[at-l] AT threatened by a Bush (not a Rose-y picture)

[lorac4491 at linkamerica.net (Coosa Donaldson)]

http://www.ems.org/rls/2004/08/31/report_appalachi_pf.html

Report: Appalachian Trail Threatened at Dozens of Points In Six States by Bush Plan to Repeal Roadless Forest Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C.///August 31, 2004///Nearly 50 segments of the popular 2,100-mile-long Appalachian Trail (AT) stretching from Georgia to Maine are endangered by the Bush Administration's controversial proposal to repeal the federal roadless rule in order to exploit national forests for clear-cut logging and other commercial uses, according to a detailed mapping analysis undertaken by the nonprofit Campaign to Protect America's Lands (CPAL). 

As thousands of Americans make plans to hike the AT over the Labor Day holiday and in the coming weeks to see fall colors, the new CPAL report, "Hacking the Trail: How the Bush Administration's Roadless Rule Threatens the Appalachian Trail," exposes the peril posed to the recreational and ecological value of America's best known and most famous interstate footpath, much of which runs through federal forests that would be stripped of protections under the roadless forest rule. 

Key CPAL report findings include: 163 miles of the Appalachian Trail go directly through endangered roadless forest areas at 31 different points in six states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Hampshire and Vermont. There are 363,388 acres of roadless areas that either straddle the trail or actually "cross" the AT. Additionally, 16 roadless areas involving 38,017 acres are within a mile of the AT. The total of 47 AT trail segments in or near 401,405 acres of at-risk national forest areas include some of the most best known and most scenic sections of the trail, including Springer Mountain in Georgia, White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, and views from some of the highest peaks along the trail, including the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina and the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee.

BIG SNIPPET

ABOUT CPAL

The Campaign to Protect America's Lands (http://www.protectamericaslands.org) conserves our natural and historical heritage by exposing policies that permit destruction of our parks and public lands for private profit.

CONTACT: Ailis Aaron, (703) 276-3265 or aaaron@hastingsgroup.com. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The CPAL report - including downloadable maps for each threatened Appalachian Trail segment - are available on the Web at http://www.protectamericaslands.org/appalachian_trail.asp. The CPAL Web site also will feature as of 5 p.m. EDT on August 31, 2004, a streaming audio replay of a related news event.

*************** PS, I'm on Web Only.  Coosa