Re: DCR giving foresters credit to attend Forest Futures meetings

6 views

Skip to first unread message

Mike Ryan

unread,

Feb 3, 2010, 4:40:50 PM2/3/10

to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com, ForestFutur...@googlegroups.com

Ted,

All good points you make, Foresters have much to learn at the public forum.

But you skipped over one little thing.

It is not ethical that a particular class of person with financial stakes in keeping the old public forest logging paradigm ('old think' as you call it) alive and well should be career based incentivized by the conveners of the Forest Futures process to show up at the public meetings

Mike

On Feb 3, 2010, at 4:13 PM, Ted Cady wrote:

Jane, et al,
I have not attended forester certified training, but I have put on workshops for other certifications. You sign in and you sign out. To get credit you have to stay for the whole thing. We have been discussing a new paridim w\hich is foreign to many foresters. Why not let them hear how people feel? It will be a wonderful education. In my experience most foresters are not interested in public speaking. Most foresters, and that includes some DCR foresters, work in their own little world. I should think you would want people, especially foresters, to hear the issues. Several AGS members have said that foresters have "old think" and need to go to "new think" about ecology, carbon sequestration, and so forth. Not only should foresters attend, but forestry students should also attend. Foresters have much to learn at the public forum.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Berkshire Environmental Action Team
Sent: Feb 3, 2010 12:12 PM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: DCR giving foresters credit to attend Forest Futures meetings

Perhaps taking the online training at www.mass.gov/ethics on the new Conflict of Interest Law Requirements is in order?
Jane
--
Jane Winn, Executive Director
413-442-6815 home/office, 413-230-7321 cell, ja...@thebeatnews.org
BERKSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION TEAM (BEAT)
BEAT, 27 Highland Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201-2413 www.thebeatnews.org
Working with you to protect the environment in the Berkshires and beyond
Help support our work - Donate now!
For all the environmental news and events in Berkshire County
delivered to your computer each week, subscribe to The BEAT News by email.

hri...@massaudubon.org wrote:
Maybe a workshop in ethics is in order.

Government officials are not allowed to offer any financial inducements for individuals to influence state policy, and especially not when those policies have a direct relationship to those individuals' jobs and income.

Continuing education credits that help a forester qualify for license renewal are financial incentives.

There seems to be confusion between educational workshops and public meetings where potential changes in public policy and regulations are discussed, debated, and comments submitted for consideration in the final outcome. Of course anyone, including foresters have the right to come and have their say at the forums. What is improper is state incentives encouraging them to do that.

I would have no objection to a workshop educating foresters about what is in the final vision after it is approved. I hope DCR publicizes to many audiences the final report and any changes in policy or regulations they will implement in response to it..

Public forums should be advertised by agencies with standard notices distributed to all types of people. There should be no particular incentive for any category of people to participate other than their own interest in the topic under review.

Heidi

E. Heidi Ricci
Senior Policy Analyst
Massachusetts Audubon Society
208 South Great Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
781-259-2172
FAX 781-259-1089
hri...@massaudubon.org
If you support our public policy initiatives, advocacy positions & environmental projects,
join over 100,000 other people as a Mass Audubon member at:
www.massaudubon.org <http://www.massaudubon.org>
From: Michael Kellett <kel...@restore.org>
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 09:29:16 -0500
To: <forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com>; <forestfutur...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: DCR giving foresters credit to attend Forest Futures meetings

Hi Bill,

You just made my point. Foresters have a vested, economic interest in coming to the hearings and supporting logging on public lands. That's their right. But it's all the more reason to avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest from state officials. In this case, Tom Ryan stepped way over the line. If the situation were reversed, and a DCR staffer sent an invitation only to wilderness advocates, promising to give them special consideration in the future, I think you would be just as outraged as I am about this -- and rightfully so.

And yes, of course comments at public forums always have more political weight than written comments. It's like the difference between meeting with your state legislator and sending an email. Or attending town meeting versus calling your selectman. Which do you think he or she will pay the most attention to?

Best,
Michael

On Feb 3, 2010, at 8:43 AM, William VanDoren wrote:

Michael,
Will comments given at the public forums be given more weight than comments submitted via other means? I wasn’t under that impression. What other interest group at the table has professional requirements for continuing education? Do Massachusetts Licensed Wilderness Experts have to get continuing education? What could be more important to foresters than hearing about the public’s forestry concerns so they can maintain their social license to practice forestry?
Bill

From: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Michael Kellett
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 8:23 AM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com; forestfutur...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: DCR giving foresters credit to attend Forest Futures meetings

Bill,

This has nothing to do with the ability of foresters to comment. Obviously, foresters have every right to attend the meetings and speak their minds. But this was a specific invitation to foresters by a state forestry official, urging them to attend and promising continuing education credits to benefit them professionally. No other interest group got a personal invitation with professional incentives, as far as I can see. Why not? The answer is obvious: this is an attempt by a state forestry official to pack the house with foresters. It is completely inappropriate and taints the whole process.

Michael

On Feb 3, 2010, at 7:26 AM, William VanDoren wrote:

Dave,
Why is it an outrage? Foresters aren’t members of the public? We lose the ability to comment on forest policy?
Bill

From: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com]On Behalf Of Dave Gafney
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 7:14 AM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com; forest-futures-techni...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format

Bill,

The current effort by DCR to stack the public forums by offering continuing ed credits to licensed foresters to attend is an absolute outrage.

If this is not immediately reversed, then maybe it is time for many of us to abandon this process completely and denounce it as a sham that has been stacked from the beginning in favor of a special powerful economic interest.

Dave
--
Greetings Foresters,

A continuing forester education opportunity for your information. See attached announcement and certificate. The draft recommendations have just been made available at the following website:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/tsc_draft_recommendations.htm

Forest management recommendations have been made for both public and private forestlands.

Credit will be given for attendance at more than one meeting.

If you attend a meeting and desire CFE credit please have the attached certificate signed and include with your next license renewal application.

Tom Ryan, Service Forester
Secretary, MA Forester Licensing Board
Department of Conservation and Recreation
PO Box 1433; Pittsfield MA 01201
phone: 413-784-1828 ext. 123
fax: 413-442-5860
Tom....@state.ma.us
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Forest Futures Advisory Group of Stakeholders" group.
To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2664 - Release Date: 02/03/10 03:09:00

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Forest Futures Advisory Group of Stakeholders" group.
To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Forest Futures Advisory Group of Stakeholders" group.
To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Forest Futures Advisory Group of Stakeholders" group.
To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.
No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.435 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2665 - Release Date: 02/03/10 08:09:00

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Forest Futures Advisory Group of Stakeholders" group.
To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.
________________________________________ PeoplePC Online A better way to Internet http://www.peoplepc.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Forest Futures Advisory Group of Stakeholders" group.
To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.

Reply all

Reply to author

Forward

0 new messages