NATIONAL GRASSLANDS ARE SUFFERING

[Guest guest]

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* WILD ALERT

* Friday, January 4, 2002

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Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

 

Happy New Year!

 

The Forest Service has just released its plan for managing National

Grasslands in the northern great plains, a plan that shortchanges

proposed wilderness, opens more wildlife habitat to oil and gas

development, and fails to recommend any wild and scenic rivers in the

grasslands. Your input is needed by January 22:

<http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2 & item=960>

 

SEA OF GRASS

When Lewis and Clark crossed the grasslands of the Great Plains nearly

200 years ago, they found a sea of grass teeming with massive herds of

bison, pronghorn and elk, grizzlies, wolves, foxes and immense prairie

dog towns. Today, most of this is gone. Much of the prairie has been

converted to farmland and oil development, and the losses continue

today.

 

Right now we have a wonderful opportunity to protect what remains and

restore a small part of this lost wildlife on ten National Grasslands

and Forests in the northern Great Plains. These lands include some of

the most outstanding examples of prairie left in public ownership.

 

NATIONAL GRASSLANDS ARE SUFFERING

Although these National Grasslands are supposed to be managed for all

Americans, they have not been treated well. Our public land managers

have poisoned much of the wildlife, including most prairie dog towns,

and allowed livestock to graze almost 100 percent of these lands. Oil

and gas development has marred the prairie vistas and destroyed

essential wildlife habitat. Now is our chance to change this.

 

FOREST SERVICE PLAN TAKES STEP BACKWARDS

The Forest Service's new plan takes a major step backwards from a

previously released draft. This plan significantly reduces the amount

of land recommended for wilderness, opens even more wildlife habitat

to oil and gas development, and fails to recommend any wild and scenic

rivers in the grasslands.

 

TAKE ACTION

Your comments are urgently needed by JANUARY 22 to reverse these

disturbing trends and protect America's wild prairies. Please send a

letter today from

<http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/?step=2 & item=960> or send your

own letter directly. Tell the Forest Service:

 

- Our National Grasslands are in need of sound management that makes

native wildlife and habitat a priority. Please include the following

in your Final Plan.

 

- Manage for healthy populations of all native species on all National

Grasslands. Priority should be given to adequately protect imperiled

species - such as the swift fox, mountain plover and ferruginous hawk

- and to restore native species such as the black-footed ferret,

bison, and prairie dogs.

 

- Rest one-third of National Grasslands from livestock grazing

annually, to allow adequate amounts of taller grasses necessary for

several wildlife species. Livestock should also be kept away from

streams and wetlands.

 

- Prohibit oil and gas development where it is incompatible with other

uses, such as proposed wilderness areas. Placement of fixed

structures should be denied for all remaining roadless, special

interest, and research natural areas, and other important wildlife and

recreation areas.

 

- Propose all remaining roadless grassland areas for wilderness

designation (45 areas covering only 574,000 acres). This is the best

way to preserve the natural character of these few remaining wild

areas.

 

- Aggressively work to consolidate federal lands now checkerboarded

with private lands, which makes appropriate management more difficult.

 

Your comments count! Please send your letter by January 22, 2002, to:

Northern Great Plains Planning Team

US Forest Service

125 N. Main St., Chadron, NE 69337-2118

EMAIL: cloop

 

You can download the Forest Service's " Northern Great Plains

Management Plans Revision " at

<http://www.fs.fed.us/ngp/plan/feis_summary.htm>

 

Many thanks to the Grasslands Wilderness Campaign and the Predator

Conservation Alliance for this alert.

 

 

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For a full list of Action Items, visit

http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm