Hi all,
The New England Wilderness Act of 2006 recently unanimously passed the Senate, but your pal and mine, Richard Pombo is holding things up in committee on the house side. So I'm asking that if your rep is on either the
House Committee on Agriculture or the
House Committee on Resources to please, please write your rep and ask them to support the New England Wilderness Act and move it out of committee and to the house floor for a full vote.
Click
here for the text of the Senate Bill. The language in the House Bill is identical.
More info on the proposed wilderness areas can be found at
Why Wilderness.
The sample letter is pretty New England-centric, but if you've been to those areas or have ties to New England that would be a good way to personalize the letter. As alway snail mail is best, but you can find e-mail links at the committee sites.
Dear Representative _____________,
Please support the New England Wilderness Act of 2006.
Wilderness is an essential component of a balanced-use in the White and Green Mountain National Forests. I support Wilderness designation because it is the best way to protect watersheds, preserve the habitat of plant and animal species, and provide quiet recreation to hunters, anglers, bird-watchers, hikers, campers, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers. This bill also fits in with the Forest Service's own goals for wilderness management.
A hands-off wilderness area serves another purpose as well: as a passive laboratory of natural change. The naturalist Aldo Leopold called it a ''picture of how healthy land maintains itself as an organism."
Every member of both New Hampshire and Vermont’s congressional delegations support the New England Wilderness Act. This bi-partisan unanimity is remarkable and it represents the widespread support for permanently protecting these wild areas.
Conserving wild lands is an idea that is deeply rooted in New England tradition. The very idea for a National Forest system started there. That legacy is today, stronger than ever. In 1998 a survey commissioned by the FS, revealed that 94% of New Englanders thought that the remaining undisturbed forests in the WMNF should be protected. In 1999-2000, almost three quarters of the comments that the FS received about wilderness stated a desire for more wilderness. Of the 9,005 comments from NH residents responding to the FS Draft Environmental Impact Statement on this plan, 93% supported the complete protection of all Roadless Areas.
Why is it critical to preserve these areas today? While these areas are part of our National Forest System, they are not permanently protected. As Forest Plans and Forest Service personnel come and go these wild places will be under pressure from road building, logging, and motorized recreation. Congressional wilderness designation now is the best way to guarantee preservation of these wild lands for the future.
New England is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. The Society for the Protection of NH Forests has pointed out that NH is now losing about 7,000 acres of woods and farmland every year. The northlands, once considered remote, are undergoing a continuous increase in road building and development. Both The White and Green Mountain National Forests are rapidly becoming wild islands in a sea of heavily roaded and developed private land. Adding wilderness in New Hampshire and Vermont acts as a counterbalance to those developmental pressures. No other tool is as strong or as long lasting.
These National Forests are within a day’s drive of 80 million people, and over seven million visit the White Mountain National Forest alone each year. These forests are a treasure, not only for New England but also the entire country.
I ask that you please move this bill out of committee and vote for the New England Wilderness Act of 2006. Thank you for your leadership in this important issue and please do all you can to pass this bill by the end of the year!
Sincerely,
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