Roadless Forests

Do you support limiting access to areas of our wild forests in order to ensure that the forests remain for both wildlife survival and human enjoyment?

Twelve thousand miles of roads, enough to cross the United States four times, cut through the national forest lands of Wyoming. The Forest Service's plan to protect roadless areas would preserve over four million acres of Wyoming's wild forest. Logging, recreational development, grazing, off-road vehicle use and some types of mining would not be explicitly prohibited. It is critical that the Forest Service close these loopholes to protect our last remaining wild forests. National Forest lands without roads represent only about 2 percent of the total landbase of the United States, yet they provide clean drinking water, recreation and large open spaces that offer solitude and beauty. These areas often provide important habitat for rare plant and animal species, offer opportunities for monitoring and research, and help stop the spread of invasive species. Forest roads have fragmented healthy wildlife habitat and put these populations at risk. Silt from logging endeavors fills the streams, making them unfit for trout survival. Dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles scar fragile habitats like meadows and hillsides. In addition, the Forest Service would save taxpayers up to $565,000 per year in maintenance costs for new roads, which would not be built. With an $8.4 billion dollar backlog of road maintenance and reconstruction on the current 380,000-mile road system on National Forest lands, we should focus on the current roads rather than building costly new roads into roadless areas. In order to preserve Wyoming's and the nation's wild forests, action must be taken to keep the roads out, as well as limiting access in particularly wild and sensitive areas.

For more information, contact www.sierraclub.org/chapters/wy/roadlessareas.html.

Conservation Funding

Do you support the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 2000 as a means of funding much needed conservation projects within the state?

The Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 2000 (CARA, H.R. 701) would create a permanent funding source for wildlife preservation, recreation, coastal conservation, historic conservation and other conservation programs. CARA was passed by the House with a vote of 315-102 in May 2000. It has yet to pass the Senate. If passed, this Act will permanently seal about half of the $4-5 billion dollar revenue generated from oil and gas leases for state conservation efforts. This would benefit Wyoming by providing about $30 million per year for conservation projects. Currently, the money generated from the leases is not directed to any area in particular, but rather pilfered away to miscellaneous government expenditures. CARA's passage would be of immeasurable value to not only Wyoming, but to all states in the nation, providing much needed dollars to clean up rivers, water pollution, restore fisheries and create parks.

For more information, contact http://www.nwf.org/naturefunding/states/WY.html.