guidance for planning from previous planning rules.
The Forest Service included potential basis for the new planning rule in their NOI that included an emphasis on restoration, conservation and the improved resilience of ecosystems, watershed health, climate change response, species diversity and wildlife habitat, sustainable National Forest System lands, proactive collaboration and working across landscapes. Oddly, the word recreation was essentially left completely off the list of potential principles, as was the term multiple-use management. This leads to concerns that the aforementioned guiding principles (or buzz words) are trending away from longstanding and successful guidance to manage for multiple-use provided by Congress in various acts governing the operation of land managing agencies.
The initial comment period on the new planning rule was closed on February 16 this year. However, the Chief of the Forest Service, Tom Tidwell, recently announced a series of public meetings to provide opportunities for public discussion on the development of a new planning rule. The Forest Service will host a national science forum, three national roundtables and nine regional roundtables.
The dates and locations of the meetings announced include:
National Science Forum, March 29 and 30 in Washington, D.C.
National roundtables, April 1 and 2, April 20 and 21, and May 11 and 12, in Washington, D.C.
Nine regional roundtables in the following locations:
Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), Portland, OR on April 6
Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5), Sacramento, CA on April 6
Intermountain Region (Region 4), Salt Lake City, UT on April 8
Rocky Mountain Region, (Region 2), Lakewood, CO on April 12
(Region 2 will host additional meetings on April 14 in Cheyenne, WY and on April 21 in Rapid City, SD)
Northern Region (Region 1), Missoula, MT on April 13
Alaska Region (Region 10), Juneau, AK on April 13
Southern Region (Region 8), Atlanta, GA during the week of April 12 (exact date to be determined)
Eastern Region (Region 9), Chicago, IL during the week of April 28 (exact date to be determined)
Southwestern Region (Region 3), Albuquerque, NM on April 28
It is hard to over-emphasize how important it is for enthusiasts to get involved in this process. This new rule will have far-reaching effects for recreational access and resource management. Here is a link to a website with more information: http://tinyurl.com/y92sp9x.
