Best Science? - U.S. official axes forest protections for lynx, water
aozo...@aol.com
Article Published: Monday, February 14, 2005
U.S. official axes forest protections for lynx, water
By Theo Stein and Bob Berwyn
The Denver Post
Rules designed to protect reintroduced Canada lynx and to keep water in
streams and rivers would be stripped from the White River National
Forest management plan under a recent decision by an Agriculture
Department official.
David Tenny, deputy undersecretary for natural resources, sided with
ski resorts and off-road-vehicle groups when he ordered the forest to
eliminate rules that require the agency to assess potential damage to
lynx habitat by ski-area projects, forest health treatments and other
activities.
Tenny also ordered forest officials to scrap environmental standards
that would give them more authority to protect water for fish and
recreation in the 2.3-million-acre forest, which stretches between
Summit County and Glenwood Springs.
After five years of debate, White River National Forest officials
adopted a new management plan in June 2002. Appeals were resolved by
Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth late last year.
Advertisement
But Tenny's decision reverses Bosworth's rulings. Comments on the
latest changes are due Tuesday.
One reason for easing lynx rules, Tenny wrote, was to make the White
River plan consistent with a lynx management strategy proposed for
other southern Rockies forests.
Forest officials admit the regional plan may not protect lynx habitat
or significantly improve the shy snow cat's chances for survival. That
plan contains exemptions for oil and gas development,
energy-transmission lines and healthy-forest projects that comply with
White House policy directives.
Tenny also argued that stronger lynx protections were unnecessary
because "since 1974, there has been no documented evidence that lynx
exist" in the White River forest.
But Colorado Division of Wildlife officials say satellite transmitters
on the radio collars of reintroduced lynx show they are using the
forest.
No one from the Forest Service contacted the Division of Wildlife for
information about lynx in the forest, said Rick Kahn, state wildlife
program manager.
In ordering 10 water standards eliminated, Tenny said many were
unrealistic and could conflict with state law and other forest
policies, in particular a memorandum of agreement inked by federal and
state officials last year.
"It's going to make it harder for them to say, 'Hey, we need some water
in this stream,"' said Rocky Smith of Colorado Wild.
Smith noted that in 2001, Tenny ordered forest managers to remove
requirements aimed at protecting key species such as the Colorado River
cutthroat trout, western boreal toad, wolverine and pine martin from
new plans for the Rio Grande, Arapaho-Roosevelt and Routt forests.
The White River management plan is intended to guide land-use decisions
for the next 15 years on a rugged landscape that hosts 8.4 million
visitors annually and contains the state's most popular ski areas and
eight wilderness preserves. The forest is split by Interstate 70 and
surrounded by some of the fastest-growing communities in the West.