[at-l] Bush opens forest roads

[RoksnRoots at aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

In a message dated 7/14/04 4:50:24 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Bror8588@aol.com 
writes:

<< The building of the roads is an issue that can be 
 seen from a positive stance in that roads can provide access to hikers, 
 birders, etc., who wish to go into places that up to now have been 
inaccessible.  The 
 roads proposed may provide access to fire fighting equipment in the event of 
 forest fires.  The whole picture is larger than what was stated in the 
 original announcement on this site. >>


             ***   Wise people would see that the Clinton protections were in 
response to years-long exploitation and admitted overcutting. 

          Bror's response above makes me laugh because it is such a direct 
product of the doublespeak so popular with today's anti-environmental 
administration and its actions. To say new roads will give hiking access is like saying 
new condos will allow people to live closer to the Trail. I hope the politics 
from which this came and their sensitivity, or lack of, for primary Trail 
concerns are obvious. 

          The Times did an article on how this would impact the last 
remaining stands of old growth in Tongas. That is what should be looked at, not 
rhetoric. 

         Like the "forest thinning" program the best indicator for this new 
policy is that it provides no defined limit to the road building. This policy 
would literally allow all old growth and remaining stands to be roaded 
according to its wording. It pretends to be addressing state needs by leaving it up to 
individual governors, but ignores the fact that Oregon's governor is against 
it. Personally, I'd like to see how many conservation-concerned programs are 
left up to locals in federal forests. 

        I think some people are fooling themselves that this isn't just 
another one of Bush's outrageous, pro-industry acts at the expense of mainstay 
environmental protections. Since when has the log-exporting timber industry ever 
acted on behalf of the locals?