Forest Service to host summer field trips for Travel Management

http://www.examiner.com/x-1197-Boomer-Biker-Examiner~y2009m6d2-Forest-Service-to-host-summer-field-trips-for-Travel-Management

The Mountain City, and Jarbidge & Ruby Mountains District Rangers (Elko, NV) announced today that they are planning six consecutive Saturday field trips, and are open to scheduling some additional field trips during the week if requested.
This series of field trips will concentrate on looking at roads and trails and discussing resource issues and public recreational travel needs as part of the ongoing Travel Management scoping process initiated back in January...

...One seasonal topic that may arise on these trips and that we would like to address is a concern that was discussed in Wednesday's commissioners meeting. The topic was closed roads and fire access. Elko County residents should know that the 2005 Travel Management Rule allows firefighters to travel on any road or cross country to respond to wildfires on the National Forest. The exception is Congressionally designated wilderness areas, which requires prior approval.
The public needs to know that the Forest Service will continue to suppress all human-caused wildfires to protect firefighters and provide for public safety. Fire emergencies allow agencies the use of a full complement of equipment and aircraft to manage the fire, including helicopters, fire engines, dozers, or retardant planes. The Forest Service and our inter-agency partners will work to keep wildfire away from structures and communities - using whatever equipment is available and necessary to get the job done...

"What a great way to gain input from the general public, enabling citizens who use the roads to offer comments and concerns on location."--aggie castronuevo

FORESTS: 'Lightning rod' undersecretary looks back without regrets

http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2009/01/20/12

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/06/06greenwire-career-conservationist-picked-to-oversee-fores-19116.html

Career conservationist picked to oversee Forest Service.
President Obama nominated a career Agriculture Department employee yesterday to a political post overseeing the Forest Service and farmland conservation programs.
If confirmed by the Senate, Homer Lee Wilkes -- currently the Mississippi state conservationist and a 28-year veteran of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) -- would be undersecretary for natural resources and environment. The post directs the Forest Service and conservation projects at NRCS.
The selection of a career NRCS employee for the job is a shift from the previous two administrations. Jim Lyons, who had worked on forestry issues on Capitol Hill and for the Society of American Foresters, held the post during the Clinton administration. A former timber lobbyist, Mark Rey, held the job in the Bush administration.

Mount Taylor Endangered

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/44086517.html

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Mount Taylor, near Grants, N.M., to its 2009 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This annual list highlights important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.Located in the southwestern corner of New Mexico’s San Mateo Mountains, midway between Albuquerque and Gallup, Mount Taylor, with an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, is a startlingly beautiful, sacred place. Visible from up to 100 miles away, the mountain has been a pilgrimage site for as many as 30 Native American tribes, with special significance for the Acoma people...

The complete list of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2009 Endangered Sites:• Mount Taylor, Grants, N.M.• Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.• Miami Marine Stadium, Fla.• Dorchester Academy, Midway, Ga.• Lãna’i City, Hawaii• Unity Temple, Oak Park, Ill.• Ames Shovel Shops, Easton, Mass.• Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth, N.H. & Kittery, Maine• Human Services Center, Yankton, S.D.• Cast-Iron Architecture of Galveston, Texas• The Manhattan Project’s Enola Gay Hangar, Utah

"see link above for entire article"--aggie castronuevo

R3 Lincoln National Forest: Perk_Grindstone Stewardship Project

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/lincoln/news/Perk_Grindstone_III_DEIS_Response_to_comments_05_06_08.pdf


The objective of Perk-Grindstone is to restore fire-adapted forest systems to structural characteristics that would reduce large-size crown fires to more manageable surface fires. See link for DEIS Response released by the Forest Service May 2008.

Storing Carbon in Forests

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7235/full/458151a.html

"Planting, conserving and managing forests are key for attaining long-term mitigation of greenhouse gases, yet the land-use and forestry sector barely features in the Kyoto Protocol. In Climate Change and Forests, some 50 experts analyse the forestry-based discussions within climate-change negotiations, and offer technical and political reasons for why the Kyoto Protocol handles forestry in such a cumbersome way..."

Parks and Wildlife get stimulus

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/parks_and_wildlife_get_stimulus/C41/L41/

"The press release included the following examples:
$375 million for restoration of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the nation’s largest recreational fishery.
$280 million for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for refuge operations and maintenance and $165 million for resource management.
$230 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operations, research and facilities.
$500 million for USDA Forest Service wildland fire management efforts.
$27.5 billion investment in highway infrastructure includes set asides for park roads, parkways, forest highways and refuge roads.
$290 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s watershed and flood prevention operations.
$125 million for the Bureau of Land Management for projects including abandoned mine and well site remediation, road and trail maintenance, watershed improvement and high priority habitat restoration. "

Obama will shift Forest Service Policy

http://news.opb.org/article/4230-obama-administration-will-shift-forest-service-policy/


"The stimulus bill that passed the House last week directed more than a billion dollars to the U.S. Forest Service.
Portland Democrat Ron Wyden wants to keep Forest Service funding in the Senate stimulus bill too.
And Monday, the Obama administration signaled it wants a bigger budget for the Forest Service.
Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports."

Will the Stimulus put jobs in our Woods?

"Neither U.S. Forest Service nor the U.S. Bureau of Land Management local officials know how much money will be available for the agencies or what the restrictions will be on how it could be spent.
"But a recovery of jobs in local communities would be a priority," predicted Patty Burel, spokeswoman for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Jim Whittington, her counterpart at the BLM's Medford District, concurred."

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090212/NEWS/902120320

Walden Headed for Southern Oregon

http://www.kmed.com/pages/landing/?WALDEN-HEADED-FOR-SOUTHERN-OREGON=1&blockID=39700&feedID=133

"Highlighting the schedule is a meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 with Region 6 Forest Service Supervisor Mary Wagner (who oversees forest service land in Oregon and Washington) and state BLM Director Ed Sheppard to learn the agencies’ plans to begin forest health projects with the funds they are expected to receive in the federal stimulus package that the House expects to vote on tomorrow. Any stimulus package should aim to create jobs quickly, so Rep. Walden is interested to hear about how they plan to get Oregonians back working in the woods quickly with the new funds. "