The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service recently announced a public comment period on the proposal to sell 304,370 acres of public land. The money received from the sales (up to $800 million) would provide funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (see previous AW web article).
Comments on the proposed list must be received by March 30 and can be submitted by one of three methods:
- Send comments by e-mail to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us.
- Written comments may be sent to:
USDA Forest Service
SRS Comments, Lands 4S
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Mailstop 1124
Washington, DC, 20250-0003 - Send faxed comments to (202) 205-1604.
AW has identified the following primary concerns with this proposal:
- Process Concerns: Through our research with indvidual Forest Service staff it is our understanding that this proposal was developed as a "quick GIS exercise" with inadequate review of individual parcels.
- Public Policy Concerns: Selling public land for one-time funding of a government program is not appropriate. In addition, when removing parcels from the National Forest Service system truly is in the public interest, there is an opportunity for land trades that would not be possible if the land were sold.
- The Land Sales are Not Necessary: Bipartisan legislation has been introduced (S. 267 and HR 517) that would fully fund the Secure Rural Schools program without selling public land.
- Specific Parcels Do Have Important Values: As one example the Sultan River Canyon is listed for potential sale, representing lands that are a part of one of AW’s national projects with the current relicensing of the hydroelectric project on this river (see articles in Everett Herald, Monroe Monitor, and Seattle Times). The most effective comments will be those that tell a personal story of lands along a river that you enjoy. Unfortunately the Forest Service maps are poorly designed making it difficult for the general public to carefully review all the parcels (and you might consider noting this in your comments if you come to the same conclusion). As an alternative you can check out the Sierra Club’s map interface developed with Google Earth.
AW will be finalizing comments within the next week. If you have any additional comments or thoughts please do not hesistate to contact us. We also encourage members to file individual comments. For additional background you can also refer to the Wilderness Society’s Action Alert. We wish to recognize the Wilderness Society as an important partner assisting us in educating members in Congress on this issue and the potential impacts to our membership. Through these efforts, several elected officials have come out in opposition to this proposal. We recommend that you also send a copy of your comments to your Congressional representatives.